Overview

• Ontario’s Legislative Assembly Board of Internal Economy decided in May to remove the protective hoarding around the Sir John A. Macdonald statue on June 11, ending a five-year enclosure at Queen’s Park.
• Premier Doug Ford supported the decision, arguing it is time to move past historical grievances and honour Canada’s first prime minister.
• The hoarding was first erected after a 2020 protest over Macdonald’s role in residential schools, during which attendees left children’s shoes that were later turned into a permanent memorial.
• A newly installed plaque highlights the legislature as a forum for public debate and reflection on Canada’s inherited history.
• The Speaker’s office has begun province-wide talks with Indigenous representatives to explore ways to recognize First Nations culture on the assembly grounds.