Rethinking the future of statue in front of Port Hope town hall

On September 12, 1889, Sir John A. Macdonald, the prime minister of Canada, a father of Confederation and an architect of the residential schools, came to Port Hope to unveil at statue of Lt. Col. Arthur T.H. Williams.

Williams was a hometown hero. He fought against the Fenians prior to Confederation and then became the commander of the Midland Battalion of Volunteers Militia. He led a decisive charge at the battle of Batoche during the Northwest Resistance against the Metis. The resistance led to the formation of the province of Manitoba, under Louis Riel, one of Canada’s Father of Confederation after 1867.

Recently, the statue has come under scrutiny on social media and during protests held in Port Hope. There are those who want the statue removed, while others argue it should be left as part of our history.

I spoke with Professor David MacDonald, a Political Science and Research Leadership Chair for the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences at the University of Guelph. Here is my online conversation with him.