Beheading Canadian History

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East With summer around the corner, Canadians are getting ready to celebrate Canada Day on the 1st of July. Unfortunately, a recent trend in Canada works to ignore and minimize the achievements of our nation’s builders, and even demonize them. It has become fashionable to demolish statues and change the names of streets, public buildings and other commemorative spaces, in an attempt to erase any trace of our historical greats. This reminds me of what went on in communist Romania during my youth. At that time, there was an avid tendency to rewrite history with an emphasis on what was politically correct and in line with the thinking of the then current regime the law and order; to toe the line of the respective doctrine. After more than half a century, I see that very similar things are happening in my adoptive country, Canada. I would never have believed, in my wildest dreams that I would have to go through this experience again. These trends are especially harmful for the youth of this country. They are the most affected by these radical changes to our history, promoted so enthusiastically and consistently by our homegrown globalist influenced delusional elites. Youth are no longer encouraged to find common bonds, but are pushed to focus on what divides them, instead. Wander the halls in any public high school in Toronto and the GTA, and you will see displays and murals commemorating Canada’s sins: Murdered and Missing Women and Girls, Black Lives Matter, Trans Rights Matter. Kids are fed a culture of division from their earliest days. Schools supposedly advocate inclusivity, but what they practice is segregation. Everyone must be labeled, put in a box. You belong to this race, this faith, this sexuality, this victimized group. You are this first, second and third, and then, somewhere at the end of the line, presumably, you are a humble Canadian. Not long ago, students used to sport the maple leaf when they backpacked abroad. Our nation’s leaders used to say “the world needs more Canada.” Not any more. Today, we are encouraged to be ashamed of the bad, ugly, colonialist and racist Canada. Having served the country to the best of my abilities in the Canadian Armed Forces and the House of Commons, I am now puzzled by what Canada has become. I am proud of Canada but I feel that it is no longer fashionable to say so out loud. Rather than acknowledging the complex history of Canada, Canada’s historical narrative is being actively rewritten by a politically correct, left-wing elitist minority to present a sanitized and ahistorical account that aligns better with the “values” of contemporary Canada. The significance of historic actors is being diminished through studying legacies with the lens of morality, intent on condemning imperfections. The way Canadian history is being dishonoured and diminished is revolting. What intrigues me most is the treatment of the memory of one of the greatest Canadian statesmen, Sir John A. Macdonald. Revisionist history has set its sights on Macdonald and will not relent until his image is totally destroyed. It seems to me that thoughts and opinions about him are forced into and distorted by today’s biased vision, which insists on pointing out only the errors he might have committed in a different century when he may have had good intentions that were executed badly. Not long ago, Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, used to be regarded as one of Canada’s greatest statesmen. Looked upon with reverence, his name adorned public institutions and his image was crafted in bronze monuments that towered over city streets. Today he is considered a disgraced politician, despite his momentous achievements and commendable dedication to building Canada. His memory faces the wrath of cancel culture and woke ideology that seeks to thrust the stains of Canada’s history onto a single individual. Few figures, if any, in Canadian history have suffered recently so drastic and unforgiving a decline as Macdonald. In 2018 the City of Victoria removed its Macdonald statue, built in 1982 following public donations. In 2020 Macdonald’s Wilmot Township statue in Ontario was removed, despite being part of a publicly funded project that sought to commemorate every Canadian prime minister. In April 2021 the Regina memorial to Macdonald, built following intense public lobbying over 75 years, was removed in secret. In May 2021, the Charlottetown statue of Macdonald was removed following a unanimous vote by Charlottetown City Council. The removal came after consulting a local Charlottetown First Nations community who did not call for the statue’s removal, but rather, provided recommendations on how to update the statue to better reflect their historic experiences. In June 2021 Macdonald’s statue located in City Park, Kingston, Ontario – built in 1895 following public desire – was forcefully toppled. Toronto’s Macdonald statue is currently encased in a wooden and burlap tomb where it has been in hiding for nearly four years. I am wondering whether, maybe, the Covid-19 pandemic brought on a new disease affecting our history, perhaps an unrecognized side-effect of the known dangerous effects on our general health. As of 2024, there is only one Macdonald statue left standing and uncovered in Canada, located on Parliament Hill. Fuelled by growing trends of revisionism, presentism, and “woke-ism,” Macdonald’s legacy is being destroyed as Canadian history is increasingly studied through the lens of contemporary morality, condemning imperfections and ignoring historical context. As a result, the grievances of contemporary Canada are heaped upon Macdonald as a way to help Canadians come to terms with the elements of Canada’s foundation that do not fit into the narratives of “progressivism,” “tolerance,” and “multiculturalism.” Macdonald’s image is distorted, questioned, and actively diminished. It unfairly renders him guilty of past injustices. Today’s Macdonald is often viewed as a racist, genocidal tyrant, reduced to a caricature of his shortcomings and diminished as a drunk. I hope that this nonsense will end soon, and reason will prevail so Canadians can reclaim the accurate image of Sir John A. Macdonald and others who had a role in making Canada the great nation of today. No one has the right to judge only the negatives of Canada. We all need to find a way to improve our country and not demonize it gratuitously. Let us hope and work for a summer to be proud of, with the Canadian flag flying high!