The Divide in Canadian History: Disparity in English and French Canada’s Historical Figures
Commentary
The pantheon of Canadian historical figures got a bit smaller last year.
In 2019, Parks Canada began scrutinizing thousands of bronze historical plaques scattered across the country commemorating nationally significant persons, places, and events. The review is part of an effort to “advance reconciliation and to confront the legacy of colonialism.”
To date, 229 subjects have been identified as problematic enough to warrant further investigation. Plaques might be revised, or in “exceptional circumstances” the designations could be revoked entirely. Despite reassurances from Parks Canada that “History is not being erased through the review of these designations,” some plaques have already begun to disappear.
Plaques were recently removed for Confederation-era senior administrator Edgar Dewdney, western Canadian journalists-cum-politicians Nicholas Flood Davin and Frank Oliver, plus Duncan Campbell Scott, the long-time deputy superintendent of what was then called the Department of Indian Affairs. They were all found guilty of “colonial assumptions” through their association with federal indigenous policy and Canada’s now-reviled Indian Residential Schools.
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While some plaques were being consigned to the dustbin, Ottawa was enhancing the reputation of another “settler-colonial” interloper.
How did Beausoleil escape Parks Canada’s revisionism? He was surely guilty of “colonial assumptions,” and polite society today tends to frown on scalping and murdering civilians. Perhaps the key difference lies in Beausoleil’s native tongue.
The statue of Sir John A. Macdonald is removed from a park in his hometown of Kingston, Ont., on June 18, 2021. The Canadian Press/Lars Hagberg
Yet everything Macdonald did, Laurier did the same or worse.
Statue of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Canada’s seventh prime minister, in Dorchester Square in Montreal. Felix Lipov/Shutterstock
The difference in how English and French-Canadian historical figures are treated extends to others, including well-known explorer and “Father of New France” Samuel de Champlain, whose statue stands proudly in Quebec City but was removed in Orillia, Ontario. And the mid-20th century Quebec clergyman Lionel Groulx, who expressed a variety of problematic and offensive views but whose name continues to adorn numerous public facilities in the province.
It can also be argued that history matters more to francophone Quebecers than other Canadians due to their unique circumstances. As a small island of mostly French language and culture in a vast English-speaking ocean, Quebec’s French-speaking residents are more attuned to the significance of having, maintaining, and defending a common identity and heritage.
And finally, there is politics. Given the importance of culture and identity to Quebec, taking on the legacy of a Laurier or Champlain would be a risky proposition politically, particularly given the federal Liberals long reliance on Quebec voters.
Whatever the explanation, it still doesn’t make it right. The disappearing plaques were meant to spark curiosity and discussion and provided a modest but important contribution to communicating Canada’s history by highlighting the people, places, and events that shaped it for good or for ill and sometimes for both.
If Ottawa can find a way to honour Beausoleil despite his complexity, surely we can do the same for Dewdney, Scott, Davin, and Oliver.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
