Manitoba grand chief ‘upset’ with Queen Elizabeth II statue replacement – Winnipeg | 24CA News
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs is decrying the Manitoba Government’s determination to re-erect a statue that was toppled two years in the past throughout a protest as an alternative of conserving good on a promise to create a monument honouring a historic treaty.
“There was no consultation, prior notice, or acknowledgement from the provincial government that this would be happening, which is upsetting,” mentioned AMC Grand Chief Cathy Merrick in a press launch.
In 2021, the identical yr because the destruction of the statues of Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria throughout a protest on Canada Day on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislature, the province mentioned it might create a monument to acknowledge the Peguis Selkirk Treaty.
The treaty was the primary settlement signed between First Nations and the Crown in Western Canada.
In February, Minister of Government Services James Teitsma reiterated the federal government’s phrase on creating the piece. It is predicted to be unveiled in 2024.
“By replacing the Queen Elizabeth II statue as quickly as this before erecting one that honours the history of First Nations in this province, shows a lack of commitment to reconciliation and accountability by this province,” Merrick mentioned within the launch.
Last week the bronze statue of Queen Elizabeth II reappeared in its authentic place after it was torn down on Canada Day in 2021 throughout a protest over the deaths of youngsters at residential colleges.
The province estimated it might price $500,000 to exchange the toppled statue, however an AMC press launch states the province confirmed it solely price $60,000 to be re-erected.
Just days after its reinstalment, it was spray-painted with the phrases “colonizer” and “killer,” however the phrases had been scrubbed off by the following day.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday whereas visiting the provincial legislature, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon mentioned she hopes individuals can come collectively to debate the problem of the toppled statues.
A second monument, the statue of Queen Victoria, was broken past restore throughout the 2021 protest and has not been changed.
Simon, who’s Canada’s first Indigenous governor basic, mentioned whereas her workplace is apolitical on the topic, it’s necessary for individuals to acknowledge the consequences colonization and residential colleges had on Canada’s Indigenous individuals.
— with information from The Canadian Press
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