A guest professor on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus gave a talk recently about how, every now and then, our memorials and monuments can stir up protest & debate. Dr. Eric Weeks teaches courses in Canadian Studies at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts.
His lecture focused on how, often, memorials can be forgotten, and fade into the background. But on occasion, they can generate controversy. So was the case in Canada, at several spots, where statues of Canada’s First Prime Minister, John MacDonald, have in recent years been vandalized and defaced in protest of MacDonald’s treatment of indigenous people & policies that led to the creation of residential schools.
Vandalized monuments can also prompt outrage, like at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, when a guard at the monument was shot & killed a decade ago. The monument became a focal point again 3 years ago during the truckers’ protest in Ottawa when it was fenced off to keep protestors out.
Watch Dr. Week’s full lecture on our website.
It was presented by the Canadian Studies programs at McGill University, Bridgewater State University and SUNY Plattsburgh.