Hugh Mackenzie
Huntsville Doppler
Revisionism is Wrong
Last week the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario passed a resolution calling for the renaming of all schools in the Province that were named after Canada’s First Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald. They accused him of Indigenous genocide. To give credit where credit is due, Premier Kathleen Wynn went on the record disagreeing with the motion, however tepidly, saying that it “missed the mark.” In my view, it certainly did. It was revisionism at its best.
At the outset, let me say that I do not believe that all teachers in Ontario agree with the motion passed by their Union. The educators I know, believe that their mandate is to teach people how to think and not what to think.
Peter Kear, a highly respected former secondary school teacher in Huntsville and now a history education instructor at the post secondary level, put it this way. “I believe it is vital to have thoughtful, civil conversations about our past, warts and all, but let’s be reflective and very prudent about renaming, removing and erasing personalities and events from our collective past – a slippery slope to a 1984 (Orwellian) type of world.”
There is no question that residential schools for Indigenous people were introduced by Sir John A. Macdonald and members of his government. There is also no doubt that the subsequent history of residential schools is fraught with unspeakable scandal. It is a sad part of our history. MacDonald may well be accused of implementing a badly thought out policy. He would not be the last Prime Minister to do so. But to blame him for the generational abuse that followed, one would have to believe that he fostered, encouraged and intended it. There is no historical proof of that.
There are few Prime Minister’s in our history who do not have parts of their record that do not live up to the standards of our modern society. Most of these have statues or buildings dedicated to them. Most of them too, like our first Prime Minister, have made significant contributions to Canada as we know it today. Should their names disappear as well? In addition to teaching our children about mistakes in our past, as they are perceived today, should we not also be teaching about the significant accomplishments of our forefathers and the hardships that they endured in creating what has become one of the most envied countries in the world?
Revisionism is not healthy. It is not a good idea in the United States and it is discomforting, to say the least, to see it creeping into Canada. It not only affects our past, it also defines who we are today. Let me enlarge on that.
Dale Peacock, a friend and colleague of mine, recently wrote an article on Doppler which I found deeply disturbing. She and I come from opposite ends of the political spectrum but often our ideas meet in the middle. Not this time however.
From my perspective, Dale’s article attempted to equate social conservatism with the type of hate politics we have so recently seen in the United States. That too, in my view is revisionism. In her article, after citing the atrocities of Charlottesville and quoting KKK leader David Duke, she then says; “Canadian Conservatives have an opportunity to try and span both sides of the divide or to denounce the intolerant faction within their own party and then kick them to the curb.” She offers not a shred of evidence that such intolerance exists in relation to the politics of hate.
She then goes on to talk about the position of Social Conservatives in relation to issues such as gay marriage and abortion. She suggests that Andrew Scheer, the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, delayed his censure of the alt right periodical, The Rebel, because he is, in her view, a social Conservative and she further suggests that his perceived far right conservatism is influenced by Christian Conservatives.
Well, I am a Christian and I am a Conservative. Anyone who does not know my views on racism, white supremacy or bigotry, need only look as far as my last Listen Up column. I am also not a Social Conservative. I do not hold their views on many issues but I respect their right to have them.
There is no comparison between the alt-right movement in the United States and Social Conservativism in Canada. One is the politics of hate and the other is the politics of conscience. To suggest otherwise is revisionism. It is simply not true.
Don’t miss out on Doppler! Sign up for our free newsletter here.
For the record, I think we can do a lot better than change a name on a school. How about, finally, Indigenous peoples getting potable water and education that’s relevant to them? That is a right not a privilege – unlike our right to have our pithy opinions.
Hugh, in my opinion, you are treading on some very thin ice with your comments. I also believe you are taking this thing far too personally. You are very fortunate indeed to be privileged enough to think and speak the way you do. There are obvious comparisons to be made between the alt-right and social conservatives (anti social) : if peoples’ rights and freedoms are being stomped on (Rebel right /Scheer’s thinly disguised Christian views) then it’s really all the same. You say you are a Christian. I don’t think you understand how your belief differs from Scheer’s belief. As to the issue of John A ‘s intentions, where did the saying “kill the Indian in the child” come from? We should be learning from history rather than defending it.
I think before we try to change the past, we should work on the problems of the present and the future. At least we can make changes there that count, and improve our world for the coming generation.
What is this, pile-on-Dale-with-ad-hominems time? Odd to hear you, Jim Boyes, detesting the labelling of people right after you labelled her and everyone on the Left as “riteous” [sic].
.
Quite frankly I have become disturbed by the tone of some of the comments on Doppler recently, specifically the attacks on people and groups, when it should be respectful rebuttals to opinions, if you disagree. The riling up of hate rends communities. I have seen it happen in the USA, where many people I either know or have read about have lost friendships and even family bonds.
.
Trump feels free to attack groups and individuals both on Twitter and in speeches–part of the danger whereof Hugh wrote in a recent column.
.
We follow at our peril.
In my opinion…
We now know that the residential schools created for indigenous peoples were anything but a safe haven of learning for some. But the fact is, Sir John A. Macdonald did create the institutions in good faith with the intent to provide a venue for the children to attain at least a rudimentary education. He cannot be faulted for the actions of the headmasters.
Sir John A. may have been a bit of a scoundrel who enjoyed his drink, but he was our first Prime Minister. He was doggedly persistent in his determination to unite Canada as one country and his vision of a rail line from coast to coast did just that. To start removing his name from our history is unconscionable and reminds one of actions taken by various regimes in recent history. A prime example would be book burning to erase historical records that didn’t agree with a particular despots ideals.
We can only guess what our country would look like today if not for the vision of a truly great Canadian historical figure!
All opinion columns and responses should feature several “in my opinion” statements throughout.
Dale, IMO, like most of the Left so called progressive people is very riteous and self certain in her views. Fine. But they are only her views and nothing more. One person, with only the scant weight of one person’s opinion.
Just because she states that this or that carrys a certain obvious meaning isn’t necessarily true. It is just her singular opinion and (like my submission here) just and only my opinion.
Dale may not be impressed by Andrew Sheer’s timing on his responses to events in a foreign country but that doesn’t chamge his statements and who really cares about her standards for response times?
Let us value and promote free expression of all opinion and above all detest the labeling of people who have ideas different than our own.
If we do not hew to this simple philosophy western societies are doomed.
Dale thinks Wynne is a great Premier…Enough said !