We urge the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and Premier Heather Stefanson to restore Queen Victoria's illegally removed statue back to its original, prominent place in front of the legislature as soon as possible, and make a commitment to do so.

Queen Victoria's statue was the centrepiece of the Manitoba legislative grounds in Winnipeg - it had remained there for over a century, longer than the Golden Boy that sits atop the legislative building. The loyal people of Manitoba erected it as a tribute to their late sovereign, who holds an extremely important place in Canadian and Manitoban history as the "Mother of Confederation".

On 1st July 2021, this piece of Manitoban heritage was toppled and decapitated by a group of vandals amidst a protest at the legislature, who would get away with the act and face no charges or consequences for the damage they caused. A statue of our reigning sovereign Queen Elizabeth II was also unfortunately toppled that day on the legislature grounds, although it is a relatively newer, smaller statue and does not carry the same massive historical value as the Queen Victoria monument.

Defenders of this vandalism act may claim that Queen Victoria was involved in the oppression of indigenous people, including the system of Indian residential schools - but this claim could not be further disconnected from the truth. The British monarch in the 19th century had little to no influence over the political matters of the day, especially politics concerning the self-governing Dominion of Canada. Despite this, indigenous people held a close relationship with the monarchy throughout Canadian history: as Queen Victoria was the symbolic signatory to much of Canada's First Nations treaties, she was known as the "Great Mother" by indigenous people. Indigenous communities would preserve portraits of Queen Victoria, with future generations proudly displaying them during Royal Tours. The monarchy was seen as a higher authority for indigenous people to express their grievances with the Canadian government in Ottawa, Louis Riel being an example. Many treaty flags and symbols still used today bear Her Majesty's effigy.

While the Manitoba government under Brian Pallister made a verbal commitment to restoring the statue, it remained unclear if the statue would be restored on its plinth in front of the legislature (as it should). The situation became worse following his resignation as premier, with no further news from the Stefanson government regarding the statue's restoration status or a renewed commitment to full restoration. The legislature planned to erect a statue of First Nations Chief Peguis in the near future, with some extreme calls for this statue to replace Victoria on the plinth. This would be a great error, something which Chief Peguis (who negotiated treaties with the Crown) himself would arguably not have wanted. Both figures represent the treaty history of Manitoba and should be represented on the legislative grounds, but the Queen Victoria statue deserves its original plinth back because of Her Majesty's central place in Manitoban history.

In the year of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, restoring the Victoria statue would be a firm renewal of Manitoba's relationship with the Crown. The province has already decided to issue Platinum Jubilee medals in response to the federal government's apathy and refusal to do so - restoring this important Royal symbol as well would be an appropriate gesture, coinciding with the Ontario provincial government's decision to erect a new statue to honour Queen Elizabeth II.

Refusing to restore the statue would be to cave in to criminal vandalism and legitimize the tactics of mob violence used against the Manitoba legislature grounds on Canada day last year, setting a dangerous precedent. We do not let angry mobs make decisions in this country, put Queen Victoria back.