Whereas John A. Macdonald played a central role in the establishment of the genocidal residential school system (“When the school is on the reserve the child lives with its parents, who are savages; he is surrounded by savages, and though he may learn to read and write….he is simply a savage who can read and write….Indian children should be withdrawn as much as possible from the parental influence.” John A. Macdonald, House of Commons, 1883);

Whereas John A. Macdonald used a policy of deliberate starvation of Indigenous peoples on the Plains to force them into submission and clear the land for European settlement (“We are doing all we can, by refusing food until the Indians are on the verge of starvation, to reduce the expense.” John A. Macdonald, House of Commons, 1885);

Whereas John A. Macdonald was a central architect of the Indian Act (1876) with many of its policies of control and assimilation still in effect today (“The great aim of our legislation has been to do away with the tribal system and assimilate the Indian people in all respects with the other inhabitants of the Dominion as speedily as they are fit to change.” John A. Macdonald, 1887);

We, the undersigned, hereby petition the Council of the City of Regina, as part of the process of reconciliation, to authorize and arrange for the removal of the statue of John A. Macdonald from Victoria Park, and to arrange for it either to be stored out of public view or to be placed in a museum where it can be used to educate the public about the history it embodies.