The Mayor of Kamloops says the city has no desire to try and pry a statue of this country’s first Prime Minister away from Victoria after that city took a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald down.
Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian didn’t want to wade into a raging debate over whether or not the move was the right course of action.
“I am not going to speculate on the issues that drove the Victoria Council to chose that route. I think it is similar to what has happened in Halifax I believe, related to a review of the historical significance of some of the people that they have honoured. We have to recognize the truth and reconciliation issue is one that we need to address as settlers in First Nation’s territory.”
Christian says he thinks removing the statue was seen by Victoria Council as way to help reconciliation efforts.
He says here in Kamloops, the city is working side by side with Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc First Nation towards reconciliation.