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Rather than kyboshing a plan to create Canada’s first complete exhibit of Canada’s prime ministers, the university should complement it — as it has promised — with a series of statues dedicated to the many important women and aboriginal leaders throughout Canadian history. Beyond just noting the invaluable contributions of these individuals, it would also serve as a tangible reminder of the influence that all types of citizens — not just prime ministers — can have on our country’s political and cultural landscape. Where better to showcase that than on a university campus, where thousands of young Canadians endeavour to find their place in the professional world, and in our society?

So far, only one of the 22 statues has yet to be erected on the Wilfrid Laurier campus: that of Sir John A. Macdonald, which now stands on the university’s quad. For now, that’s the only statue the campus will see. The university’s senate passed a motion last week putting a halt to the project, meaning it is now up to Laurier’s board of governors to decide the fate of the exhibit. A decision is expected next month.

While elements of our history may make us uncomfortable, that does not justify scrubbing details of our past. Indeed, we should hope that these statues serve as visible reminders of how far our country has come, and what sort of changes we should look to in the future. We hope that Wilfrid Laurier University — itself named, after all, for a white male prime minister — comes to agree with us, and moves forward with this project.

National Post