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The reaction of people like me to the suggestion by Ontario’s elementary teachers’ federation that Sir John A. Macdonald’s name be removed from public schools was one of scorn, with added vitriol.

That’s because people like me view history as a record of things past that should not be altered or rewritten in Orwellian fashion by some Ministry of Truth to suit its own political ends.

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But others have a different concept of history, and people like me have to accommodate their views if a less relativist view of history and ethics is to prevail.

Those people see history as the commemoration of the past in a way that confers values and endorsement. In their view, changes in a community’s values should be reflected in decisions about what should be commemorated and honoured.

Photo by Laura Pedersen/National Post

The Trudeau government’s move to change the name of the Langevin Block, that building that houses the Prime Minister’s Office — named after Hector-Louis Langevin, a Father of Confederation and strong proponent of the residential school system — has set a precedent that has, predictably, led to fresh calls for the tainting of other long-dead political figures.