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Now, not only will the bronze statue be toppled and removed instead of enjoying a new life and location in his home province of Ontario, the City of Victoria has decided to put him in mothballs and hide him away in a storage facility.

Scottish-born Macdonald, who at 18 years and 359 days is Canada’s second-longest serving prime minister, was a member of parliament for both Kingston and Victoria. He was also instrumental in creating the national railway that connected the country from east to west.

Yet, citing concerns some Indigenous groups have with Macdonald’s speeches and policy positions following 1867’s confederation, a decision was made to remove his statue from outside of Victoria’s city hall.

The Ontario government says it will gladly take the historic artifact off their disrespectful and history-altering hands.

“Our government does not believe his memory and legacy should collect dust in a storage facility,” wrote Smith. “The government of Ontario is offering to take ownership of the statue and we will proudly display the statue on Ontario government property.”

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For a while there it was looking like some common sense could help save the statue. But not for long.

Disgracefully the answer is no, so the sculpture may instead be heading to a storage lock-up.

“We are not getting rid of the statue,” Mayor Lisa Helps told The Sun, “It was a gift to the city.”

“We are temporarily removing the statue from the front steps of city hall to make more space in the community for an inclusive conversation about truth, reconciliation and Canadian history and through continued discussion with the City Family, the Nations and the community, we will find a more suitable context for the statue,” she said.

Earlier the city of Victoria vowed to remove the statue on Saturday and “install a plaque that details the city’s path of reconciliation with the Lekwungen peoples, the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations that led to the removal of the statue.”

Helps said in online post: “It is not until we began this witness reconciliation program that I learned about the role that Canada’s first prime minister played in developing residential schools, the effects of which are well-known to be still felt today both by school attendees and their children and grandchildren.”

The post says a “cleansing, blessing and healing ceremony” will be performed on that spot.

No word on what her plans are for dealing with crime, homelessness and drug abuse which, like the first nations problems, will not in any way be solved by this repugnant decision.

I find this punitive and selective erasing of many conservative historical figures’ achievements repulsive and a result of constantly bowing to revisionist bullying. So it was refreshing to read Smith’s letter, witness Ford’s resolve and see Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer tweet, “We should not allow political correctness to erase our history.”

The artist who sculpted the bronze statue in 1981 says he won’t stand in the way of its removal, even though he stands by his creation.