It saddens me to learn that of the 67 letters the Times Colonist received by Thursday night, in response to the removal of the John A. Macdonald statue outside of city hall, only three were in favour of the action.
We pride ourselves in this country, this city, on being more tolerant than our neighbours to the south, and while I imagine that some of the people who oppose the relocation of the Macdonald statue would not oppose the removal of various Robert E. Lee statues throughout the States (due to their association with slavery), I could be wrong.
It is not enough to agree, in principle, that things need to change in order to redress the wrongs of the past. True reconciliation demands that we must “act.” The challenge, for all of us, is to move ahead respectfully while, at the same time, learning from the past.
I admire Mayor Lisa Helps and council for taking a brave and, very clearly, unpopular stand.
Eve Joseph
Victoria
