Posted: Jun 09, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: June 9
Anishinaabe spiritual adviser and Ottawa s English-language poet laureate Albert Dumont is co-author of a petition to remove Sir John A. Macdonald s name from the parkway.(Hallie Cotnam/CBC)
The call is growing to remove the name of Canada s first prime minister from Ottawa s Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway, and one of the leading voices says it s time for Canadians to listen.
Formerly known as the Ottawa River Parkway before it was renamed in 2012, the four-lane parkway stretches west from Ottawa s downtown, hugging the Ottawa River shoreline.
Albert Dumont, an Algonquin Anishinaabe spiritual adviser from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg near Maniwaki, Que., is co-author of a petition demanding the parkway be renamed because of Macdonald s role in centralizing and expanding Canada s residential school system.
OTTAWA The National Capital Commission and the city of Ottawa are being urged to remove the name of Sir John A. Macdonald from the parkway and other sites in the capital that bears his name. Two members of the Algonquin nation, Albert Dumont and Monique Manatch, along with Ottawa residents Roxanne Buckle and Brenda Mason have launched a petition demanding the immediate removal of Macdonald s name from the parkway. The call to rename the parkway follows the discovery of a mass grave of 215 children at the site of a former residential school in British Columbia. That the name of John A. Macdonald, the first Canadian prime minister who so blatantly orchestrated crimes against humanity, is still honoured on unceded Algonquin territory is an insult to the many Algonquin survivors of the residential schools he played a fundamental role in creating, said the petition.
Author of the article: Lynn Saxberg
Publishing date: Apr 30, 2021 • April 30, 2021 • 4 minute read • Albert Dumont is the city s new anglophone poet laureate. Photo by Jean Levac /Jean Levac
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If Albert Dumont gets his way during his tenure as the anglophone poet laureate of Ottawa, there will be a day dedicated to the trees of the region.
“I really believe there should be a day set aside to honour trees, to be kind to trees,” the Algonquin elder said in an interview. “They played a big part in Ottawa.
18th April 2021
Like many other Commonwealth nations, Canada held a commemorative service in honour of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Held at Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa, Ontario, after the funeral at Windsor finished, it celebrated the Duke’s life and his relationship with Canada.
The ceremony was held at an empty cathedral, with all watching remotely due to Covid. It was led by the Dean of Ottawa and Rector of Christ Church Cathedral, the Very Reverend Elizabeth J Bretzlaff and the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, the Right Reverend Shane A.D. Parker. The cathedral has long been connected with the Royal Family, and a service commemorating the life of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was held there in 2002.