Ottawa councillors call for Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway to be renamed
Three Ottawa councillors are calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to begin the process to rename the Sir John A Macdonald Parkway following the discovery of a mass grave at the site of a former residential school in British Columbia.
Councillors Catherine McKenney, Jeff Leiper and Theresa Kavanagh have released a public letter, urging the prime minister to work with Indigenous communities to rename the parkway along the Ottawa River.
"The Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation's recent discovery of a mass grave containing the remains of 215 children at a former Kamloops residential school makes clear that there is an urgent need to recommit ourselves to the project of reconciliation as a nation," said the letter issued Wednesday morning.
"We are often recalled to the ways place names in our city perpetuate Canada's genocide against Indigenous people; an obvious example of this phenomenon is the name of the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway."
The former Conservative government announced in 2012 that the Ottawa River Parkway would be renamed the Sir John A Macdonald Parkway, to honour Canada's first prime minister.
"As First Nations people across Canada demand justice for the ways they have been repeatedly failed by our governments and institutions, the need for renaming this prominent area in the nation's capital is evidence," said the letter from McKenney, Leiper and Kavanagh, adding they will support a renaming initiative that centres on the "wishes and perspectives" of Indigenous communities in the Ottawa area.
"This is a small change that can make a big difference."
The letter notes councillors in Charlottetown voted unanimously on Monday to remove a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald from their downtown core.
In October, Queen's University voted to remove Macdonald's name from its law school building.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.