Statue of Sir John A. Macdonald Uncovered at Queen's Park

TORONTO, June 11, 2025 – The hoarding surrounding the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald, located on the grounds of Queen's Park, is coming down today. 

The decision to remove the hoarding was made on May 2nd by the Legislative Assembly’s Board of Internal Economy. The statue of Canada's first Prime Minister has been boarded up since 2020 after it was vandalized with paint during a protest. After the Board's decision, work began to clean the statue and apply a protective coating.

 "As Speaker, I recognize the sensitivities surrounding the history of Canada's first Prime Minister and I welcome all Ontarians to express their views - peacefully," said the Honourable Donna Skelly, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

 "Violence and acts of vandalism will not be tolerated, and the Legislative Protective Service will actively monitor the statue and grounds," said Speaker Skelly. 

A sign had been installed beside the statue that reads: "The Legislative Assembly of Ontario is a place for debate and deliberation on issues that matter in our Province. Though we cannot change the history we have inherited, we can shape the history we wish to leave behind. The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is considering how the depictions of those histories in the monuments and statuary on the Assembly’s grounds can respect all of our diverse cultures and peoples." 

A committee has been travelling the province meeting with Indigenous representatives, examining ways to acknowledge First Nations Peoples both inside the Legislature and on the grounds of Queen's Park. That work will continue. 

Children’s shoes placed at the base of the statue by the public were carefully and respectfully removed and stored prior to the removal of the hoarding. In consultation with Indigenous leaders, a similar collection of shoes left in front of Ontario’s Legislature in 2021 was memorialized in a permanent display as part of the Gathering Place exhibit of Ontario Indigenous art housed inside the building.

Background Information

The Legislative Assembly’s Board of Internal Economy is composed of MPPs from the three official parties and chaired by the Speaker as a non-voting member. The Board is responsible for all matters of financial and administrative policy affecting the Legislative Assembly.

The Sir John A. Macdonald Monument at Queen's Park was designed by Canadian sculptor Hamilton MacCarthy, one of the earliest masters of monumental bronze sculpture in Canada. The statue of Canada’s first Prime Minster was unveiled at Queen’s Park in October 1894.
 

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For more information, contact:

Julie Rosenberg 
Office of the Speaker 
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
jrosenberg@ola.org