Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark joined Ward 3 Councillor David Kirkton in talking to residents who live along John A. Macdonald Road to get their pulse on plans to change the name of the street that is a reminder of caused by the country’s first Prime Minister to Indigenous Peoples.
John A. Macdonad Road, which stretches from Steeves Avenue to Confederation Drive, is in the community of Confederation Park where residents along the street came from families with diverse backgrounds.
Clark and Kirkton have been knocking on doors for the last two nights and both city officials believe what they did was fruitful and meaningful with the residents providing insightful comments.
“We talked to people with lots of very thoughtful perspectives and opinions. Many have concerns, some are angry about the process, many are supportive of the name change, [and] many appreciated a chance to talk it through,” said Clark on his social media page.
“Door knocking is filled with difficult as well as uplifting conversations. Miraculously, we’ve been able to end each night speaking with a family that reminds us why we are on this path,” said Kirkton in a separate post.
Clark had the chance to talk to one residential school survivor, Delma, who attended St. Michael’s Indian Residential School in Duck Lake and she supports the changing of the name as she believes the country needs to know the painful truth of some events in Canada’s history.
Clark said having the chance to talk to Delma and her neighbours is an experience that would help shape leaders like him.
“It was a reminder of how we still live in a country as neighbours, but our worldview shaped by our experience can be so dramatically different from one another.”
He added that people have different opinions and while some might not agree on the planned change, both sides must be heard and learn from opinions of others.
“I feel honoured to be part of this city, as imperfect as we can be. It is a rich community filled with wisdom if we can find the way to share it.”
The city council is in the process of holding a series of consultation meetings with Indigenous Peoples and other members of the community after approving moves to rename John A. Macdonald Road Macdonald was hailed as one of the country’s greatest leaders for his contribution to establishing the country as a nation but his detractors say he helped build Canada on colonial oppression of Indigenous Peoples.
He was also credited with having a major role in developing the Indian residential school system in the country, where thousands of Indigenous children were forcibly taken away from their families and placed inside the boarding facilities to assimilate them to western culture. The assimilation meant to suppress the unique cultures and languages of the Indigenous Peoples.
