Hundreds of thousands of Canadians say they fear the country’s statue-based learning system is under attack, as more and more monuments are toppled by demonstrators.
“How are we supposed to learn about the great history of this country when the only known receptacles of that history have literally been torn from their foundations?” asked Ottawa resident Gavin Wynn.
Wynn’s son Finn, 11, spends upwards of six hours each day seated in front of a statue of Sir John A Macdonald. However, like many parents, he’s worried that the statue could be toppled at any time.
“Our entire belief system — our very way of life — has been shaken to its core.”
In Winnipeg, where a statue of Queen Elizabeth was pulled down in the summer, parents are forced to sit their children in front of miniature statues at home.
“It’s just not the same,” laments Fiona Blanche, whose three children must now absorb history from a tiny statue of Edward VIII.
“We have to stop these protesters before all of our precious history is lost forever.”