Dave McGinn National Post
Friday, October 10, 2008
Ontario’s Lieutenant-Governor thinks Queen’s Park needs to better honour the rebels who tried to overthrow his predecessor.

David Onley wants a statue honouring William Lyon Mackenzie and the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837 moved to the front of Queen’s Park from its current spot behind a bush on the property’s west side.

“It’s just unfortunate that such a significant piece of statuary for such an important topic … is just not seen by anybody,” he says.

After his appointment in July, 2007, Mr. Onley asked historian Bruce Bell for a tour of the statues at Queen’s Park.

He was finally given that tour in August, and what he saw left him dismayed.All of the statues on the grounds of Ontario’s legislative assembly are prominently displayed — an indication to visitors of the historical importance of their subjects — except for one.

A statue of John A. Macdonald stands at the foot of Queen’s Park circle. Further up, there is a statue of George Brown, another Father of Confederation, as well as statues of former premiers James Whitney and John Graves Simcoe, and a statue of Queen Victoria.

But along the west side of the building, practically buried from sight behind several tall trees and the bushes of the Queen Elizabeth II silver jubilee garden, there is a statue very few people ever likely see, given its placement.

“It’s not one of these stop-and-smell-the-roses-type locations,” Mr. Onley said.

It is a haunting statue, approximately six metres long and 3.6 metres high, created by Canada’s most esteemed sculptor, Walter Allward, in 1940. Mr. Allward, a Toronto native who died in 1955, is best known for designing the Vimy Memorial in France.

The statue at Queen’s Park, however, commemorates a battle much closer to home. It depicts a solemn figure, meant to represent the law, staring out over a ploughshare, commemorating, as the inscription reads, “The struggle for responsible government in Upper Canada and the pioneers of a political system which unites in free association the nations of the British Commonwealth.” It is dedicated to William Lyon Mackenzie, who is honoured by an adjoining bust.In essence, said Mr. Bell, it is a statue dedicated to that rebellion. For proof of this, he said, look no further than the ploughshare, a potent symbol of the rebellion.”

It was a farmer’s revolution, for the most part,” Mr. Bell said. “They would melt the ploughshares and turn them into guns.”The rebellion against the British colonial government and Lieutenant-Governor Francis Bond Head saw farmers rise up against what they saw as a repressive system of allocating land. Under Mackenzie’s leadership, about 400 rebels marched down Yonge Street in an effort to establish fair representation in Upper Canada.They failed, and two plotters were executed, while Mackenzie fled to the United States, but responsible government came to Ontario a decade later.

The rebellion was one of the most important events in Ontario’s history, said Mr. Bell, adding that anyone who looks at the statue cannot help but be moved.The statue and its placement on the grounds of the legislative building made an impression on the Lieutenant-Governor. What a shame, he thought, that it is not in a place where more people would be likely to see it.Prompted by Mr. Onley, Mr. Bell and Major-General Richard Rohmer are now working to get the statue moved.

Mr. Rohmer is in the process of researching the statue’s background.”Allward did the Vimy monument, which is Canada’s greatest statue, so whatever this man has done is well worth looking at,” said Mr. Rohmer, who was instrumental in the establishment of the Ontario Veterans War Memorial at Queen’s Park, which was completed in 2006.”

Whether it’s going to be moved or not is another question. The Speaker of the Legislature and all of his great team are the people responsible for any kind of a move,” he said.

The statue was originally commissioned by the William Lyon Mackenzie Centennial Committee, Mr. Rohmer said.When it was dedicated, there was a reflecting pool in front of it, and the statue looked out on a grassy walkway that led directly to the grounds of the University of Toronto.Queen’s Park Crescent, the road the statue now faces, was not built when the statue was erected in 1940.

While the decision to move the statue will ultimately lie with the Speaker, Mr. Rohmer said he would like to see it get a better pride of place on the Queen’s Park grounds.”

On a personal basis, I think it would be a good thing to do,” he said.

Moving the statue to a more prominent location on the Queen’s Park grounds would be a testament to democracy itself, Mr. Onley said.”

It would give people pause to consider the significance of the building. Queen’s Park is not just a building in terms of grand old architecture. It is the embodiment of responsible government in the province of Ontario,” he said. “It would be tremendously appropriate if they could find a more prominent place for this tribute to the fight for responsible government.”

Print Story – canada.com network

Tags: Allward, Queen’s Park, sculpture