After ten years of debate, the statue of Private Alexander Watson on the lawn of the St. Catharines City Hall is being removed.
The decision came after a motion put forward by Mayor Mat Siscoe at a council meeting on Oct. 16, wherein he discussed the city’s signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Niagara Regional Native Centre (NRNC). The MOU promises “increasing awareness and education around Indigenous history and culture, supporting the Indigenous community and fostering diversity and inclusion.”
Alexander Watson was a Canadian soldier raised in St. Catharines who fought and died in the 1885 North-West Resistance, formerly called the North-West Rebellion. This conflict was brought on by the Canadian government expanding into the West and involved resistance from the Métis and their First Nations in the lands now known as Saskatchewan and Alberta.
The result of this struggle, in which hundreds were killed, was colonial expansion into Western Canada and the conquering of the Plains Indigenous Peoples in Canada—including but not limited to the Cree, Siksika, Ojibwe, Dakota and Assiniboine nations. Métis leader Louis Riel, a man with apparent mental illness, was also tried and hanged.
Also memorialized in this monument are the names of several local soldiers who fought in another conflict defined by colonial violence: the South African War, or the Boer War.
Watson died in the Battle of Batoche, a battle that Siscoe, as quoted in a Global News article, says “represents a government subjugating a race of people who were standing up for their rights.”
Some are against the removal of this monument, like delegate Dan McKnight, who says that this is the first memorial to a Canadian soldier ever built. “It’s not just significant locally or provincially, but nationally significant.”
However, NRNC president director Sean Vanderklis pointed out that “the removal of the statue is not an erasure of history. It’s a step toward reconciling with history. It’s a way to acknowledge the suffering and injustices faced by Indigenous Peoples.”
Seemingly reflective of Vanderklis’ point is that the plan is not to destroy the statue, but rather to remove it in a respectful way. Siscoe suggested moving it to the site of Watson’s grave at Victoria Lawn Cemetary, the originally suggested site before its construction in 1886. Considering the statue’s age, and the work that’s been done to keep it intact for so long, the process of its removal is expected to cost around $60,000, which will come from the City’s reserve fund.
Canada’s Veteran Affairs website describes Private Watson as “a generous, kind-hearted young man and a great favourite with everyone.” The monument, as well, represents many young soldiers who died in war. However, many are concerned that a memorial such as this one fails to represent the hundreds of Indigenous people who died standing up for their rights.
Ward 5 Council Dawn Dodge suggested an alternative in its place:
“I’m just wondering if there’s a way that both sides could come together somehow and make something together at that site that would be amenable to both sides where they’re both represented.”
As the city is still finding a way to safely transport the statue, there is no definitive date yet as to when the memorial will be removed. However, Siscoe has promised that it will be gone before Indigenous Peoples’ Day on June 21, 2024.
