Controversial monuments: Whose history is being celebrated?
This episode originally aired October 4, 2020.
Monuments are supposed to honour moments and figures in our history. They shape how we see the world and the events that shaped history.
But for some people, monuments can be painful reminders of how those figures negatively impacted their ancestors — and how those impacts can still be felt today.
This week on Unreserved, we look at the push to pull down problematic statues and examine whose history is being told.
In August, a statue of John A. Macdonald was pulled down in Montreal. It follows another statue of Macdonald being taken down in Victoria, and an Edward Cornwallis statue being removed in Halifax. Omeasoo Wahpasiw studies how shared public spaces can influence how we view the world.
On the July 4th weekend, four Indigenous women dressed in regalia, and stood by an empty podium in Detroit where a statue of Christopher Columbus once stood. The photographer, Rosa María Zamarrón, tells us about taking the iconic photo.
In Winnipeg, there are two statues of a prominent Indigenous leader, but they tell two different stories. Unreserved's Stephanie Cram, also the host of an upcoming podcast, Muddied Water: 1870, Homeland of the Métis, tells us about the significance of the monuments of Louis Riel.
Conversations about statue removal aren't new to Tim Fontaine. The Editor-in-Grand-Chief of the satirical news website Walking Eagle News tells us how he translates his emotional response into sarcastic humour.
Discussions about monuments coming down are everywhere these days, but what happens when you find someone you think deserves to be honoured? That happened to Cindy Blackstock when she learned about Dr. Peter Bryce, a non-Indigenous doctor who sounded the alarm about the atrocities of residential schools ... almost 100 years ago.
This week's playlist: 
Willie Dunn — I Pity the Country
Snotty Nose Rez Kids — I Can't Remember My Name
Buffy Sainte-Marie — My Country 'Tis of Thy People You're Dying