This statue is located on the south side of the Stanley A. Milner Library.
This statue is titled: "The Trader" and it depicts a white man giving blankets to an Aboriginal Canadian. The controversy is that there are allegations that white men intentionally gave smallpox-infested blankets to natives as a form of ethnic cleansing. I am not contesting the argument that the colonization of white european settlers had an irreversibly negative effect on Aboriginals in Canada. White colonization of North America is a shameful part of history. I think that the failure of white colonists to integrate with the Aboriginals in Canada is one of the highest forms of racism. The small pox blanket allegations are probably based on a real-life scheme. I would not put it past white colonists to pull-off such a diabolical plan.
In light of the smallpox-infested blanket allegations I think that this statue is insensitive. I will admit that this statue sheds light on a darker part of Canadian history and that acknowledging these problems is an important part of starting a dialogue and moving forward. I think that this statue is disrespectful because not every person who sees this statue is going to think critically about its significance. I believe that this statue was installed with the intention of depicting a peaceful exchange between the natives and the white colonists and this is misleading. This statue does not tell the full story.
How do you feel about this statue?
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