https://nationalpost.com/opinion/christopher-sweeney-sir-john-a-macdonalds-legacy-is-a-tool-for-education-not-a-standard-for-wokeness
"...The fact that indigenous peoples in the West stipulated that education be provided in their treaties is ignored, as is the fact that Macdonald insisted that residential school attendance be voluntary — and open to girls and boys. They were only made mandatory long after his death. We don’t hear much about these facts these days.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion and there is certainly more than enough in John A. Macdonald’s record to show that he was far from perfect on Indigenous matters, but there is also ample evidence that shows that he was acutely aware of his and his government’s responsibilities towards Indigenous people, and that both he and his governments did their best to meet these responsibilities. (Is the federal government doing much better on that file today, with a far larger bureaucracy and much more money?) It is certainly ironic that Macdonald, who was roundly criticized by contemporaries for being too “progressive” on Indigenous issues, is now vilified for his lack of compassion.."
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