No charges for toppling of statues at Manitoba Legislative Building last summer: province

The Queen Victoria statue outside the Manitoba Legislature was taken down by demonstrators and covered in paint on Thursday, July 1, 2021. (Source: Gary Robson/CTV News)

The Manitoba government confirmed that charges will not be laid in connection to the Canada Day toppling of two statues on the Manitoba legislative grounds.

The province confirmed the news in a statement on Tuesday, noting charges also will not be laid in relation to the organization of the protests at the legislative grounds on July 1, 2021.

CTV News Winnipeg previously reported that the Winnipeg Police Service sent the findings from its investigation into the toppling of the two statues – one of Queen Victoria and one of Queen Elizabeth II -- to the Crown attorney’s office to determine if charges would be laid.

This investigation came after protestors tied ropes to the statues and hauled them to the ground during a demonstration over the deaths of Indigenous children at residential schools.

The statue of Queen Victoria had its head removed, and the statue of Queen Elizabeth II was toppled. The head of the Queen Victoria statue was later recovered from the Assiniboine River.

The Manitoba government noted that charges have been laid in connection to offences related to public safety at the July 1 event.

The province added that whether charges are laid in any legal matter is a determination made independent of the government.

- With files from CTV’s Katherine Dow.