Throne speech promises new legislature statue, teases plans for toppled Queen Victoria

The Manitoba legislative grounds will get a new statue on its front lawn, while the future of the historic Queen Victoria statue toppled by protesters three years ago has not yet been carved in stone.

The news came in the NDP government’s throne speech delivered Tuesday.

In the speech, the NDP government said it will commission a new statue for the front lawn of the Manitoba Legislative Building.

The statue will depict a mother and child bison and will serve as a reminder of the harms caused for families in the residential school era, according to the speech.

This new statue will fill the now-vacant space where the historic Queen Victoria statue once stood. It was toppled by protesters on Canada Day in 2021, who covered it with red paint and removed its head.

The former PC government had deemed the statue beyond repair and rejected the idea of replicating it.

However there may still be a future for the piece.

On Tuesday, the NDP government announced it will convene a group of cultural institutions, museums, and heritage experts to determine “the best way to display and honour this historic monument.”

Premier Wab Kinew said it is important to preserve the statue and the “living memory” of the events surrounding its toppling. He said the statue will likely be displayed in its current condition, as he was told the statue is beyond repair.

There is no timeline given in the throne speech as to when the new statue will be erected at the legislature.