Charlottetown city council will install a statue of an Indigenous elder or child next to a downtown statue of Sir John A. Macdonald to create the image the two are in conversation.

The change is one of several recommendations by Indigenous groups on Prince Edward Island that were adopted by city council Monday night by a vote of 8-1.

The statue of Canada's first prime minister, which shows him sitting on a bench in Prince Edward Island's capital, has been vandalized three times in the past year.   

Indigenous groups wrote to council in January recommending several changes to the statue, including that the city install a new plaque describing more of Macdonald's story, including his role in the creation of the residential school system.   

Councillor Julie McCabe, who chairs the city's tourism and economic development committee, says the changes are an important compromise and a way to work in collaboration with Indigenous groups.  

McCabe says the goal is to make changes by this fall, but says it will take time to settle on a design and a budget for the work.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2021.

The Canadian Press