A recent lecture at Queen’s Law afforded students and faculty the opportunity for an engaged discussion about the name attached to the law school building and the historical legacy of Sir John A. Macdonald.

The second Piasetzki Liberty Lecture featured guest speakers Conrad Black, the National Post columnist; Professor Joe Martin, who teaches business history at the University of Toronto; and, Liberty Lecture series sponsor Greg Piasetzki, Law’80.

About 60 Queen’s Law students and faculty along with attendees from the wider campus community attended the October 1 event at which all three featured speakers offered positive interpretations of the overall contributions to Canada of the country’s first prime minister. 

At the same time the lecture was underway, the Indigenous Law Students’ Alliance held a vigil outside the law school that was well attended by a number of faculty members, staff and students, as well as other members of the Kingston community. The speakers expressed a critical view of Sir John A’s historical legacy with regard to Indigenous peoples, and voiced their objections to the lecture’s timing, just three days after the September 28 official unveiling of “words that are lasting,” the new Indigenous art installation that hangs in the law school’s atrium.

The vigil also coincided with “Orange Shirt Day,” honouring survivors and victims of the residential schools. Many of the participants who took part in the vigil also wore orange shirts in honour of Orange Shirt Day. 

By Ken Cuthbertson