Edmonton anti-racism rally demands city scrub Oliver name

Nearly 4,000 kilometres from the controversial Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville, people gathered fora counter-protest in Edmonton.

"This is to show that we've got ourown issues to think about," said rally organizer Marisa Peters.

Hundreds joined the rally Saturday, called "End Racism in Canada: A Response to Charlottesville." They gathered in front of Alberta's legislatureto denounce hate and bigotry.

• Indigenous leaderscall for Edmonton to drop Oliver name
• Conversation around Oliver name changea teachable moment, Indigenous educators say

Activists and Indigenous leaders also calledon the city to scrub Frank Oliver's name from schools, apartment buildings, plaques, parks and a neighbourhood in Edmonton.

Oliver, aprovincial and federal politician in the early 1900s, formed policies that pushed Indigenous peopleoff their traditional land.

In Edmonton, his policies triggered the surrender of the Papaschase Reserve near Edmonton. Oliver also negotiated the surrender of the Michel Reserve near Villeneuve, Alta.

Harold Hanly is descended from the Michel Band and says the surrender of their land "is still a sore spot."

"They weren't treated fairly at all by Frank Oliver," Hanly said.

Honouring Oliver's name in Edmonton is comparable to honouring U.S. Confederate leaders such as Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, he added.

"It's a parallel to the United States issue where they're celebrating the bad times," Hanly said.

Hanly said he wanted to attendSaturday's rally to help raise awareness about what Oliver did to his ancestors.

"I'd like them to know the truth," Hanly said. "I just had to get off the couch and get down here and see what's happening.

"Sometimes you just have to say something and I'm here to talk."

'A complicated discussion'

At a separate event Saturday, Mayor Don Iveson said the city needsto address concerns about the Oliver name.

"People we thought were heroes did things that today just do not stand any real test of morality,"Ivesontold reporters.

People we thought were heroes did things that today just do not stand any real test of morality.- Mayor Don Iveson

Given the amount of city infrastructurenamed in Oliver's honour, Iveson said there is no overnight solution to the issue.

"It's a complicated discussion," Iveson said."It's a fair question to ask because there is real duality to the legacy of Frank Oliver, particularly with respect to white supremacy and unjust treatment of Indigenous peoples.

"What we do about it, though, is something we're going to have to talk through."