David Laird (1833-1914) National Historic Person
© Topley Studio / Library and Archives Canada / PA-026996
David Laird was designated as a national historic person in 1950.
The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada reviewed this designation in 2024.
Reasons for designation
As minister of the interior and Superintendent General of Indian Affairs from 1873 to 1876, Laird was a key participant in the formation of Alexander Mackenzie’s Liberal government’s policies towards First Nations which treated them as wards and ultimately sought to assimilate them into Canadian society. Laird was the principal authority in the consolidation of previous colonial legislation into the Indian Act of 1876, a foundational and longstanding document guiding the federal government’s relationship with First Nations.
As government representative at the Treaty 4 (1874) negotiations, and especially as the leading treaty commissioner for Treaties 7 (1877) and 8 (1899), Laird played a major role in negotiating treaties with First Nations. Since that time, the understanding of the Numbered Treaties has been a source of controversy. Whereas First Nations negotiators sought a long-term reciprocal relationship with the Crown and a means to safeguard their communities’ autonomy and long-term future, the primary goal of the Government of Canada was territorial expansion for the benefit of settlers.
As Indian commissioner from 1876 to 1879 and again from 1898 to 1909, Laird was a leading figure in implementing Indian Affairs policies in the North-West. During his second term, acting under the direction of the Department of Indian Affairs, he acted to supress First Nations cultures by restricting ceremonies, investigated problems at Indian Residential Schools, and, at times, worked to dispossess First Nations from the reserves they were promised in the treaties.
An important Prince Edward Island politician and journalist, Laird founded the Charlottetown Patriot in 1859, sat in the provincial legislature (1871–73), and returned to the editorship of the Patriot from 1881 until 1898.
Review of designation
The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada is reviewing designated national historic persons, events and sites for their connection to the history and legacy of the residential school system. This review responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 79, which calls on the federal government to commemorate the history and legacy of residential schools.
Reviews are undertaken on an ongoing basis to ensure that designations reflect current scholarship, shifts in historical understandings, and a range of voices, perspectives and experiences in Canadian society.
In 2024, this designation was reviewed due to colonial assumptions in the commemorative plaque text. The original text, approved in 1977, highlighted Laird’s career as a journalist and politician. The original text did not reference his leading role as Indian Commissioner in developing the Indian Act of 1876, implementing Indian Affairs policies in the North-West, supressing First Nations cultures, and working to dispossess First Nations from reserves.
New reasons for designation were developed that reference Laird’s role in forming legislation and implementing policies that sought to assimilate First Nations into Canadian society. The original plaque will be removed, and a new plaque will be prepared as time and resources permit.
Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, December 2022; June 2023.
The National Program of Historical Commemoration relies on the participation of Canadians in the identification of places, events and persons of national historic significance. Any member of the public can nominate a topic for consideration by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
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