He's only 13 but this Indigenous student can tell you why John A. Macdonald statues have no place in his city

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

Mahingan Lamarr is used to spending hours, sometimes days, on most school assignments, but for a recent essay, words poured out quickly onto the page.

"Everything was flowing out as fast as it could," said the Cree and Algonquin Grade 8 student at Queen Mary Elementary School in Hamilton.

His assignment given on Sept. 14 was to write a short opinion piece — 10 to 14 lines — about whether or not historical statues, like those of John A. Macdonald, considered to be an architect of Canada's residential school system, should be taken down. 

In all, it took him about 30 minutes to write. 

The Macdonald statue in Hamilton was toppled after a rally and march on Aug. 14. Hamilton city staff say the statue remains in storage and its condition will be assessed before the city determines "next steps." 

But the question over the statue's place in the city has an obvious answer for the 13-year-old Indigenous student.