Two weeks ago, activists in Montreal toppled a statue of Canada’s first prime minister John A Macdonald who in the 19th century enacted cultural genocide against the indigenous peoples in the region. To celebrate the protest against colonialism with his own, a fellow named James Bone ordered custom stamps from Canada Post depicting the severed head of the Macdonald statue. Bone tweeted an offer to send the stamps for free to anyone “if you or your ancestors were f***ed over by Macdonald.” From MSN.com:
After getting several requests for the stamps, Bone tried to place another order for more sheets featuring the statue head — only to receive an email from Canada Post denying the request, saying the picture was “not appropriate for use” through the program.
In a subsequent email to Global News, a spokesperson said Canada Post is investigating how the original stamp sheet cleared the approval process and was printed.
“We apologize and will take measures to ensure our vetting and approval processes are strengthened and closely followed,” the spokesperson said.
Bone did not respond to a request for comment. His Twitter account has since been deleted, along with his LinkedIn page, which said he works as an archivist for Library and Archives Canada.
(Thanks, Charles Pescovitz!)