The department of family medicine at Hamilton’s McMaster University is apologizing for “inadvertently” mentioning that Jan. 11 was Sir John A. Macdonald’s birthday in its “multicultural calendar.”
“We would like to sincerely apologize for the mistake we made in the DFM Digest’s multicultural calendar yesterday,” said an email sent to members of McMaster’s family medicine program obtained by Quillette journalist Jonathan Kay.
“We inadvertently included the mention of Sir John A Macdonald day (sic), which is a day that commemorates a person who was responsible for the genocide and oppression of Indigenous peoples in Canada.”
The university says including Macdonald’s birthday was “a grave oversight on our part” and that it “regrets any hurt or offense this caused to anyone.”
The email also reaffirmed McMaster’s commitment to “diversity, equity and inclusion” ideology.
“We are committed to creating a culture of diversity, inclusion, and respect in our department, and we recognize that our calendar should reflect the values and identities of our members and the communities we serve.”
The apology was not well received by some users on X (formerly Twitter), who accused the university of being woke.
“Any culture but our own! Disgusting situation in this country. I distantly remember signing up to serve this country, believing it was the greatest in the world, and today I can’t even recognize it. Just sad,” wrote one X User.
“The next historical person to be cancelled by McMaster will be William McMaster himself. After all, he was a white Christian man and a founding director of CIBC,” wrote another.
McMaster University did not return True North’s request for comment.
