Stop 6: Oscar Peterson Statue

The Parliamentary Precinct is decorated by a material and symbolic guard of several monuments and over 20 bronze statues that pay tribute to moments and individuals deemed significant to the Canadian nation. The statues include seven former Prime Ministers (John A. Macdonald, Alexander Mackenzie, Wilfrid Laurier, Robert Borden, William Lyon Mackenzie King, John Diefenbaker and Lester B. Pearson), five Fathers of Confederation (George-Étienne Cartier, a joint memorial to Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, George Brown and Thomas D’Arcy McGee) and two monarchs (Victoria and Elizabeth II).

The statue of celebrated Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson is the only representation of Black Canadians in the Parliamentary Precinct, and its placement and sociality are highly unusual. The Oscar Peterson statue was unveiled on June 30, 2010. More than ten thousand people attended the ceremony, including Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in attendance. Canadian pianist Oliver Jones performed with the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir.

In 2008, the NAC commissioned a sculpture of Oscar Peterson from renowned Canadian sculptor Ruth Abernathy. Funds for the project were raised by the NAC and came from private donors. Like her sculpture of Glenn Gould outside CBC studies in Toronto, the statue of Peterson is at street level, accessible, encourages interaction, and is suggestive of someone who is “of the people” rather than on a pedestal. The statue provides space for visitors to sit down next to Peterson at his piano bench, and in Abernathy’s words, encourages passersby to “play a duet.” The accessibility of this statue, and its interactive design are unlike other statues in the area. It is also the only monument where sound is an important component, and recordings of Peterson play continually. While the statue of Peterson helps to diversify the monuments in the Precinct by celebrating the achievements of a Black musician rather than another white statesman or military general, it also plays into a long-held stereotype of Black Americans as naturally skilled and willing entertainers. Peterson was subject to racism throughout his career, particularly early on, and prior to the civil rights movement in the 1960s. His wide grin and relaxed posture risk reproducing the figure of the performative Black entertainer who puts on a smile for white audiences, masking the racism these performers were subjected to in their everyday lives. Although it celebrates a prominent Black Canadian figure, the monument is limited in its ability to convey struggles related to systemic racism in Canada. It is easily read as a testament to Canadian multiculturalism, promoting the notion that cultural differences are valued, and contributions from all diverse communities are equally recognized in Canada.