"Labour" - One of four murals displayed in the lower Rotunda of the B.C. legislature buildings.

Murals in the B.C. Legislature Lower Rotunda

In the 2007 Speech from the Throne, the provincial government committed to implement the recommendation of a 2001 advisory panel that addresses the issue of four murals in the lower rotunda of the B.C. legislature buildings.

For years, First Nations leaders have expressed serious concern about the way Aboriginal people are portrayed in these murals – in passive, stereotypical and demeaning roles.

In 2001, an independent five-person advisory panel unanimously recommended the murals be removed and relocated.

In the spirit of the New Relationship commitment to reconciliation, B.C. has committed to working with the First Nations Leadership Council and the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations to develop a process for removal and replacement of the murals.

2001 Advisory Panel Report: "Review of the Depiction of Aboriginal peoples in the artworks of the Parliament Buildings." (PDF 26MB)

Questions and Answers

History of the Murals

Minister Michael de Jong - Referral of Report on Legislature Artwork Depicting First Nations People, April 24, 2007 (PDF 28MB)

September 2000 Conserv-Arte Proposal Options for Removal (PDF 60MB)