Following the decision indigenous leaders highlighted what had led to the statues being knocked over.

A spokesperson for the Manitoba Métis Federation said: “We are sure there was a lot of thought and consideration put into looking at the events that took place and the emotions that were running high at the time.

“It’s important to reflect on the pain and anguish that led to the statues being pulled down, and recognise the harms done by the residential and day school system.”

Grand Chief Arlen Dumas of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, told the Winnipeg Free Press: “It was an emotionally charged day.”

At the time of the vandalism Brian Pallister, who was then Manitoba’s premier, had vowed that “those who commit acts of violence will be pursued actively in the courts.”

In 2015 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada concluded at least 4,000 children died from neglect and disease in a “cultural genocide”.

Under a government-funded system run by the Catholic Church around 150,000 were sent to 139 schools and many suffered malnourishment and abuse.

Before the protest 751 unmarked graves had been found in western Saskatchewan, and nearly 400 in British Columbia.

The statue of Victoria on a throne had been in place outside the legislative building in Winnipeg since 1904.

When it was pulled down the crowd chanted “No pride in genocide,” kicked the statue and danced on the plinth.

Both statues are now in storage and Manitoba has not decided whether to repair and replace them.

A spokesman told the Winnipeg Free Press it was considering “a process for engaging the public, First Nations and the Manitoba Métis Federation regarding the monuments.”