New Westminster city council has voted to remove the statue of a controversial figure in B.C.'s history from outside the city's courthouse.

The motion to remove the statue of Judge Matthew Begbie was brought forward by councillors Nadine Nakagawa and Chuck Puchmayr.

"Whenever we engage with the community, whether they are Indigenous or not, the Judge Begbie statue comes up as a barrier for reconciliation," said Nakagawa.

Begbie – known as the "Hanging Judge" - was B.C.'s first chief justice. In 1864, he presided over the trial that resulted in the wrongful hanging of five chiefs of the Tsilhqot'in Nation. A year later, Chief Ahan was also wrongfully hanged in New Westminster.

The chiefs were lured to peace talks, only to be arrested and put on trial for their role in the Chilcotin Uprising.

The province apologized for their hangings in 2014, exonerating them of any wrongdoing. The federal government followed suit in 2018, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologizing.

"As settlers came to the land in the rush for gold, no consideration was given to the rights of the Tsilhqot'in people who were there first," Trudeau said in the House of Commons. "No consent was sought."

The statue, as well as its location outside the city's courthouse, has been criticized by Indigenous leaders.

"Judge Begbie and what he represents to the Indigenous world is extremely offensive," said Grand Chief Stewart Philip. "The statue being located at the court house is inappropriate."

A statue of Begbie was removed from the lobby of the Law Society of British Columbia in 2017, with the society's president calling it an important step in reconciliation.

In Monday’s meeting, councillors voted four to two in favour of removing the statue.

"I was surprised it wasn’t unanimous," said Jennifer Bradshaw, who spoke in favour of the motion. "I thought it was a slam dunk."

The two councillors who voted against the motion were Patrick Johnstone and Chinu Das.

"I'm not saying we shouldn't remove the statue," Johnstone said in his remarks during Council. "I'm saying not yet until we've had a more wholesome conversation in this community."

Opponents to removing the statue all together say it would overlook a darker period of B.C.'s history.

"Removing his statue will accomplish nothing of general benefit," wrote historian Bill McKee in an op-ed published in the Vancouver Sun. "It would help to hide this sad part of our history."

Nakagawa disputed that stance.

"I've definitely heard that people have concerns that if we remove the statue we're removing the history," she said. "But that history does not exist here with the statue as it stands today."

With files from CTV Vancouver's Allison Hurst and Emad Agahi