Happy Birthday Sir John A. Macdonald – and Thank You
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PEACE, ORDER and GOOD GOVERNMENT This is just one of the legacies Sir John A. Macdonald gave to Canada, one of the most admired countries in the world today. orn on January 11 Ontario to Manitoba, Sir John A. DID NOT and his government’s in Scotland, 206 Saskatchewan, Alberta and create the Indian Act; it policies – including years ago, he Nunavut - thereby making was passed in 1876 by the treaty-making, smallpox came here with his Canada six times larger and Government of Alexander vaccination and famine Bparents in 1820. By the time he the second largest country Mackenzie. relief – did respond to life- died in 1891, Macdonald had in the world. threatening emergencies become the most respected While Macdonald created and saved lives Canadian of his era. He had Sir John A. persuaded a version of Native been Canada’s Prime Minister Manitobans, British Residential Schools in The neglect of Sir John A. for 19 of its first 24 years. Columbians and Prince 1883, the practice had Macdonald in our schools Edward Islanders to join long been established is leading to unfair and It was Sir John A. who Confederation. in the Americas and, false interpretations of his re-imagined British North unfortunately, it continued policies. America and Canada’s place Sir John A. brought until 1996. in it. He did so with courage, economic stability, with a wisdom and integrity. farsighted Bank Act and an In matters affecting To develop well-informed economic National Policy. Canada’s Indigenous opinions, Canadians His policies dissuaded peoples, Macdonald should know enough aggressive American Sir John A. spearheaded and his contemporaries about Macdonald and the expansionism. the building of a railway to believed in assimilation. Confederation generation Macdonald, with Cartier, the Pacific. He and his governments and Canadian history stared down opponents of made mistakes and generally. Confederation in Quebec Sir John A. championed we understand the and Nova Scotia. unity between English and frustrations of the We call on governments, French, Protestant and descendants of those teachers, media and He led the government’s Catholic. affected by these mistakes. other organizations to acquisition of Rupert’s provide better learning Land - the territories from Sir John A. promoted But fairness requires opportunities regarding Labrador through northern freedom of expression and understanding that the our common past - our Quebec and northern a free press. times were very different Canadian history. Happy Birthday Sir John A. Macdonald – and thank you. Richard Alverez Ian Cunningham Prof. Jack Granatstein Lewis Lederman Q.C. Hon. Joe Oliver Don Stevenson Ronald Anderson Ken Cuthbertson Charlotte Gray Peter Lockyer Bob Onyschuk Q.C. J. D. M. Stewart John Arvanitis Ian Davidson Diana Green Donald MacGregor John Palmer Fraser Sutherland Dianne Axmith Peter Davis Carol Bishop Gwyn Lyman MacInnis Mark Palmer Richard Tattersall Dean Baxendale Leo Deveau Roger Hall Hon. Peter MacKay John Pepall Pamela Taylor David Bercuson Mark DeWolf Peter Hebb Prof. Margaret MacMillan Greg Piasetzki Diana Tremain Brenda Bisiker Dorothy Dobbie Ralph Heintzman Sandy MacMillan Bob Plamondon Denis Tsarev Prof. Robert Bothwell David Dorward Susan Hershman Stan Maj Brian Porter Ian Urquhart John Bragg C.M. Steve Douglas Michiel Horn Duncan Matheson Gilbert Reid Jonathon Vance Hon. Pauline Browes Prof. Christopher Dummitt Norman Hillmer Prof. Joe Martin John Robson Ian Waddell Q.C. George Burger Prof. Patrice Dutil John Honderich Sandra Martin Noel Roddick Gordon Walker C.M. Murray Campbell John English Philip Horgan Ernie McCullough James Rodger Sam Wakim Q.C. Dave Caputo Amelia Farquharson Jean-Paul Hubert Brett McDermott John Ryder-Burbidge David Warrick Ph.D Lincoln Caylor Bruce Flexman Charles Huband Micheline McDougall Mohan Sampath Hon. David Wells C. P. Champion Don Forbes Mary Janigan David McFadden Bill Saunderson Michael Weizman Hon. Jean Charest Yves Fortier C.C. Jan Jekliak Darcy McGee Shelly Scriver Henri Wiercinski Louis Comeau Prof. Benjamin Forster Barbara Kay John McIntyre Gail Scott Rob Wildeboer Sean Conway Michael Francis Thomas Kierans Ken McLaughlin Graham Scott C.M. ‘Red’ Wilson C.M. Hon. George Cooper Dennis Freeman Philip Khaiat Hon. Michael Meighen Hon. Hugh Segal Kai Xing Hon. James Cowan David Frum Sanjeev Kumar Prof. Jim Miller Robbie Shaw Shura Xu Hon. David Crombie Ted Glenn Katarina Glozic Reid Morden Helen Sinclair Eric Zadro Brian Lee Crowley John Godfrey Bill Laidlaw William Morrison A. Britton Smith Mona Zhang Don Cummer John Graham Robin Lecky Scott Munnoch Denis Smith Sabrina Zuniga The Friends of Sir John A. Macdonald + Macdonald-Laurier Institute 323 Chapel St., #300, Ottawa, Ont. K1N 7Z2; 613-482-8327; [email protected] PAID ADVERTISING.