A lover of history and guns and all things British, John Robson's recent frontal assault on Dominion-Historica president Andrew Cohen for supporting the renaming of Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill after Sir John A. Macdonald is at best entertaining, even if it misses the point ("Don't Canadianize our history," April 30).
It is evident Robson is still smarting that Lester B. Pearson ditched the Canadian Red Ensign in favour of the Maple Leaf flag in 1965. If Robson was king, such an atrocity would never have occurred. This belies the fact that, from Confederation until 1945, Canada's official flag was the Union Jack, although our troops carried the Canadian Red Ensign into Vimy and other battles to distinguish themselves from their British compatriots. Robson must be lamenting we lost the Union Jack so soon after Confederation since everything historical, in his world order, must remain untouched.
However, our beloved city was once called Bytown. York is now Toronto and Ville Marie, or Hochelaga, became Montreal. That's because we evolve when there is a good reason to do so. That markers, monuments and street names remain fixed for eternity is in itself a denial of history. What is proposed is not to replace the Wellington moniker with some modern day hero. It is not Wayne Gretzky or Terry Fox being pitched to replace Wellington; it is rather one of the Duke's contemporaries.
Robson suggests there must be some nefarious plot afoot to banish the Duke of Wellington from the face of Canada. This is nonsense. That Wellington opposed parliamentary reform, or bested the French in battle, or was loved by our ancestors, is not the point. There is no argument being made against the Duke in the renaming proposal, rather, it is that Canada's most important street should be named for Canada's most important historical figure.
It is true the Duke earned the respect and admiration of our forbearers, and contributed to the decision, for military reasons, to construct the Rideau Canal. This connection is worthy of recognition. Indeed, if the renaming proposal succeeds, we would continue with a Wellington Street in Ottawa, owing to the fact that the original street was conveniently broken into two pieces. Those who want to celebrate the Duke's birthday, or honour his great victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, can meet at any number of attractive pubs on Wellington Street in Wellington West.
But insofar as the single most important figure in Canada's design and creation, few serious historians would disagree that it's Macdonald. He led the meetings at Charlottetown and Quebec City, where our country was first conceived. He was the key architect of the British North America Act, attending to every detail in its passing. And he was chosen by Queen Victoria to serve as Canada's first prime minister, which was confirmed shortly thereafter in our first election. His vision and guiding hand moulded this nation as he steered us through a series of seemingly insurmountable obstacles over most of the latter half of the 19th century as he hardened the gristle that was Canada in its early days into bone. Rather than tamper with history, as Robson suggests is the motivation, we would celebrate our most profound historical figure and the birth of Canada by recognizing Macdonald's singular achievements. And we do this, not just for a celebration but also for a purpose.
The point here is that future generations of Canadians will benefit if our parliamentarians are being constantly reminded of the greatness of Sir John's vision and the manner by which he made Canada strong, united and prosperous. Indeed, Sir John A. Macdonald can continue to educate and inspire those Canadians who take the time to know him better. Macdonald is, simply put, as relevant to Canada today as he was 143 years ago at the time of Confederation. We don't get the same payoff from the Duke of Wellington.
The proposed change is, I suspect, for an eternity. We only have one Parliament and one founding prime minister. And it is not just the address of Parliament that would change, but also, fittingly, the National Library, the Supreme Court of Canada, the National Archives and the Bank of Canada. Our most important street, and the institutions that reside therein, would be connected to our most important prime minister.
Macdonald, as Robson notes, took his British and Scottish heritage seriously. This is true, although he did not oppose reform, modernization or responsible government for Canada. His vision was to build an independent nation, which by necessity required the strength and active support of the mighty British Empire to keep us out of the hands of those lusty Americans with their Manifest Destiny. For our independence, we should think of Macdonald every time we cross the street to walk on the grounds of Parliament Hill.
Bob Plamondon is the author of Blue Thunder: The Truth about Conservatives from Macdonald to Harper. He manages a web site located at www.sirjohnamacdonald.ca
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