Sir John A. Macdonald Day
By Nelson Daily Staff
The man partly responsible for the creation of British Columbia has his day today.
It is Sir John A. Macdonald Day, Canada’s first Prime Minister and the second longest serving minister in history.
Canada’s current prime minister, Stephen Harper, issued the following statement in recognition of Sir John A. Macdonald Day:
“A principal architect of Confederation and of Canada’s Constitution, Sir John A. Macdonald was instrumental in laying the foundation of the Canada we know today, including the post-Confederation addition of three provinces, Manitoba (1870), British Columbia (1871) and Prince Edward Island (1873).
“Among his many nation-building accomplishments over almost 19 years as prime minister are the foundation of the Northwest Mounted Police, Canada’s first national park and the transcontinental railway.
“Macdonald’s statement that Canada stands ‘amongst the first of the nations in the world in credit, in resources in standing, in reputation, and in fruition,’ rings true with Canadians as much today as it did when he made it in 1881.”
Sir John in a nutshell
Sir John Alexander Macdonald (Jan. 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first Prime Minister of Canada and the dominant figure of Canadian Confederation.
Macdonald’s tenure in office spanned 18 years, making him the second longest serving Prime Minister of Canada.
He is the only Canadian prime minister to win six majority governments. He was the major proponent of a national railway, the Canadian Pacific Railway, completed in 1885, linking Canada from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
He won praise for having helped forge a nation of sprawling geographic size, with two diverse European colonial origins, numerous Aboriginal nations, and a multiplicity of cultural backgrounds and political views.
Source: Wikipedia
