Though I mentioned John Lennon earlier this month -- on the anniversary of his fatal shooting -- he’s certainly worth another entry in my daily list of the best political history moments on the Canadian calendar.So it was on this day in 1969 that Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau met with John and Yoko on Parliament Hill. Even those who are not fans of Mr. Trudeau have to admit this is one of the coolest pictures ever taken of a Canadian Prime Minister.John and Yoko were in Canada to launch their unique “War is over” billboard campaign whereby these would be erected in various cities around the world. I once met a guy -- in Scarborough naturally! -- who claimed his brother worked for one of the companies in Toronto that helped place these honoured posters. My friend claimed his brother still had it. While I never saw it I still choose to believe, particularly as the story comes from someone in Scarborough, my hometown.But I digress.While it was wonderful to see the PM Trudeau met with John and Yoko, I still think the Canadian politician with the greatest connection to the famed Beatle and his spouse, was Allan Rock. As a young student he actually talked his way into the very hotel room in Montreal where John and Yoko recorded Give Peace a Chance. If that doesn't put Mr. Rock in a very special category of Canadian politicians, nothing does! (Here's a link to a film of the hotel scene for the recording of Give Peace a Chance.)And, you'll also find below a picture of little me, taken when I worked for Prime Minister Harper, in the Queen Elizabeth Hotel room where John, Yoko and Allan performed decades before. Well aware of my love of history, Prime Minister Harper, perhaps Canada's biggest Beatles fan, arranged for me to visit the room and pay homage. Imagine that.So, happy Christmas all.caption id="attachment_529342" align="alignnone" width="640" Art Milnes, in the Queen Elizabeth Hotel room, in Montreal, where John, Yoko and Allan performed decades before./captioncaption id="attachment_529344" align="alignnone" width="640" John Lennon and Yoko Ono were in Canada to launch their unique “War is over” billboard campaign./captioncaption id="attachment_529345" align="alignnone" width="640" John Lennon, Yoko Ono and PM Pierre Trudeau, on Parliament Hill./captioncaption id="attachment_529346" align="alignnone" width="640" Allan Rock with John Lennon, at the University of Ottawa./captionArthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also proudly served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.
Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.