It was exactly ten-years-ago today that one of the most unique ceremonies ever involving a past Prime Minister took place on Parliament Hill. It was February 16, 2011 and then Prime Minister Stephen J. Harper, Speaker of the House Peter Milliken, Senator Michael Meighen (and his family) and so many others gathered to dedicate – finally – the Rt. Hon. Arthur Meighen’s official Parliament Hill portrait.
The ceremony came about because a historical researcher in Kingston, Ontario – me – discovered that Mr. Meighen’s portrait, unlike all the others on the Hill, had not been dedicated. It turned out that the first time a ceremony was scheduled, Prime Minister St. Laurent was ill, and the event was cancelled. Then, some time later, when another date was agreed upon, Mr. Meighen himself was ill, so that one was cancelled as well.
When I discovered that the ceremony -- one that each past Prime Minister is entitled to -- had never been re-scheduled, I went to see my local MP in Kingston, Speaker Milliken. On the spot, he agreed the ceremony had to be held and that it should be done right away. Senator Michael Meighen, on behalf of the Meighen family, also agreed. So did Prime Minister Harper.
So official Ottawa came together, folks of all parties, and 50 years after Arthur Meighen passed into history, he finally received his due and his public service was finally honoured. A special feature of the ceremony was the participation, by video, of famed Canadian actor Christopher Plummer. My fellow history buffs will know that Mr. Plummer’s great-grandfather was Sir John A. Abbott, a past Prime Minister of Canada. And, Arthur Meighen had once delivered a tribute address in honour of Sir John Abbott.
So, thanks to the good folks at the Stratford Festival, a special recording of Mr. Plummer, playing Arthur Meighen speaking about Sir John Abbott, was the highlight of the day.
I’m pleased to place below the words of tribute Prime Minister Harper delivered ten-years-ago today to honour the Rt. Hon. Arthur Meighen below.
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Former PM Stephen Harper walks past the portrait of the Right Honourable Arthur Meighen (CP)/caption
The Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper: The first portrait, fittingly, of the Old Chieftain, Sir John A. Macdonald, was unveiled on his 75th birthday. As the collection grew, these beautiful works of art have put our history literally within arm’s reach.
And the hanging ceremonies have also become an important democratic ritual. These are celebrations that have brought together partisan friend and foe alike to honour public service and the continuity of one of the most important institutions of our national government.
Sadly, as has been noted and has been uncovered by Mr. (Arthur) Milnes’ diligent research, the Right Honourable Arthur Meighen never had his day. He would have enjoyed it more than most, because he had participated in so many different facets of public life.
As John Diefenbaker once pointed out, Meighen has been the only Canadian … to hold the four great offices of Parliament, for he was Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons, and both Government Leader and Leader in Opposition in the Senate.
Prime Minister Diefenbaker was also first and foremost in a long list of distinguished Parliamentarians who have testified to the power of Arthur Meighen’s oratory, having called his speeches unforgettable.
Lester B. Pearson once said: “Few Canadians in all history have surpassed him in intellectual brilliance and scholarly attainment, in incisive skill in parliamentary work and, above all, in parliamentary debate.”
I tried to find quotes from the Right Honourable Mackenzie King honouring Arthur Meighen, but the only quotes I could find was how much he dreaded facing him in debate.
When he arrived here in 1908, representing Portage la Prairie, his potential was immediately obvious.
Meighen was appointed Solicitor General in 1913 and took responsibility for several senior Cabinet portfolios through the Great War. In peacetime, he successfully delivered on his government’s most important promise – a program offering assistance to veterans who were taking up farming.
On July 10, 1920, he became Canada’s ninth Prime Minister and the first from the Western Canada. His time in office was brief. He was defeated in the election the next year.
Ironically, his time in office was even briefer the second time, after he won the election in 1925 – the Parliament which famously led to a series of constitutional disputes.
As Prime Minister, Meighen gave our emerging nation a strong voice on the world stage. He represented Canada at the Imperial Conference of 1921.
There he showed how Canadian diplomacy could have an impact at global summits. His work behind the scenes brought Great Britain and the Empire around to his Canadian position, leading to a new era of transatlantic cooperation.
At Vimy Ride, he spoke eloquently of this memorial to those Canadians who made the ultimate sacrifice for King and Country, noting that: “Around and all over are being planted the Maples of Canada in the thought that they will rest better under the trees which they know so well.”
Meighen’s love of the language went beyond political speeches. He could quote Shakespeare and other poets at length. He also had success as a lawyer and a businessman, but it was public service which he loved the most.
Arthur Meighen’s portrait has hung in these hallways for decades. But today, he finally receives the belated tributes that have for too long been his due.
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.
Former PM Stephen Harper walks past the portrait of the Right Honourable Arthur Meighen (CP)/caption
The Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper: The first portrait, fittingly, of the Old Chieftain, Sir John A. Macdonald, was unveiled on his 75th birthday. As the collection grew, these beautiful works of art have put our history literally within arm’s reach.
And the hanging ceremonies have also become an important democratic ritual. These are celebrations that have brought together partisan friend and foe alike to honour public service and the continuity of one of the most important institutions of our national government.
Sadly, as has been noted and has been uncovered by Mr. (Arthur) Milnes’ diligent research, the Right Honourable Arthur Meighen never had his day. He would have enjoyed it more than most, because he had participated in so many different facets of public life.
As John Diefenbaker once pointed out, Meighen has been the only Canadian … to hold the four great offices of Parliament, for he was Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons, and both Government Leader and Leader in Opposition in the Senate.
Prime Minister Diefenbaker was also first and foremost in a long list of distinguished Parliamentarians who have testified to the power of Arthur Meighen’s oratory, having called his speeches unforgettable.
Lester B. Pearson once said: “Few Canadians in all history have surpassed him in intellectual brilliance and scholarly attainment, in incisive skill in parliamentary work and, above all, in parliamentary debate.”
I tried to find quotes from the Right Honourable Mackenzie King honouring Arthur Meighen, but the only quotes I could find was how much he dreaded facing him in debate.
When he arrived here in 1908, representing Portage la Prairie, his potential was immediately obvious.
Meighen was appointed Solicitor General in 1913 and took responsibility for several senior Cabinet portfolios through the Great War. In peacetime, he successfully delivered on his government’s most important promise – a program offering assistance to veterans who were taking up farming.
On July 10, 1920, he became Canada’s ninth Prime Minister and the first from the Western Canada. His time in office was brief. He was defeated in the election the next year.
Ironically, his time in office was even briefer the second time, after he won the election in 1925 – the Parliament which famously led to a series of constitutional disputes.
As Prime Minister, Meighen gave our emerging nation a strong voice on the world stage. He represented Canada at the Imperial Conference of 1921.
There he showed how Canadian diplomacy could have an impact at global summits. His work behind the scenes brought Great Britain and the Empire around to his Canadian position, leading to a new era of transatlantic cooperation.
At Vimy Ride, he spoke eloquently of this memorial to those Canadians who made the ultimate sacrifice for King and Country, noting that: “Around and all over are being planted the Maples of Canada in the thought that they will rest better under the trees which they know so well.”
Meighen’s love of the language went beyond political speeches. He could quote Shakespeare and other poets at length. He also had success as a lawyer and a businessman, but it was public service which he loved the most.
Arthur Meighen’s portrait has hung in these hallways for decades. But today, he finally receives the belated tributes that have for too long been his due.
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.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.