After a parliamentary career spanning 47 years (pre and post Confederation), a pivotal Father of Confederation, Canada’s first Prime Minister, spoke his last-ever words in the House of Commons on this date in 1891.  Two months before, Sir John A. had received his sixth majority mandate from the citizens of the young country he did so much to establish.During the campaign there had been controversy as Canada’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, the old Tory warhorse Sir Charles Tupper (Macdonald’s fellow Father of Confederation), had traveled from London to Canada to deliver speeches as the election raged. As he was a public servant, Tupper’s interventions were, shall we say, somewhat problematic.Two weeks after the new Parliament met, the Opposition questioned Sir John A. about Tupper’s involvement.“When the High Commissioner was taking his tour through Canada,” MP William Paterson asked Macdonald, “it was stated in the press that he travelled by special train. I would like to know whether that was the case, and if so, what was the cost of that train and out of what fund it was defrayed?”“I am not aware that any of the High Commissioner’s expenses were paid out of the public service, but I will enquire,” Sir John A. replied.“I suppose his trips from England to this country and back again find a place in the expenses,” continued Paterson.“That may be, but I cannot say,” Macdonald replied.Then, another MP continued this line of questioning of the Prime Minister Macdonald. After that, one of Macdonald’s fellow Kingstonians took to his feet. Sir Richard Cartwright, a one-time friend and ally of Sir John A.’s who had crossed the floor to become, arguably, the MP who detested Macdonald most, joined in.  Cartwright’s voice, dripped with sarcasm.“The right honourable gentleman stated candidly that he (Tupper) came out to attend the elections,” Cartwright said. “The First Minister has been, however, altogether too modest. I, as a citizen of Kingston, beg to state that it was to the First Minister’s own special and earnest care of his constituents, he was indebted for his increased majority. The First Minister had been a good nursing father or mother, whichever he prefers to be called, to the citizens of Kingston for the last three or four years.”Cartwright then continued: “Such has been his care that a short time ago, when I had to go down to that constituency on private business of my own, the first thing I heard was that the honourable gentleman in his anxiety to prevent the people from suffering from distress and destitution, caused no less, I think, than 120 cars to be built about the 5^th or 10^th of February last (the election was held on March 5) in certain car works in that city. About the same time likewise, the honourable gentleman, in his disinterested regard for the welfare of my fellow citizens (of Kingston), was solicitous in procuring some important railway subsidies for projected railways in the neighbourhood of that city. Well, they have as good a right to it – no more and no less – than a good many other roads the honourable gentleman has subsidized.”Eyes then turned towards Sir John A. He was 76 years-old and had almost died in the last election campaign.  Still, Canadians had answered his call. “Sir John, you’ll never die!” was the cry from the audiences who had gathered to hear him that winter.Macdonald, as controversial then as he is in some quarters today, took to his feet. As had always been the case during his political feud with Cartwright – one that dated back to 1869 – Sir John A. got in the final word.“You did not do much for them,” the grand old man of Canadian politics replied.With that retort, Macdonald returned to his seat, his final words in the House of Commons spoken.  Two weeks later Sir John A. died at Earnscliffe, his Ottawa home (an historic residence now serving as home to the British High Commissioner).caption id="attachment_592477" align="alignleft" width="418" Sir John A. Macdonald/captioncaption id="attachment_619514" align="alignleft" width="417" Sir Richard Cartwright/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 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.