Canada’s greatest Prime Minister (along with Sir Wilfrid Laurier), Sir John A. Macdonald of Kingston, took office once again as Prime Minister of Canada on this date in 1878. It had been five years since he had been forced to resign – rightfully – due to the famed Pacific Scandal.
Yet, by 1978, Sir John A. had made the greatest comeback in Canadian political history, easily defeating Alexander Mackenzie, the Liberal who had replaced him as PM. While in opposition, Macdonald had used his time wisely, inventing the political picnics that would help keep his party together and support his goal of regaining power.
Safely back in power, Macdonald never again let power slip from his hands. He would earn a remarkable three further majority mandates from Canadians and pass into history – while still serving as PM – in 1891. Along the way, post-1878, our greatest Prime Minister would unite our young nation from Atlantic to Pacific with the band of steel that was the CPR and the rest is history.caption id="attachment_1109404" align="alignleft" width="259"
Sir John A. Macdonald/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.
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.