Today in Canada’s Political History: Allan J. MacEachen’s maiden address in the Commons

Parliamentary legend Allan J. MacEachen delivered his maiden address in the Commons on this date in 1954. He had been elected under Prime Minister Louis St.-Laurent’s banner the year before. Allan J. would later serve with distinction in the cabinets of Prime Ministers Lester Pearson and Pierre Trudeau. He would also become a candidate for the Liberal Party leadership in 1968, and was the first-ever Canadian Deputy Prime Minister.

It was my very great privilege to get to know Mr. MacEachen over a decade ago when I served as one of the assistants as he prepared his – still unpublished – memoirs.

You can read Allan J.’s first-ever Commons address at the link below.

https://parl.canadiana.ca/view/oop.debates_HOC2201_02/1101 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.