Today in Canada's Political History - January 27, 1934: Sir Robert Borden dedicates a public library in Ottawa

  • National Newswatch

After resigning the Premiership due to ill-health in 1920, Sir Robert Borden would spend the rest of his days living in Ottawa. He became a fixture on the Ottawa scene and he was frequently called upon to attending various community events. On this date in 1934, for example, he recalled his role dedicating the Rideau Street branch of the Ottawa Public Library.

“The building, quite spacious, is well designed for a bilingual library, as in this part of the city the mother tongue of a considerable proportion of the population is French, he wrote privately after the event. “The proceedings were of a formal character; and Colonel Marriott, who presided after Mrs. Sears had said a few words, called upon me to make an introductory speech and to declare the library open. I discharged this duty with appropriate brevity and was followed by M. St Jacques who spoke in French at very considerable length. Then followed Mr Jennings, Inspector of Libraries, who spoke at even greater length. His remarks, like those of M St Jacques, were much too prolonged and extremely discursive.”

Borden’s review of the speeches delivered by the other speakers continued. “The major portion of his speech was devoted to description and eulogy of John Ruskin's teachings. He omitted, however, to comment upon Ruskin's glorification of war.”

This and many more private writings by Borden in retirement were published decades later in the delightful volume, Letters to Limbo.




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.