It is, of course, the birthday of the great R.B. Bennett, our Depression-era Prime Minister. He was born in New Brunswick on this date in 1870. Known as “Bonfire Bennett” due to his rapid-fire speaking technique, his public service is unique as it saw him serve in the Legislature of the Northwest Territories, at the Alberta Legislature, in the House of Commons and then, finally, in the British House of Lords. On this, R.B.’s special day, I once again call on the powers-that-be in Ottawa to finally erect a Parliament Hill statue in honour of this majority-winning Prime Minister. Over to you, Mr. Carney and MPs from all parties.
Happy birthday R.B. Bennett!
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.