John A. Macdonald Needs a Party Planner

With the 200th anniversary of Mr. Ten Dollar Bill coming up four years from today, there are still no official plans to mark the occasion.

Today may or may not be John A. Macdonald’s 196th birthday (there seems to be some confusion over his exact birth date). With the 200th anniversary of the birth of Canada's first post-Confederation prime minister and one of our Fathers of Confederation fast approaching, the National Post asks, “why is there no commission to honour his bicentennial, now a scant four years away?” In the absence of formal plans from Ottawa, Kingston residents have formed their own Macdonald bicentennial commission. “But surely Canadians could muster a greater effort … Canada shouldn’t let the Macdonald bicentennial pass without throwing a rousing party. Our first Prime Minister deserves — and would appreciate — no less.”

Writing in the Toronto Star Arthur Milnes, head of the Kingston MacDonald Bicentennial Commission, vows to “work over the next four years and through 2015 to ensure that new generations are introduced to the life and legacy of our first prime minister,” with or without help from the federal government.

In The Mark, Immanuel Giulea argues that no celebration of MacDonald would be complete without also honouring his francophone counterpart George-Étienne Cartier, who was born only four months before him. “During their shared political career they acted as one while defending the interests of their respective communities,” writes Giulea. “In a national celebration, these two prominent statesmen cannot and should not be celebrated without each other.”

Funnily enough, all three columns lament that while U.S. Congress created a Lincoln Bicentennial Commission nine years in advance, Ottawa has yet to act. Could there be any more appropriate celebration of Canadian culture than attempting to emulate the Americans while simultaneously trying to differentiate ourselves from them?

And just in case the official plans don’t get off the ground, The Mark Newsroom has some suggestions for celebrating the Father of Confederation on your own: First, get a case of liquor. Then, gather as many of your friends together as possible, ply them with said liquor, and try to get them to agree to something none of them wants to do. If there’s still time, say something nice about Queen Victoria and build a transcontinental railroad. Proceed to pass out in your best waistcoat and breeches.