I just came from a wonderful workshop called “John A. Macdonald: Fresh Perspectives and New Legacies”. I have pasted the program below. The workshop saw the presentation of some really fantastic research on various aspects of the life of Sir John A. Macdonald. This event shows that there has been a revival of interest in Macdonald among both historians and the general public.
I and Roger Hall would like to thank Prof. Patrice Dutil, the lead organizer, for all of his efforts. I would also like to thank SSHRC for supporting our workshop.
The conference took place at Oakham House, Ryerson University in Toronto.
One of the highlights of the conference was buying a copy of Ged Martin’s just published book on Macdonald. Ged was our keynote speaker and kindly came in from Ireland for the occasion.
Ged Martin
Toronto, December 3-4, 2010
Day 1 – Friday 3 December 2010
8:00 – 8:45 Breakfast & Registration
8:45 – 9:00: Greetings from Ryerson University (Alan Shepard, Provost and VP Academic)
Introductions and Acknowledgements: Patrice Dutil (Politics and Public Administration, Ryerson University); Roger Hall (History, University of Western Ontario); Andrew Smith (History, Laurentian University)
9:00 – 10:30 Session 1: “Macdonald as Statesman”
Barbara Messamore (History, University of the Fraser Valley) “Sir John A and the Governors General”
Patrice Dutil (Politics and Public Administration, Ryerson University) “Macdonald the Manager: The Genesis of Executive Machinery”
Elsbeth Heaman (History, McGill University) “Macdonald, Taxation, and the rise of the Liberal State”
Discussion Moderator: Andrew Smith (History, Laurentian University)
10:30 – 10:45 Break
10:45 – 12:15 Session 2: “Macdonald and the idea of the West”
Herbert Emery (Economics, University of Calgary) “Macdonald and the Development of the West”
Ben Forster (History, University of Western Ontario) “Macdonald’s National Railway Policy”
Bill Waiser (History, University of Saskatchewan) “Macdonald, the Environment, Science, and the North”
Discussion Moderator: Roger Hall (History, University of Western Ontario)
12:15 – 1:30 Working Lunch: Richard Gwyn, Author and Journalist, “Macdonald @ 200”
1:30 – 3:00 Session 3: “Macdonald and the Challenge of the Aboriginal Peoples”
J.R. Miller (History, University of Saskatchewan) “Macdonald as Minister of Indian Affairs and the shaping of Canadian Indian Policy”
Donald B. Smith (History, University of Calgary) “John A. Macdonald and Aboriginal People: A Study in Personal knowledge and personal relationships”
Heather Devine (History, University of Calgary) “Macdonald and the Métis People: An Ethnographic Perspective”
Discussion Moderator: Carl Benn (History, Ryerson University)
3:00 – 3:30 Break
3:30 – 5:00 Session 4: “John A meets the web 2.0”
Roger Hall and Andrew Smith (The Champlain Society) “A 21st Century Approach to Editing Macdonald”
Angelina Munaretto (Library and Archives Canada), “Is Sir John A. ready for the Social Media?”
Brainstorm (Patrice Dutil, facilitator)
5:30 Cocktail
6:00 – 7:30 Working Dinner: Speaker: Ged Martin (National University of Ireland Galway), “Macdonald as a Mirror of Canada”
Day 2 – Saturday, December 4, 2010
9:00 – 10:30 (Working Breakfast) Session 5: “Macdonald and Adversity”
David Wilson (Department of History and Department of Celtic Studies), University of Toronto, “Macdonald and the Fenians”
David Warrick (Humanities, Rhetoric and Composition, Humber College), “Macdonald as Young Litigator: The politics of Prince Edward County”
Brad Miller (Department of History, PhD Candidate, University of Toronto) “False Starts and Trial Balloons in Macdonald’s First Government”
Moderator Facilitator: Jane Errington (History, Royal Military College)
10:30 – 10:45 Break
10:45 – 12:15 Session 6: “Macdonald and Identity/Mosaic Politics”
Colin Grittner, (Ph.D. candidate, McGill University) “Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s 19th century franchise, and women’s enfranchisement”
Timothy J. Stanley (Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa) “John A. Macdonald, Chinese Exclusion and the Origins of Canadian White Supremacy”
Carmen Nielson (Department of History, Mount Royal University) “Macdonald as Deviant: Political Legitimacy and Identity politics in late-19th century cartoons”
Moderator Facilitator: Brian S. Osborne (Professor Emeritus, Queen’s University)
12:15 – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 2:30 Session 7: “Macdonald, the Politician”
Michel Ducharme (Department of History, University of British Columbia) “John A. Macdonald and the Concept of Freedom”
Jacob V. Ginger (Department of History, PhD Candidate, Queen’s University) “Macdonald and the origins of Liberal-Conservative Thought”
Sean Conway (Queen’s University) “The political skills of John A. Macdonald: the Appreciation of Politicians”
Discussion Moderator: David MacKenzie (History, Ryerson University)
2:30 –2:45 Break
2:45-4:00 Session 8: “Macdonald’s Place in Canada’s Social Memory”
Yves Pelletier (PhD candidate, History, Queen’s University), “Re-imagining Macdonald: The Evolution of the Public Memory of Sir John A. Macdonald, 1891-1967”
Arthur Milnes (Centre for the Study of Democracy, Queen’s University) “The Mission of Making John A. Relevant”
Discussion Moderator: Bill Waiser (History, University of Saskatchewan)
4:00-4:10 Closing Remarks
The Past Speaks 
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