The Past Speaks

Macdonald at 200 presents fifteen fresh interpretations of Canada’s founding Prime Minister, published for the occasion of the bicentennial of his birth in 1815. Well researched and crisply written by recognized scholars and specialists, the collection throws new light on Macdonald’s formative role in shaping government, promoting women’s rights, managing the nascent economy, supervising westward expansion, overseeing relations with Native peoples, and dealing with Fenian terrorism. A special section deals with how Macdonald has (or has not) been remembered by historians as well as the general public. The book concludes with an afterword by prominent Macdonald biographer Richard Gwyn. Macdonald emerges as a man of full dimensions — an historical figure that is surprisingly relevant to our own times.

Order it here.

About the editors:

Patrice Dutil is professor of politics and public administration at Ryerson University. His publications include Canada 1911 and Devil’s Advocate. A frequent media commentator on Canadian affairs, he is the president of the Champlain Society and the founder of The Literary Review of Canada. He lives in Toronto.

Roger Hall is professor emeritus of history at Western University and senior fellow at Massey College, University of Toronto. He has been editor of Ontario History and co-editor of The Canadian Review of American Studies. His publications include A Century to Celebrate and The Rising Country. He lives in Toronto.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Macdonald and Society
Chapter 1: Colin Grittner, “Macdonald and Women’s Enfranchisement”
Chapter 2: Donald Smith, “Macdonald’s Relationship with Aboriginal Peoples”
Chapter 3: David A. Wilson, “Macdonald and the Fenians”
Chapter 4: Timothy J. Stanley, “Macdonald, Chinese Exclusion and the Invention of Canadian White Supremacy”
Chapter 5: Michel Ducharme, “Macdonald and the Concept of Liberty”
Part 2: Macdonald and the Economy
Chapter 6: J.J. Ben Forster, “First Spikes: Railways in John A. Macdonald’s Early Political Career”
Chapter 7: E.A. Heaman, “Macdonald’s Fiscal Realpolitik”
Chapter 8: David W. Delainey and J.C. Herbert Emery, “The National Policy’s Impact on the West: A Reassessment”

Part 3: Macdonald and Government
Chapter 9: Barbara J. Messamore, “Macdonald and the Governors General: A Prime Minister’s Use and Abuse of the Crown”
Chapter 10: Patrice Dutil, “Macdonald, his ‘Ottawa Men’ and the Consolidation of Prime Ministerial Power (1867-1873)”
Chapter 11: J.R. Miller, “Macdonald as Minister of Indian Affairs: The Shaping of Canadian Indian Policy”
Chapter 12: Bill Waiser, “Macdonald’s Appetite for Canadian Expansion: Main Course or Leftovers ?”