John A. MacDonald: the Patriot Statesman

In Kingston, Ontario, at the old Cataraqui Cemetery, one could miss an unpretentious granite marker, engraved with a simple inscription: John Alexander MacDonald, 1815-1891, At Rest.

One would not suspect that this grave contains the remains of one of the great driving forces behind the creation of the Dominion of Canada. MacDonald was a talented, hard-working visionary who left two great legacies - the unification of British colonies in eastern North America into a single nation, followed by the expansion of this union across the continent to the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, bringing into existence the second largest country on earth.

With his legacy currently under attack, one must ask: “Who is John A. MacDonald?” and “Why was his leadership so important for the establishment of Canada?”