PRE-CONFEDERATION DAYS JULY 1 TO 4 ~ Would There Be a “Canada Day” Without Sir John A.?

Step back to 1866 and come face-to-face with Sir John A. Macdonald (played by Brian Porter) for some rousing political discussion about the benefits of the coming confederation of the Canadian provinces of Canada East (Quebec), Canada West (Ontario), Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Everyday between 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., from Canada Day through July 4 at Upper Canada Village, Macdonald will be on hand for some serious hand-shaking, baby kissing, (and perhaps even buying a round or two of drinks for loyal supporters). Visitors will be able to experience in “real-time” the heartfelt deliberations that went into creating this great country, and have an opportunity to voice their own opinions and concerns, (perhaps with the advantageous hindsight of being a 20th century citizen). 

On each day of Upper Canada Village’s “Pre-Confederation Days” event, visitors will have the opportunity to meet Macdonald for political debate one-on-one, to hear parts of his actual speeches from the landing at Cooks Tavern at 1:00 p.m., and to meet Brian Porter, the man behind John A., in the ballroom at Cooks Tavern at 2:30 p.m. to discuss the relevance of John A. Macdonald to Canada today. They will be transported back to 1866 in Upper Canada Village, where two years have passed since the two confederation conferences: the first in Charlottetown and the second in Quebec to hammer out the “72 Resolutions” that evolved into the British North America Act, finally passed by the British parliament in 1867. Most people in Canada West support the idea of Confederation. The issue emerged in the 1850s and many doubted that it would ever succeed. But things have changed. The Civil War in the States has alarmed many Canadians about the real political and military threat from the victorious Northern forces. Both the Maritimes and Canada have been attacked by Fenian raiders. A union of all the North American British colonies with a strong central government to deal with national issues like transportation, trade, and military defence is welcome. The province of Canada will be divided into Ontario and Quebec, and Nova Scotia and New Brunswick will also join the new nation. All of the northwest, except for British Columbia, is still owned by the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Known best as Canada’s first Prime Minister after confederation in 1867, John A. Macdonald had been a politician since 1844 as the member for Kingston. Trained as a lawyer, he quickly moved into various cabinet positions in the 50s and 60s. In 1864, he and George-Etienne Cartier formed a coalition government to work towards Confederation. Queen Victoria knighted him before he returned to Canada with the British North America Act.

Brian Porter has been playing Sir John for the past ten years and has spoken to over two hundred groups, visiting schools, retirement homes, historical societies, conferences, Elderhostel tours, and historical events. Porter has also played Sir John for the Brockville Infantry Company, the Privy Council, the Albany Club in Toronto, the annual John A. Macdonald dinner at the Royal Military College in Kingston, the historic Code Mill in Perth, and the opening of the newly re-built Grand Theatre in Kingston. He also helped Perth author Roy Macskimming promote his new novel, Macdonald, at Indigo Books in Kingston.