O CANADA
By Don Gillmor
John A. Macdonald’s
rocky road to Confederation
I
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n 1864, John A. Macdonald, along with George Brown, D’Arcy McGee and Alexander Galt, sailed to Charlottetown to convince the maritime colonies to join Confederation. On board was $13,000 worth of champagne to smooth negotiations. “Whether as a result of our eloquence or Negotiations remained fraught—Prince the goodness of our champagne,” wrote Edward Island and Newfoundland declined, Brown, “the ice became completely Nova Scotia had agreed but then wanted broken…thereupon the union was out, Quebec wanted guarantees on French completed and proclaimed.” rights, New Brunswick felt neglected, However, there were still a few details to and Brown wanted more senators for be worked out. The party moved to Halifax, Upper Canada. At the centre was the tireSaint John, Fredericton, and finally, Quebec, less Macdonald, holding it all together. where there was a dinner at Government The delegation finally moved to London House. A daughter of one of the delegates to present their fraying case to British described the scene: “D’Arcy McGee parliament, and took me to dinner and sat between Lady Macdonald’s tra“Not one man of the MacDonnell [wife of the Governor of Nova conference (except Galt in vails continued. He Scotia, Sir Richard MacDonnell] and I. woke one night to finance) has the slightest Before dinner was half over, he got so find both he and his idea of Constitution making. bed were on fire. drunk he was obliged to leave the table.” Whatever is good or ill in The next day, delegates heatedly “Had I not worn the Constitution is mine.” discussed the idea of a senate and that a very thick flan—John A. Macdonald night there was a delegates’ ball for 1,400 nel shirt under my people. It started as a model of “grace, nightshirt, I would loveliness and politeness.” By four a.m., there have been burnt to death,” he noted. “As it was “drunkenness, pushing, kicking and was my escape was miraculous.” His hair and tearing…. The supper room floor was covhands were singed, adding to his ravaged look. ered with meat, drink and broken bottles.” The bill to create a new country slowly dragged through the British parliament, Between the raucous parties, the hard and between the first and second readwork of creating a country had to be done. ing, Macdonald married Agnes Bernard Macdonald was the only one with a backin St. George’s Church in Hanover Square. ground in constitutional law, and it fell to The bill was finally signed by Queen Victoria him to draft 50 of the 72 resolutions. By on March 29, 1867. At noon on July 1, day he revised the constitution, at night he the Dominion of Canada was born, with lobbied the delegates, with mixed results. Macdonald as its first prime minister. L
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