Demystifying Sir John A. MacDonalds Popularity - Politics Essay Sample

The first Canadian Prime Minister was arguably one of the most respected and renowned politicians of his generation. Moreover, he is accredited as being instrumental in the political atmosphere of both Upper and Lower Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and oversaw the unification of these provinces in 1867 to form present-day Canada (Stewart, 2011). Equally important is the element that he was an active participant in the conglomeration of British Columbia and great North West Territories. Most political pundits describe him as possessing the mastery of efficiently handling whatever political situation was presented before him. Hence, the Canadian Society got accustomed to his wittiness in politics where his passion and drive for his country characterized his meticulous political career (Berger, 2013). Sir John MacDonald was also in charge of the national project for the construction of the Trans-Canadian Railroad alongside having a deft approach in the handling of the international relations with the United States (Gwyn, 2009). Besides, the advent of the North-West Rebellion saw his pacified involvement combined with striking a balance of interests between the French and the English speaking individuals

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A career in politics is more often than not marred with critics from detractors, and it was no different for Sir John MacDonald who was labeled as a drunkard on more than one occasion. The genesis of his alcohol indulgence was as a result of family tragedy where he has to bear with watching his wife succumb to a long term illness while his daughter developed brain damage due to hydrocephalus. Nonetheless, Sr. MacDonald was considered a political idol and the Canadian public was quite tolerant of his indulgence as it seldom caused interference in the execution of his political duties (Bliss, 2012). After receiving a call from William Lyon Mackenzie in 1837, and participated in the incursion against the family compact. He also led the opposition to the expansion of the union between Upper and Lower Canada to include the Maritimes. In 1843, Sr. Mac Donald joined the amalgamated Canadian parliament where he was an avid supporter of the conservatives.

During the resolution of the pending issues after the Civil War which was held in Washington, Sr. MacDonald was invited as part of the British delegation. However, he quickly became an unfavorable character for both the British and American interests as he had made a resolve to protect the Canadian interests during the conferences. Moreover, during the recession in 1874, the Canadian Nationals relied on the economic wisdom and advice of Sr. MacDonald even though he had lost the election the Liberal Party that year (Gwyn, 2015). Perhaps the greatest achievement of this political icon is that he won the election on numerous occasions and developed a national policy that resulted in the circular flow of products and services within the Canadian economy.

References

Berger, C. (2013). The Sense of Power: Studies in the Ideas of Canadian Imperialism, 1867-1914. University of Toronto Press.

Bliss, M. (2012). Right Honourable Men: The Descent of Canadian Politics from Macdonald to Chretien. Harper Collins.

Gwyn, R. J. (2009). John A: The man who made us. Vintage Canada.

Gwyn, R. (2015). Sir John A. MacDonald, the greatest PM of all. Retrieved from: https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2015/01/09/sir_john_a_macdonald_the_greatest_pm_of_all.html

Stewart, G. T. (2011). The Origins of Canadian Politics: A Comparative Approach. UBC Press.