Random House, Toronto, 2011
684 pp., illus., $37 hardcover
In 2007, Richard Gwyn’s John A: The Man Who Made Us introduced his extraordinary biography of Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald. In that first volume, Gwyn gave a lot of time and pages to providing a personal profile of Macdonald: the devoted and heartbroken husband; the hopeless manager of his personal finances; the passionate believer in Canada as a British country; and, of course, the brilliant political strategist that led the colonies into Confederation. Gywn’s masterful writing wove a story of an infinitely likeable Sir John A. and left us cheering for him as he navigated the rocky road to political success.
Nation Maker continues the story with an equally compelling account of Canada’s first twenty-four years. And an eventful period it was. Nation Maker covers the construction of the CPR; the creation of the provinces of Manitoba and British Columbia; the two Louis Riel-led rebellions; the killing of Thomas D’Arcy McGee; the establishment of the RCMP; and the laying of the foundations for French language minority rights and Aboriginal rights in this country.
For the most recent generation of readers, who have grown up with a history of post-Confederation Canada taught in often disconnected “units” rather than as a narrative chronology, Gwyn’s account provides an infinitely readable story with valuable context and rich insights into the many legendary persons who were an integral part of Sir John A.’s story — such as Riel, William McDougall, Charles Tupper, Donald Smith, Edward Blake, Hugh Allan, George-Étienne Cartier, Crowfoot, Poundmaker, and Big Bear.
Gwyn’s main argument is that Macdonald was even more progressive about political inclusion than the prevailing historic record suggests. He contends that Macdonald’s knowledge of and sensitivity toward the situation of Métis and Aboriginal populations, particularly with the disappearance of the buffalo on the prairies, were much greater than conventionally thought and that the mistakes made in dealing with the Riel Rebellion were driven more by political pressures than any real prejudice.
In the book’s opening pages, Gwyn argues that Macdonald’s generous policy toward French Canadians “would not be equalled by any English-Canadian public figure for a century.” This contention is well-supported elsewhere in the book, where Gwyn chronicles Macdonald’s defence of the equality of Canada’s founding nations and of the importance of retaining minority language rights.
Gwyn also makes the case that history has overlooked one of Macdonald’s most progressive efforts — albeit not a whole-hearted one: to provide the franchise to women with the introduction of the Franchise Bill of 1885.
Nevertheless, Gwyn’s own research and detailed accounts give enough evidence to refute some of these claims: such as the deceitful way Macdonald dealt with the question of a pardon for Riel, his unwillingness to act on the growing distress of Cree populations unable to continue living their traditional way of life, and his suspiciously strategic use of votes for women as a distraction from other contentious parts of the franchise legislation.
Although I do not buy in one hundred per cent to Gwyn’s view of Macdonald as a thoroughly progressive Canadian prime minister, I do agree that Gwyn has succeeded in making Macdonald and his policies relevant for the twenty-first century. And that is a very good thing. By examining Macdonald’s personal views and government policies through the lens of some of our most enduring challenges as a nation, Gwyn draws a line between past and present. He reminds us that nation building and public policy-making have implications for generations, a lesson we could all heed as our own attitudes and expectations of government and political leadership become ever more focused on immediate and short-term results.
For those with only a limited knowledge of Canadian history, this is an excellent book with which to begin your exploration of it. But Gwyn also delivers much for those looking to add depth to the stories they already know: Nation Maker is filled with fascinating details of less-covered events during this period, such as the first Newfoundland referendum to join Confederation in 1869 and Macdonald’s key speech to the Washington Conference of 1871, which staked Canada’s place as a nation independent from Britain and the United States.
— Deborah Morrison (Read bio)
Deborah Morrison is the executive director of SEVEC and the former president and CEO of Canada’s History Society.