Icons and Their Impact

When examining character, it is important to take the person whole and not focus solely on their best or worst traits. It is clear that both Louis Riel and Sir John A. Macdonald did not lack for the latter. Corruption was one of their common flaws. Sir John A. Macdonald’s most famous involvement was during the Pacific Scandal, in which he accepted large quantities of bribe money from several railroad owners to help him contest an election. In exchange, he agreed to grant them the rights to construct a trans-Canadian railroad. When the information was leaked by the opposition Liberals, this became one of Canada’s first major political scandals. For his part, one of Louis Riel’s reasons for championing the North-West Rebellion was that he believed that the Federal government owed him between $10,000 and $15,000 for his efforts to bring Manitoba into Confederation and defeat American influence. This was later used as propaganda against him, weakening his cause. Both of these individuals were defeated by their own desire for personal gain, setting their respective causes back. However, this drive for self-advancement in no way diminished their actual historical impact.