Statue of Sir John A. Macdonald in Queen's Park, Toronto, Aug. 29, 1963.Boris Spremo/The Globe and Mail

J.D.M. Stewart is the author of The Prime Ministers: Canada’s Leaders and the Nation They Shaped.

It may come as a surprise to Canadians to discover that Sunday is Sir John A. Macdonald Day. The first surprise might be that such a day exists at all, while the second may be that it has not yet been repealed, given various egregious “cancellations” of the Dominion’s first prime minister over the past decade. The statue removals, changed street names and cowardly expunction of his name from schools and awards reflected a moment in Canadian history that one hopes is not revisited.

Jan. 11 is Sir John A.’s birthday. A 2002 Act of Parliament made it an official day for “Canadians to organize events and activities in his honour,” according to a government of Canada website. (The bill also made Nov. 20 Sir Wilfrid Laurier Day in honour of another of Canada’s great statesmen.) Two now-deceased but highly respected parliamentarians made it happen: John Lynch-Staunton proposed the legislation from the Senate, while John Godfrey sponsored it in the House of Commons.

When Mr. Godfrey, the Liberal MP........

© The Globe and Mail