The Golden-Tongued Martyr

Thomas D’Arcy McGee was modern Canada’s first political martyr, shot in the head on Ottawa’s Sparks Street on April 7, 1868, shortly after delivering one of his hallmark passionate speeches in the House of Commons. McGee has been called “the real father of Confederation” (by the Honourable Edward J. McMurray), the “Irish Founder of the Canadian Nation” (by the Honourable William Davis) and, more modestly, “Confederation’s poet laureate” (by Richard Gwyn). He was certainly a unique voice promoting inter-ethnic cooperation and cultural development as the basis for Canada’s “new nationality.” Yet, despite his eminent role in shaping the ideology of this country, McGee has faded from public memory and is rarely celebrated or discussed.

In his day, McGee was a singular figure—a journalist, poet, author and popular leader. He rose to prominence during the golden age of oratory, when the ability to carry an audience without the aid of microphones was vital to political...