A LONG LIST OF POLITICIANS AND ACADEMICS GATHERED AT THE GRAND THEATRE TODAY.

THE TOPIC OF DISCUSSION WAS SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD,

AND HIS LEGACY.THE DAY

-LONG SEMINAR TIES IN WITH THE BICENTENNIAL COMMISSION'S WORK LEADING UP

TO THE CHIEFTAIN'S 200TH BIRTHDAY IN 2015.

 NEWSWATCH'S DARRYN DAVIS HAS MORE.

YOU PROBABLY WOULDN'T RECOGNIZE MANY OF THE FACES IN THIS ROOM AT THE GRAND THEATRE, BUT THIS COLLECTION OF ROUGHLY FORTY PEOPLE ARE SOME OF CANADA'S FOREMOST EXPERTS ON SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD AND OUR COUNTRY'S

FORM OF GOVERNMENT.

ARTHUR MILNES

"PART OF THE CONSULTATION TODAY WILL BE HOW DOES THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY THINK THE MACDONALD BICENTENNIAL SHOULD BE CELEBRATED IN KINGSTON AND NATIONALLY. "

QUEEN'S PROFESSOR KATHY BROCK SPOKE ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MACDONALD AND KINGSTON NATIVE SIR OLIVER MOWAT.

THE TWO MEN WHILE BEING FRIENDS HAD VERY DIFFERENT VISIONS OF HOW OUR GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE SHAPED WHEN THEY WERE DRAFTING THE BRITISH NORTH AMERICA ACT.

KATHY BROCK

"SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD WANTED A CENTRALIST CANADA AND SIR OLIVER MOWAT SAID NO WE HAVE TO RESPECT THE PROVINCES. "

THE GOVERNMENT'S HOUSE LEADER PETER VAN LOAN ALSO ATTENDED AND SAYS MANY PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE HOW PROGRESSIVE MACDONALD WAS IN HIS DAY.

PETER VAN LOAN

"MACDONALD WAS AT THE FOREFRONT IN 1885 IN ADVOCATING THE VOTE FOR WOMEN AND PUTTING THAT IN LEGISLATION AND ACTUALLY SUCCEEDING IN GETTING THE VOTE FOR FIRST NATIONS, ABORIGINALS SOMETHING THAT WAS ACTUALLY

REPEALED WHEN LAURIER BECAME PRIME MINISTER."

"TODAY'S SEMINAR ON MACDONALD SEGUE'S INTO HIS BIRTHDAY TOMORROW. THOSE CELEBRATIONS START AT NOON, HERE AT CITY PARK RIGHT BY THE MACDONALD STATUE.

DARRYN DAVIS CKWS NEWSWATCH KINGSTON."