Should Sir John A. Macdonald's birthday be a national holiday?

Canadians are marking the birthday of the country's first prime minister Wednesday and some are saying we should all have the day off.

Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre poses with a bust of Sir John A. Macdonald after announcing the former Bank of Montreal building would be renamed in honour of Canada's first prime minister. (Adrian Wyld/CP)Wednesday marks the 197th anniversary of Sir John A. Macdonald's birth. (Actually, he was born on Jan. 10, 1815 in Glasgow, Scotland, but word didn't get to the General Register Office in Edinburgh until the next day. Macdonald himself marked his birthday on Jan. 11.)

A former bank across the street from Parliament Hill's West Block in downtown Ottawa was renamed in Macdonald's honour.

The Historica-Dominion Institute, a national non-profit dedicated to promoting Canada's history, has declared Wednesday Sir John A. Day.  Folks on Twitter have also been spreading the word. "Sir John" has been a trending topic in Canada all day.

But some people want to see a national holiday for Sir John A. "If Sir John A. Macdonald had been some illustrious U.S. statesman, someone would be celebrating his day today -- the Americans, who know how to honour their country's greats," wrote Calgary Herald columnist Naomi Lakritz.

Should Sir John A. Macdonald's birthday be a national holiday? Why or why not? Should Canada create a Prime Ministers Day, akin to the American Presidents Day? Let us know what you think.



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