Yesterday I took a flying trip to Saskatoon for a media event promoting the Celebration of Rural History and Culture in Mossbank I’ll be a part of on June 17.
Among the many events that day are several historical re-enactments–including the historic debate between T.C. Douglas and Ross Thatcher in 1955, after the latter defected to the Liberals from the CCF, and an equally historic debate from 1928 in which then-Premiere Jimmy Gardiner took on the Ku Klux Klan–but the one I’m doing is called “It’s Time for a Diefenbaker Government.” I’ll be portraying the former Prime Minister, and delivering his campaign speech from 1957, which contains the famous line, “Now is the time for greatness in planning for Canada’s future. Unity demands it; freedom requires it; vision will ensure it.” He won that election.
Above, I’m sitting in Dief’s desk at Diefenbaker Place on the University of Saskatchewan campus, in the replica of his Ottawa office. The museum staff kindly turned off the alarm system so we could take a picture there.
Now here’s Diefenbaker himself, in the real office. We could be twins, couldn’t we?
Couldn’t we?
OK, maybe not. But I’ll do my best to capture some of the spirit and excitement of his greatest campaign.
So if you’re in the vicinity, come out to Mossbank on June 17 and experience a little living history.
