As a historian and an Albertan, I find @jkenney's cheerful note about celebrating 'John A. Macdonald Day' staggeringly ignorant and incredibly irresponsible. Here, JK dabbles in historical amnesia and wilful whitewashing of the past. Let me explain: alberta.ca/release.cfm?xI…
First, JK starts out by praising Macdonald for his 'audacity of vision.' 'Audacity,' actually, is an interesting word choice (with dual meanings that JK probably doesn't know): boldness/disrespectful. JK emphasizes the former, let me highlight the latter by analyzing his note.
In the greeting, JK uses 'audacity' to boost JAM's 'boldness' to build a country, but he willfully whitewashes the fact that Canadian nation-building was buttressed by JAM's genocidal policies (war, starvation, and residential schools - all on JAM's watch).
^ This is all well-known by historians. Here are a few primers for further info: theconversation.com/john-a-macdona…; thestar.com/opinion/commen…; nationalpost.com/news/canada/he…. Have a read; this is who JK uncritically celebrates.
Next: 'As he fostered consensus among political factions with differing agendas, he transformed a bold vision into reality, creating this great northern Dominion from sea to sea.' Again JK leaves out that JAM's 'vision' was to build this 'nation' by DESTROYING Indigenous nations.
Next: 'He is Canada's second longest-serving prime minister, having held that position for 19 years, with a record six majority government victories.' Cool. JK leaves out the fact that JAM resigned from his first term as PM for, basically, being corrupt.
^ This was during the Pacific Scandal where JAM and other conservatives accepted bribes meant to try an influence the bidding of a national railway contract. But, of course, JK would be in favour of politicians being in the pocket of big industry: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_S…
Lastly, 'To quote Sir Wilfred Laurier, ’The life of Sir John Macdonald, from the time he entered Parliament, is the history of Canada.’ I mean, JK's kinda right (again not intentionally). JAM, and his iconography and mythology, is kinda representative of the hist of Canada.....
Some settler Canadians, like JK here, lionize and mythologize JAM (and #cdnhist) by whitewashing history generally to downplay his controversial, corrupt, and genocidal actions to justify the ongoing project of settler colonialism, capitalist accumulation, and nation-building.
JK ends with 'Happy Sir John A. Macdonald Day, everyone!' I mean, does he really mean EVERYONE. What about the Indigenous peoples in the different treaty regions throughout 'Alberta' that are suffering from the intergenerational trauma of residential schools that JAM created? 
Or, some Metis folks whose families were driven to Alberta in the aftermath of the War of 1885 and genocidal policies. Is JK really wishing them a 'Happy Sir John A. Macdonald' day? This kind of ignorance is wilful and disrespectful.
Quite simply, @jkenney: do better. With respect, an actual historian.
