O T T A W A – October 5, 2011 – Ed
Holder, Member of Parliament for London West was witness to the fire
that damaged Earnscliffe, the final home of Canada first Prime
Minister Sir John A. Macdonald and issued the following statement.
“Many friends of mine know the affection
I have for the legacy of Sir John A., so my phone began to ring off
the hook as soon as the fire started. Feeling sick at the
thought of losing this treasured piece of Canadian history, I
quickly made my way to the fire. I had to see it to believe
it. Upon arriving, I was relieved to find out nobody was hurt
or missing and that the firefighters had quickly contained the fire
from spreading. Earnscliffe is one of the most tangible links
we have to the life of Sir John A. and to lose this National
Historical Site would have created a huge hole in the legacy of our
first Prime Minister. He died in that house 120 years ago, but
his time in residence has made it one of the most famous buildings
in our nation’s capital. I find comfort in knowing that the
fire did not cause too much damage and that the majority of the
building will remain as it did over a century ago when a Canadian
legend simply called it home.”
