Graves of the prime ministers

The archives. The museums. The national parks.  And now this:  Roderick Benns notes a news item about the allegedly neglected state of the grave sites of Canadian prime ministers, and links to a little guide to the prime ministerial gravesites I once was commissioned to write. Thanks, Roderick.


In the news story he cites, it is said the simple obscurity of most prime ministerial graves is once again proof that Canadians don't appreciate their history like other countries, etc., etc.   I'm not so sure.  To follow Rod's lead and quote myself:

These were working politicians in their day, after all, not monarchs....  In a constitutional monarchy, prime ministers are merely servants of the crown. In a parliamentary democracy, they exercise powers temporarily delegated to them by the people’s representatives.  It is important that we citizens remember their status as members of the “Commons.” Political leaders are entitled to their private life (and death) when they relinquish office.