Statement By MP MacKenzie in the House of Commons

Dave MacKenzie, MP- Oxford and Chair of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, today made the following statement in the House of Commons regarding Senator Robert Carrall and Irene Crawford’s book Senator Robert Carrall and Dominion Day.

Mr Speaker,
I rise in the House today to pay tribute to a local un-sung hero, Senator Robert Carrall.
Senator Carall, originally from Ingersoll in my riding of Oxford, received his MD from McGill University in 1859; he used his medical talents as an assistant surgeon for the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Upon his return to Canada in 1865 he continued working as a doctor and played an active part in the Cariboo gold rush. In 1868 he was elected to the Legislative Council of British Columbia, and was one of three delegates who went to Ottawa to negotiate British Columbia joining confederation.

In 1871 he was summoned to the Senate of Canada, and was a confidante to Sir John A. MacDonald. He supported the construction of the CPR Railroad, and petitioned Parliament to pass a bill instating the holiday we now know as Canada Day before dying at the age of 42.

Senator Carrall’s story remained largely untold until recently, Irene Crawford-Siano of Woodstock published her ninth book entitled Senator Robert Carrall and Dominion Day.
Thank you Senator Carrall for your inspiring work on behalf of Canadians, and to Irene for sharing his story.