On Jan. 11, 1885, Sir John A. Macdonald celebrated his 70th birthday. The subsequent year would be the most tumultuous of his long premiership, calling upon all his skills and wisdom to keep Confederation together and strong.

On Jan. 11, 2015, Canada marked the bicentennial of Sir John A’s birth. A most difficult decade for Macdonald would follow — and from the grave he could not fight back. Canada’s 22nd prime minister, Justin Trudeau, was elected in 2015 and would oversee 10 years in which Canada’s first and most important prime minister would be erased from our public spaces.