"Today, we have planted the seeds of liberty on the soil of Canada".

In the dawning days of the ill-fated 1837 Patriots Rebellion, these were the beginning words of William Lyon Mackenzie’s Proclamation to the People of Upper Canada.

With Louis-Joseph Papineau in Lower Canada and other reformers of the day such as Joseph Howe in Nova Scotia, their fight was with the nepotistic aristocrats who, in the name of the King, ran the colonies with an iron hand. The patriots failed to create a republic free of oppression but what they did gain was a union of Upper and Lower Canada into the Province of Canada and ... by no means insignificantly - something no other colony had ever achieved - responsible government and the stepping stones to eventual home rule for the colonies.

Of course, had Mackenzie’s ambition to have a Canadian republic succeeded, those words of liberty would be on the lips of all Canadian school children from a very early age.

And rather than footnotes in history (you’ll note we’re standing in the BACK of the legislature grounds, not the front), all Canadians would know the importance of the stand these heroes of history took to battle oppression.

But such is the history of Canadian independence, a graduating series of reforms and legislations that, with the exception of the rebellion, have gained us the semblance of an independent nation through largely peaceful means rather than violent revolution.

Nonetheless, .... there’s no denying the events of 1837 - 1838 as being pivotal in commencing the process of the eventual self governing and self legislating Canada of today.

Now whether or not Mackenzie was a heroic reformer, an opportunist caught up in a revolutionary trend that was also sweeping Europe or as suggested to me last week by former mayor John Sewell, who’s written book on Mackenzie, that he was not a republican at all - that he was motivated by personal reasons. Whatever opinion you choose to go by, admittedly, Canada would indeed be a vastly different nation today if not for his sacrifices and that of his compatriots.

Which begs the question, what if he and Papineau had succeeded in overthrowing the government and the new nation - The Republic of Canada - was born that cold winter of 1837. What would Canada be like today?

Well, it’s probably safe to say Canada would indeed be different. But how different and would it be for the better or worse?

Of course, no one can really say for sure. But there’s one thing to consider. When the first settlers started arriving in numbers to what is now Eastern Canada, they were coming to what was then known as "America". What they didn’t know was that soon thereafter, the southern thirteen colonies would split away, leaving the northern colonies to their fate as an outpost of an empire that would go on to rule the world. And although the refugees from that revolution fueled the growth of the colonies, our importance was limited to whatever natural resources that could be exploited for the benefit of the empire and not for Canada.

Timber, for example, from our eastern forests, built the ships that were the backbone of the British Empire economy and military. No doubt masts made from our white pine, supported the sails of the ships at the Battle of Trafalgar.

And think of the thousands of potential nation-builders who fought in Crimea and South Africa and never came back. If Canada had made the break in 1837, would those have been Canadian Wars? And what would be the accomplishments and contributions to our nation had these soldiers lived.

What about the attitudes and psyche of the people born to a self-sufficient republic that has to go it alone or sink. Would it be different from that of a nation built on cultural and economic dependancy? One can only wonder.

It is interesting to speculate on the "what ifs'". One of the interesting - and I guess disturbing facets of history is the acknowledgment that the fate of the world can hinge on the most insignificant event - that we’re on a winding, twisting road with thousands of intersections - without so much as a road map or a compass.

Now that may sound a bit disquieting but, in history, the one thing we really do have power over that gives us back our confidence in the future is knowing how to use the lessons of the past to our benefit and how to be inspired by people in history who made an effort to make a difference. To me, William Lyon Mackenzie, his followers and the 1837 Rebellion are just that kind of inspiration.

We’re in the twenty-first century now, and with this kind of inspiration we can put their dream back on track and achieve a republic not just in our lifetime, but possibly ... possibly, by the end of the decade. Whatever the case, it will be a long road, at the end of which I expect to be present at a ceremony, right here, that will be conducted to move this statue to the front of this building where it rightfully belongs!

To the republic.