Commentary This is Part 3 of a multi-part series examining Macdonald’s legacy. Click here for Part 1 and Part 2. Rightly or wrongly, for better or worse, the essence of Canadian nationhood has always centred around the single-minded conviction that we are not American. Descendants of British Empire Loyalists, French Canadians, northern indigenous peoples, and subsequent waves of immigrants regarded Canadian Confederation as an historic rescue operation from annexation by the revolutionary American republic. For Canadians, Confederation was the single most important episode in the history of the nation. Our traditional celebration of “Dominion Day” on July 1 was Canada’s equivalent to American Independence Day on July 4 or France’s July 14 Bastille Day. Each in its own way invoked affectionate memories of the birth of a modern democracy. Canada’s Uncertain Path Canada’s uncertain path to Confederation can be traced back to the British acquisition of New France in 1763. …