Sir John A. Macdonald’s historic home tells a fuller tale

We pass through an arched doorway that indicates a change in the “status of the rooms,” says Tamara van Dyk of Parks Canada. Here is where John A. Macdonald bathed; right in front of us is his oddly-shaped, green slipper tub. And since Sir John A. was a natty dresser – ”He would rent his clothes in a lot of cases to keep up appearances,” says Ms. van Dyk – we are treated to an outfit, complete with shoes and a top hat.

But beside that is a ribbon skirt and a photograph of Isabella Kulak. Ms. Kulak, from Cote First Nation in Saskatchewan, is the 10-year-old who was shamed for wearing the traditional piece of clothing to her school’s formal day in 2020. And although the school later apologized, the incident snowballed and Manitoba Sen. Mary Jane McCallum championed a bill to create the first National Ribbon Skirt Day on Jan. 4, 2021.