Carleton University in Ottawa last week officially opened the Barry Wilson Collection of political memorabilia. Yes, it’s THAT Barry Wilson, the one who has manned The Western Producer’s Ottawa bureau for the past 30 years.
As a reporter on the political beat, Wilson perhaps had better opportunities than many to collect the items, but that doesn’t mean it was easy.
As I noted in my Dec. 9 column in our print edition, which you can read by clicking here, Wilson has three degrees from Carleton so it is fitting that the university now hosts his collection.
It contains an original signature from each of Canada’s 22 prime ministers, plus a selection of posters, photographs and other prime ministerial-related items.
At the time, Wilson said he hadn’t thought about starting a collection, but one acquisition led to another and another. Once it became substantial, Wilson said he always intended to gift the collection, providing the host could meet two criteria. First, he wanted it to be taken as a whole, “because the collection is far greater than the sum of its parts,” and secondly he wanted it made accessible to the public.
Carleton readily accepted, said Wilson. It is now scanning each item in the collection and plans to make it available online, possibly as early as this spring. An audio narrative recorded by Wilson will accompany each item, in which he describes the item, its significance and its place in the collection.
As well, the university intends to occasionally make the collection physically available to the public who visit the Carleton library.
Among notable items is a bust of John A. Macdonald that survived the 1916 fire that destroyed the Parliament Buildings. The bust was in the library, the only portion that was saved. Also in the collection is the first biography ever written on Macdonald, published in 1885.
Among the signature collection, that of Mackenzie Bowell, prime minister from 1894-96, was the most difficult to obtain, said Wilson. Although he was PM for only two years, he sat in the House of Commons for about 25, and the Senate for another 25, and must have signed thousands of documents.
Yet an original signature proved elusive, and Wilson finally obtained it through former federal agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief.
I asked Wilson about his favourite piece in the collection, and he told me one of them is a photograph signed by the five prime ministers it features — Joe Clark, Jean Chretien, John Turner, Kim Campbell and Pierre Trudeau.
“Each of them is illustrating their inner self,” said Wilson.
His other favourite is a 1940 poster of William Lyon Mackenzie King.
“It’s one of those odd photographic things. No matter where you are in the room, he is looking at you directly.”
The Producer can’t take much credit for Wilson’s excellent collection, but perhaps it can bask in reflected glory. And we hope you will have the chance to see the collection, either in person or online.
