Bellevue House renewal

Refreshing the presentation of Sir John A. Macdonald

Parks Canada is renewing the visitor exhibits and experiences presented inside the historic Bellevue House. 

The traditional headlines and achievements of Sir John A. Macdonald that many were taught in school were absent of many perspectives of history. Amongst those missing were voices of Indigenous people, visible minorities, women and other marginalized communities.

New content in the historic home will present and promote a diverse story about the early history of Canada and examine how Macdonald’s complex legacy continues to influence and impact Canadian communities, including Indigenous and other marginalized peoples today.

Parks Canada is taking an inclusive and collaborative approach with many organizations and groups, to ‘know better’, so that we can ‘do better’ in developing the new visitor experiences for Bellevue House.

History and people are more complex than any one view or characterization. The new exhibits and experiences in development for the historic Bellevue House will speak about Macdonald and themes of colonial power and privilege from the 1840s through Confederation, and on to the present day. The approach will be unflinching and real in addressing these, while not taking on a role of arbiter.