Shadows on Sparks Street - Airs Oct 18th
This is the true story of Canada’s first political assassination – one that happened less than a year after the new Dominion of Canada was formed. Thomas D’Arcy McGee remains the only Canadian federal politician ever to be assassinated. He was a charismatic politician, poet, and journalist, shot on the doorstep to his rooming house on Sparks Street, just a few blocks from Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Killed 6 days before his 43rd birthday, Thomas left behind a wife and a 10-year-old daughter. The frenzy which resulted after the murder culminated in the last public execution in Canadian history and a mystery that refuses to die. Many think his farce of a trail led to the wrongful conviction and execution of Patrick James Whelan, an Irish tailor. Did he do it? Was he working alone? With the expertise of historians David Wilson and David Shanahan, as well as lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, we will explore this nineteenth century world of spies, lies, secrets, and murder.
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