Sir John A. Macdonald
Pros
Worked to unify French Lower Canada and English Upper Canada, which led to Confederation in 1867.
As Canada's first prime minister, he led the country from 1867 to 1874 and then from 1878 until his death in 1891. During that period, he approved construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which linked the provinces from coast to coast.
Cons
Changing a long-standing street name like Wellington erases the decisions made by those at the time who felt the Duke should be honoured in this way.
Naming the key street after a prime minister could be seen as a rejection of Canada's colonial past in favour of a more American model that reveres independence from Britain.
Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington (a.k.a. Iron Duke, Great Duke)
Pros
The Duke of Wellington is a major international historical figure for defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. He became known as the conqueror of the world's conqueror and was later prime minister of Great Britain from 1828 to 1830.
The Duke, who had managed deployments during the War of 1812, saw the importance of Ottawa's location from a military perspective and later ordered the construction of the Rideau Canal.
Cons
The Duke never set foot in Canada and was strongly opposed to calls for democratic reforms of Parliament during the late 1820s and early 1830s.