The History of Canada Series - The Last Act: Pierre Trudeau

The History of Canada Series - The Last Act: Pierre Trudeau

Author: Ron Graham

Publisher: Penguin Canada

Published: 2011-04-05

Total Pages: 366

ISBN-13: 0143180509

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Between the morning of Wednesday, November 4, and the morning of Thursday, November 5, 1981, a fateful drama unfolded that changed Canada forever. In one last attempt to renew the constitution with the consent of the provinces, Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau met behind closed doors in Ottawa with the ten premiers. It was the culmination of more than five decades of constitutional wrangling, and has been called the most important conference since the Fathers of Confederation got together in Quebec City in 1864. Faced with the threat of Quebec independence, the ambitions of Western Canada, and the provinces’ demands for more power, Trudeau was embattled. But he was fiercely determined to make Canadians fully independent and to entrench a Charter of Rights and Freedoms. What happened that day still reverberates. It severed the last important link to Canada’s colonial past. It guaranteed individual liberty and minority rights in the future. It weakened the grip of the elites and gave ownership of the constitution to Canadians. But it came at a price. Quebec alone refused to sign the final deal. René Lévesque, its separatist premier, claimed he had been betrayed by his allies in the Gang of Eight. The legend of the "Night of the Long Knives" took hold, precipitating a series of events that came close to destroying the country. Thirty years later, author Ron Graham delivers a gripping account of the fractious debates and secret negotiations. He uses newly uncovered documents and the candid recollections of many of the key participants to create a vivid record of that momentous twenty-four hours. Authoritative and engaging, The Last Act is a remarkable combination of scholarly research and historical narrative.


The History of Canada Series - The Last Act: Pierre Trudeau

The History of Canada Series - The Last Act: Pierre Trudeau

Author: Ron Graham

Publisher: National Geographic Books

Published: 2012-04-17

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 0143053353

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In November 1981, in what has been called the most important conference since the Fathers of Confederation got together in Quebec City in 1864, Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau met behind closed doors in Ottawa with the ten premiers. It was the culmination of more than five decades of political wrangling, one last attempt to renew the constitution with the consent of the provinces. Given the threat of Quebec independence, the ambitions of Western Canada, and the provinces’ demands for more power, failure seemed the most likely result. But Trudeau was determined to make Canadians fully independent and to entrench a Charter of Rights and Freedoms. What happened that day still reverberates. It severed the last important link to Canada’s colonial past. It guaranteed individual liberty and minority rights in the future. It gave ownership of the constitution to Canadians. But it came at a price. In The Last Act, Ron Graham delivers a vivid account of the fractious debates and secret negotiations, based on newly uncovered documents and the candid recollections of many of the key participants.


The Last Act

The Last Act

Author: Ron Graham

Publisher: Allen Lane

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780670066629

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A play-by-play account of November 3, 1981, the fateful night that led to the repatriation of the Constitution and the Charter of Rights, a decision that continues to dominate Quebec politics.


The History of Canada Series: The Destiny of Canada

The History of Canada Series: The Destiny of Canada

Author: Christopher Pennington

Publisher: Penguin Canada

Published: 2011-04-05

Total Pages: 468

ISBN-13: 0143180886

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It was Sir John A. Macdonald's last campaign. His Conservatives had dominated Canadian politics since Confederation. Their National Policy, which protected Canadian manufacturers from foreign competition, was well established and affection for the "Old Man" was deep and widespread. The Liberal leader, Wilfrid Laurier, was new in the job and uncertain that a Roman Catholic from Quebec had any chance of winning votes outside his home province. But Macdonald's decision to hang Louis Riel had split the country, the economy was in the doldrums, and a movement in support of free trade with the United States gave the Liberals hope. In this richly textured narrative, Christopher Pennington spins a colourful tale of a country poised to make a momentous choice and of nineteenth century politics both at its most principled and at its most corrupt.


The History of Canada Series: The Best Place To Be

The History of Canada Series: The Best Place To Be

Author: John Lownsbrough

Publisher: Penguin Canada

Published: 2012-04-17

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 0143184016

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A pivotal event in Canada’s history For six months in 1967, from late April until the end of October, Canada and its world's fair, Expo 67, became the focus of national and international attention in a way the country and its people had rarely experienced. Expo 67 crystallized the buoyant mood and newfound sense of confidence many felt during Canada's centennial. It becomes clearer, though, as its forty-fifth anniversary approaches in spring 2012, that Expo was something more than just a great world's fair. For many Canadians, it became a touchstone, a popular event that penetrated the collective psyche. The Best Place to Be takes a look at Expo and at the social and political contexts in which it occurred. It is above all a story of people: the young men and women who worked at Expo, the visitors, and the cameo appearances from the titled and celebrated, such as Elizabeth II, President Lyndon Johnson, President Charles de Gaulle (whose visit to Expo and Montreal became infamous), U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, Princess Grace of Monaco, Princess Margaret, Marshall McLuhan, Sidney Poitier, Laurence Olivier, Cary Grant, Twiggy, and Pierre Trudeau.


The History of Canada Series: Three Weeks in Quebec City

The History of Canada Series: Three Weeks in Quebec City

Author: Christopher Moore

Publisher: Penguin Canada

Published: 2015-05-05

Total Pages: 347

ISBN-13: 014319450X

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In 1864, thirty-three delegates from five provincial legislatures came to Quebec City to pursue the idea of uniting all the provinces of British North America. The American Civil War, not yet over, encouraged the small and barely defended provinces to consider uniting for mutual protection. But there were other factors: the rapid expansion of railways and steamships spurred visions of a continent-spanning new nation. Federation, in principle, had been agreed on at the Charlottetown conference, but now it was time to debate the difficult issues of how a new nation would be formed. The delegates included John A. Macdonald, George Etienne-Cartier, and George Brown. Historian Christopher Moore demonstrates that Macdonald, the future prime minister, surprisingly was not the most significant player here, and Canada could have become a very different place. The significance of this conference is played out in Canadian news each day. The main point of contention at the time was the issue of power—a strong federal body versus stronger provincial rights. Because of this conference, we have an elected House of Commons, an appointed Senate, a federal Parliament, and provincial legislatures. We have what amounts to a Canadian system of checks and balances. Did it work then, and does it work now?


The History of Canada Series: War in the St. Lawrence

The History of Canada Series: War in the St. Lawrence

Author: Roger Sarty

Publisher: Penguin Canada

Published: 2012-04-17

Total Pages: 428

ISBN-13: 014318590X

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From 1942 to 1944, 15 German submarines destroyed or severely damaged 27 ships, including three Canadian warships, a U.S. Army troop transport, and the Newfoundland ferry Caribou. More than 250 lives were lost. It was the only battle of the twentieth century to take place within Canada’s boundaries, and the only battle to be fought almost exclusively by Canadian forces under Canadian, rather than alliance, high command. And for more than 40 years the battle was characterized as a Canadian defeat. But was it a defeat? Drawing on new material from wartime records—including ultra-top-secret Allied decryptions of German naval radio communications, Roger Sarty shows that Canada mounted a successful defence with far fewer resources and in the face of much greater challenges than previously known. He draws vivid pictures of the intense combat on Canada’s shores and the interplay of the St Lawrence battle with war politics in Ottawa, Washington and London. At the same time, he weaves a second story: how researchers reassembled the scattered war records in Canada, Britain, the United States and Germany and brought the long-forgotten battle to life for new generations of Canadians and international audiences.


'A Justifiable Obsession'

'A Justifiable Obsession'

Author: Penny Bryden

Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Published: 2013-10-28

Total Pages: 341

ISBN-13: 1442663839

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‘A Justifiable Obsession’ traces the evolution of Ontario’s relationship with the federal government in the years following the Second World War. Through extensive archival research in both national and provincial sources, P.E. Bryden demonstrates that the province’s successive Conservative governments played a crucial role in framing the national agenda – although this central relationship has received little attention compared to those that have been more volatile. As such, Bryden’s study sheds light on an important but largely ignored chapter in Canadian political history. Bryden focuses on the politicians and strategists who guided the province through the negotiation of intergovernmental economic, social, and constitutional issues, including tax policies, the design of the new social welfare net, and efforts to patriate the constitution. Written in a lucid, engaging style that captures the spirit of the politics of postwar Canada, ‘A Justifiable Obsession’ is a significant contribution to our understanding of Ontario’s politics and political culture.


Canada's Odyssey

Canada's Odyssey

Author: Peter H. Russell

Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Published: 2017-05-08

Total Pages: 544

ISBN-13: 1487514484

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150 years after Confederation, Canada is known around the world for its social diversity and its commitment to principles of multiculturalism. But the road to contemporary Canada is a winding one, a story of division and conflict as well as union and accommodation. In Canada’s Odyssey, renowned scholar Peter H. Russell provides an expansive, accessible account of Canadian history from the pre-Confederation period to the present day. By focusing on what he calls the "three pillars" of English Canada, French Canada, and Aboriginal Canada, Russell advances an important view of our country as one founded on and informed by "incomplete conquests". It is the very incompleteness of these conquests that have made Canada what it is today, not just a multicultural society but a multinational one. Featuring the scope and vivid characterizations of an epic novel, Canada’s Odyssey is a magisterial work by an astute observer of Canadian politics and history, a perfect book to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Confederation.