Article for West Grey Progress August 14 2015
MAKING THE MOST OF THE LOOONNNGGG ELECTION PERIOD
By Kimm Culkin, West Grey Library
So far, the historically long, 78-day election period created when the Prime Minister
recommended dissolving Parliament seems to have created a major moan-fest. Yes, it’s
long, and yes, it’s expensive, and it’s very tempting to be utterly cynical about the
reasoning that has gone into the PM’s decision.
On the plus side, though – although sometimes finding a plus side takes an inordinately long
time – this is a great time for we Canadians to brush up on our knowledge in the political
arena. Of course, we all intend to vote (right?), and we want to ensure our vote is cast for
the entity – person or party – that most closely reflects our perspectives. But it is also
vitally important to understand our own traditions and relatively recent history, so we don’t
fall into the pit of, in the often-misquoted words of George Santayana, Spanish philosopher
and essayist (The Life of Reason, 1905): “Those who cannot remember the past are
condemned to repeat it.” Even Winston Churchill worried not so much that those who forget
the past are condemned to relive it, but that the loss of the past would mean “the most
thoughtless of ages. Every day headlines and short views.” Seem familiar?
And there is such a wealth of superb material on our political history. As Canadians are the
masters of the short story, so also do they excel at the analysis, summary and explanation
of our Canadian political heritage. We have a range of genres, too, encompassing political
history, memoir, analysis and even fiction. Titles that offer a variety of viewpoints on the
Canadian political landscape include A Fair Country: Telling Truths About Canada by John
Ralston Saul (Elmwood) or Speaking Out Louder by Jack Layton (Durham). Looking for an
historical perspective from the 20th century? Try Warlords: Borden, Mackenzie King and
Canada’s World Wars by Tim Cook (Durham).
Politicians past and present seem to have a soft spot for setting the record straight (or
maybe it’s the inability to figure out when to stop talking). Case in point: Memoirs: 19391993 by Brian Mulroney (Durham) or Common Ground by Justin Trudeau (Neustadt,
Normanby). There’s also plenty of doom-and-glooming, including Losing Confidence:
Power, Politics and the Crisis in Canadian Democracy by Elizabeth May (Normanby) and
When the Gods Changed: The Death of Liberal Canada by the Grand Old Man of doom and
gloom himself, Peter C. Newman (Durham).
Comedy is a particularly tasty accompaniment to politics in Canada – we have some real
gems. Rick Mercer’s A Nation Worth Ranting About tips outrage with hilarity, and Will and
Ian Ferguson’s How to Be a Canadian features a chapter called “Progressive Conservatives,
Responsible Government and Other Oxymorons: How to Rule Like a Canadian”, which
should pretty much tell it all.
There is a lovely offering from The Life of Pi’s Yann Martel,
called What is Stephen Harper Reading? (Durham), about Martel’s “loneliest book club in the
world” – he sent books to the Prime Minister once every two weeks for more than two years,
in response to the PM’s utter disregard of a delegation marking the 50 th anniversary of the
Canada Council. Didn’t look up; certainly didn’t offer congratulations. Unsurprisingly, no
response to the gifts of books. Martel finally got a flurry of acknowledgements in 2009 –
but they were by office staffers, so the PM might not have been told. Good to go.
And once we stray into fiction, we can enjoy Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis (Durham), about
a thoroughly honest politician and the maelstrom he creates, or even Laurier in Love by Roy
MacSkimming (Durham), a fictionalized version of that prime minister’s entanglement with
two women.
Given that we have more than two months and the tiresome nature of the campaign ads
already, a book or two – or seven – might make a better preparation for election day.
For more information on Canadian politics and political history, contact your local library. West Grey’s branches: Durham
(519-369-2107), Ayton (519-665-2342) and Neustadt (519-799-5830).
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