The Road Ahead: An Agenda for Canada in the 1990s

Agar Adamson is the author of Letters of Agar Adamson, 1914–19 and former chair of the Department of Political Science at Acadia University in Nova Scotia.

Writing under the pen name of Philippe Deane, Senator Gigantes was, in
the 1950s and 1960s, one of the more thoughtful journalists working in
Canada. This work illustrates that he has not lost his journalistic
fervor, despite his recent behavior in the Senate. Yes, this work is a
polemic. It contains the Trudeau view of Meech Lake, a view recent
events have brought into question. But it is much more than a review of
Meech Lake: it is the author’s blueprint for his adopted nation.

Gigantes sets himself a major undertaking, stating his thesis as
follows: “The politics proposed [here] are designed to achieve serious
reductions in the deficit and unemployment; more than double spending on
research and development; improve education and Medicare; make us more
competitive on world markets; lower interest rates; give the poor and
the weak better care; alleviate regional disparity; improve our defence
and cope with the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement without raising taxes
and while keeping inflation under control.”

Does he accomplish what he sets out to do? Readers must answer that
question for themselves. If one accepts the author’s view on
economics, for example, then he does succeed; if one does not, however,
then he fails.

Nevertheless, this book is thoughtful, argumentative, and provocative.
Gigantes sets out an agenda that deserves to be studied by all
thoughtful Canadians. In some instances he does not go far enough; for
example, his chapter on the environment is weak. But even here, his
less-than-stimulating analysis is still thought-provoking.

This undoubtedly controversial work by a very controversial author
deserves to be widely read. If it does nothing else, it should help its
readers come to grips with the social, economic, and political debates
that lie ahead.