Why Canadians Get the Politicians and Governments They Don't Want

J.L. Granatstein is a history professor at York University and author of
War and Peacekeeping and For Better or For Worse.

Grafftey was that rarest of political beings in the
Diefenbaker-Pearson-Trudeau eras, an English-speaking Tory MP from
Quebec. He was never a political star, and he spent a good part of his
time fighting with the party establishment, but he did nonetheless hold
two cabinet portfolios. This book, though its title suggests that it is
only a political tract, is in fact a mix of autobiography and
prescription, and the former parts are much the best. In a regrettably
disjointed fashion, Grafftey talks about the problems of being a bleu in
pre-Mulroney Quebec and, most revealingly, about the price he paid for
supporting Joe Clark against Mulroney in the 1983-84 period. He is, in
fact, as critical of Mulroney as any Grit could be, pointing a
devastating finger at his political style and at the way he undermined
Clark while publicly pledging his loyalty. Grafftey is at his best when
he slams into our leadership selection process; for that alone, his book
is worth the price.