Trumpets and Drums: John Diefenbaker on the Campaign Trail

Graeme S. Mount is a history professor at Laurentian University and the
author of Canada’s Enemies: Spies and Spying in the Peaceable Kingdom.

Dick Spencer was a Conservative organizer in Prince Albert, and from
that perspective, he reviews Diefenbaker’s campaigns from 1953, when
he first won Prince Albert, to 1979, a few months before his death.
There are no references or bibliography. Spencer appears to have written
this account from memory, aided by written records (such as the local
newspaper) and the recollections of others in Prince Albert.

Diefenbaker ran his 1953, 1957, and 1958 campaigns almost as an
independent, emphasizing himself and downplaying the Progressive
Conservatives. Because of earlier electoral defeats, he had a need to
talk to the voters and reassure himself (Spencer describes
“main-streeting” in Prince Albert). In later campaigns, advance men
would screen voters, briefing Diefenbaker about who he was likely to
meet and what he ought to say to them.

Among the anecdotes, there are several gems. For example, the evening
before he was defeated by Pearson’s Liberals in April 1963,
Diefenbaker attended a church service in Prince Albert. The title of the
sermon “It is finished!” referred to Jesus’ last words on the
cross, but some saw political irony. Diefenbaker came to believe that
almost everyone (except Gordon Churchill) had betrayed him, including
Alvin Hamilton, Joe Clark, and Brian Mulroney. In 1968, he sulked so
long that his constituency organization wondered whether he would be a
candidate. In 1972 he threatened to withdraw from the race when Dick
Spencer and his wife invited Peter C. Newman, author of the unflattering
Renegade in Power, to their home for dinner.

Scholars and Diefenbaker buffs alike will appreciate this book.