Johnny Bluenose at the Polls: Epic Nova Scotian Election Battles, 1758-1848

Richard Wilbur is supervisor of the Legislative Research Service at the
New Brunswick Legislature, and the author of The Rise of French New
Brunswick.

This densely detailed account of the politics of a bygone era
demonstrates how little society and politics have changed, especially in
the conservative Maritimes. Its 16 pages of endnotes reveal the depth of
the research and the extent of the scholarship. Cuthbertson uses the
statistics and nuances of local elections to show how religious
affiliations, in particular, were so important to the outcomes. In
addition, he establishes the voting records of MLAs on “twenty-six
selected legislative issues.”

For political scientists and others interested in tracing the overthrow
of a conservative elite and its replacement by reformers, this is a
valuable case study. But besides politics, we are given a fascinating
glimpse of memorable personalities whose modern counterparts are still
very much with us.