Searching for Canada: The Red Tory Journey

Ashley Thomson is a full librarian at Laurentian University and co-editor or co-author of nine books, most recently Margaret Atwood: A Reference Guide, 1988-2005.

Sponsored by the Canadian Orthodox Monastery of All Saints in British
Columbia, a centre of Canadian nationalism since the 1970s, Searching
for Canada is a collection of six essays on various aspects of what the
editor regards as the Red Tory tradition. The essays include “Does
Canada Matter” by Clarence Bolt, “W.L. Morton: History and the
Conservative Tradition in Canada” by Normal Knowles, “Red Tories and
Red Power” by Anthony “Tony” Hall and Splitting the Sky, “Judith
Robinson” (a columnist to whom Grant dedicated Lament for a Nation) by
David Baswick, “Stephen Leacock: Pioneer of the Red Tory Tradition”
by Ron Dart, and “The Maple Leaf and the Eagle: The Confrontation
between Canadian Sovereignty and American Imperialism” by Robin
Mathews.

It’s not entirely clear how all these essays are related to the Red
Tory tradition. In the introduction, the editor characterizes Red Tories
as nationalist, peaceful, supportive of Native land claims, and
champions of various forms of government intervention, especially those
establishing a social safety net. No essay addresses the social safety
net as directly as Hall and Splitting the Sky address Native issues. If
they are correct, there are precious few Red Tories left. This timely
and provocative book is worth a look.