The Promise of Canada

Starred review from March 6, 2017
On the eve of Canada’s sesquicentennial celebrations, prominent biographer Gray has selected nine people who she argues have helped shape the way Canadians think about themselves. She writes that their stories “reflect the evolution of Canada over the past 150 years, and the potential for this process to continue into the future.” Gray’s choices are illuminating. She passes over Canada’s 23 prime ministers in favor of less obvious and more intriguing choices: George-Étienne Cartier, who represented French Canadian interests in Confederation; Mountie Sam Steele; First Nations leader Elijah Harper; Medicare champion Tommy Douglas; Supreme Court Justice Bertha Wilson; political economist Harold Innis; author Margaret Atwood; artist Emily Carr; and politician Preston Manning. Many other influencers enter into these narratives. Readers who are not familiar with Canadian history will find that the book provides the necessary background about the country in an entertaining and informative way. “This country defies definition. There is no master narrative for Canadian history: there are too many stories to package into a tidy, tightly scripted identity,” Gray writes, but in this book, she, as a superb storyteller, shares treasures that reveal important elements of what might well be considered Canada’s singular story. Agent: Hilary McMahon, Westwood Creative Artists.