Book Launch: The Unexpected Louis St. Laurent
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Though he and his governments have consistently ranked high in expert opinion polls, Louis St-Laurent's contributions to governance, politics and policy have not been assessed in a long time. This seminar brings together contributors to a new book, The Unexpected Louis St-Laurent: Politics and Policies for a Modern Canada, published by UBC Press. New perspectives will be presented, particularly on how St-Laurent imagined Canada and what he did to recast it.
Patrice Dutil (Ryerson University), the editor of the volume, will present St-Laurent as an "Idealist-Realist", Robert Bothwell (the University of Toronto) will analyze St-Laurent's management of cabinet and the public service, Christopher McCreery (Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia) will show how St-Laurent transformation of Canadian symbols reshaped the idea of Canada. Finally, Ms. Jean Riley, Louis St-Laurent's granddaughter, will reflect on how his life experiences shaped his idea of belonging in Canada. Followed by a Q&A.