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Roderick Benns: Posted on June-04-13 12:02 PM
 Today, back in 1979, Joe Clark took office as Canada’s youngest Prime Minister at age 39 – one day before his fortieth birthday. This election of Canada’s 16 Prime Minister actually serves as my earliest political memory. I was eight years old and I recall begging my parents to let me stay up to finish watching the election. There was something about the drama of the night that captivated me and sparked my interest in Canadian electoral politics. In his cabinet, Clark included the first black minister (Lincoln Alexander, just recently deceased) and the youngest ever cabinet minister (Perrin Beatty, then 29). |
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Roderick Benns: Posted on May-22-13 11:38 AM
 According to a press release on CountyLive.ca, John A. Macdonald will soon have a bronze bust unveiled in Picton, Ontario on May 26th -- the 10th known sculpture of Canada's first leader. Ruth Abernethy, one of Canada’s most well-known bronze portrait artists, will unveil the bust of Macdonald. This is the first stage of a commission to create a larger-than-life bronze sculpture of Macdonald for the bicentennial of his birth in two years. The event will be held at Picton’s Regent Theatre Sunday, May 26 at 2 p. |
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Roderick Benns: Posted on April-29-13 12:54 PM
 There's a lawyer in Saskatchewan by the name of Bill Selnes who maintains an excellent, active Canadian mystery/thriller blog. Bill reviewed 'Showdown at Border Town: An Early Adventure of Paul Martin'here. Then he blogged about how the teenage author, Caroline Woodward (inset), won the contest to write the young Paul Martin book here. (See Woodward and Martin pictured below at book signing.) Finally, he interviews Caroline Woodwardhere about the whole experience. |
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Roderick Benns: Posted on April-23-13 10:19 AM
 We know that Arthur Meighen was probably the greatest political debater ever to set foot in Canada’s House of Commons, and one of its finest orators. (For sheer oration alone, Wilfrid Laurier gets the nod. And how incredible it was that these two men’s careers overlapped, as they sat opposite one another in the House for many years.) Not many know, however, that Meighen, the arch Conservative of his century, had a fondness for the arts that reached the very depths of his being. While en route to Australia aboard a ship in 1934 – and without the aid of any books -- Meighen wrote |
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Roderick Benns: Posted on April-16-13 10:05 AM
 Steve Paikin at TVO has put together an outstanding two-part blog on Prime Minister Lester Pearson. It was 50 years ago last week that Pearson became Prime Minister, which was his third try. (Amazing that party leaders were actually given a chance to win at one time, instead of being pressured to leave after one try.) It was a good thing Liberals let him stay on, too. Pearson went on to become one of the greatest and most transformative PMs in our history, in five, short, acrimonious years. The blog also touches on other future Liberal Prime Ministers he encountered along the way, such as John Turner and Jean Chretien. |
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Roderick Benns: Posted on March-20-13 11:48 AM
 Today former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney turns 74. If you haven’t yet read Mr. Mulroney’s ‘Memoirs’ you’re really missing out. Whether you’re left or right leaning, this is a fast-paced, comprehensive, well-written effort that spans an exciting time of Canada’s history. So Happy Birthday, Mr. Mulroney. If only federal politics today had half the energy and panache that you brought to the job. |
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Roderick Benns: Posted on March-05-13 1:41 PM
 Kim Campbell has been making the news lately for a number of reasons – reasons that mostly that have to do with theTitanic II’s future launch. A great story for those nautically inclined. However, I was more interested in her comments on Senate and House of Commons reform. (Surely this is a psychosis in and of itself.) The former Prime Minister musesthat the Senate has far too much power, given that it has nearly the same powers as the House of Commons (notwithstanding money bills). |
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Roderick Benns: Posted on March-01-13 10:42 AM
 Justthought I'd say fifty years ago, Lester 'Mike' Pearson kicked off his bid to become Prime Minister atThomas L. Kennedy Secondary School in Cooksville. I've written some about Pearsonbefore, including his connections to Peterborough. Funny how some of our strongest Prime Ministers kind of fell into the job, like Pearson, as is evident by this comment from him: "When I look back on my career the most amazing thing is that things just happened." A diplomat through and through, he nonetheless went on to have a storied (if acrimonious) five years in power as PM, leaving a trail of accomplishments behind in a compressed period of time. |
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Roderick Benns: Posted on January-30-13 11:36 AM
 Pleased to hear that our young author, Caroline Woodward (Showdown at Border Town:An Early Adventure of Paul Martin) has been selected to be one of the 50 or so writers who will be in attendance at the hottest ticket in town for those who live in the nation’s capital. Politics and the Penbrings together writers and politicians together on March 6 in a festive, black tie atmosphere that aims to highlight some of the most notable books of the preceding year. That includes our youth-focused offering on a teenage gumshoe named Paul Martin who would later grow up to be Canada’s 21 prime minister. |
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Roderick Benns: Posted on January-28-13 1:31 PM
 We learned that the 'vandals of history' struck once again in Kingston last week. However, they seem to have a particular disdain for John A. Macdonald. Then again, it's more likely that Macdonald is simply the biggest target in Kingston for their incoherent messaging around First Nations land claims. We tried to find a creative way to respond. |
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