Steve Paikin

John Turner was Canada’s 17th Prime Minister but only for a short time. He succeeded Pierre Trudeau as Leader of the Liberal Party and wanting his own mandate to run the country, called an election in 1984 and lost in a landslide to Brian Mulroney.
This is an interesting biography of Turner who was born in 1929 and died in 2020.
The author did a lot of research and interviewed many people who were friends, foes or colleagues of Turner. He held important positions as the Minister of Justice, Attorney General and Minister of Finance. He resigned in 1975 over a dispute with Trudeau over ways to curb inflation. He spent 1975 to 1984 as a lawyer on Bay Street in Toronto..
There’s a lot of name dropping in the book and it brings back memories of the political scene when Turner was in government.
Essentially he was a very good, smart man, athlete, Rhodes scholar, lawyer, practicing Catholic, corporate board member and highly regarded by friends and foe alike. His ability to make contact and engage with strangers and friends allowed him to contribute widely to the boards on which he sat.
He loved his wife, and his four children and spent as much time as was available to be with them. He was always willing to speak to groups and individuals about the value of public service and encouraged many to seek office.
Interesting book.… (altro)

Bill Davis
This is very well written and researched by Steve Paikin who is the host of TVO's, The Agenda. I learned a lot about William Grenville Davis, the 18th Premier of Ontario, about Ontario politics and its history.
What I'm left with is the notion that Bill Davis is a "progressive" conservative in the true sense and that he cares very deeply about people, family and politics. He projected a demeanour of blandness but was able to successfully run several majority governments. He was a politician in an era when true engagement accomplished much more than committees and respect for your opponents was not a bad thing. His early personal life is on display when he is widowed with four young children, just as he is seeking to establish his political career. Fortunately, he meets and marries his current wife Kathleen McKay.
Among his accomplishments is the Ontario community college system, the creation of TV Ontario, new universities, funding for Catholic schools past grade 10, bilingualism in provincial courts where required, the cancellation of the Spadina expressway, and more. On the federal stage he played a significant role in repatriating the Canadian constitution for its 1982 signing.
He is an extremely modest, kind and generous man who loves sports, his family and friends. Many politicians at all levels hold him in high regard because of his sound advice, generosity and humour. He was not impressed with the 3Hs....Stephen Harper, Tim Hudak and Mike Harris. Their brand of conservatism was mean and vindictive. Even though I enjoyed the book, I will likely still never vote conservative as the current candidates are not progressive. Davis is now 87 years old and this is the first and only biography of the man. It is a very readable book.… (altro)

Steve Paikin is a journalist and host of a TV show on politics. He has interviewed eight of Ontario's last nine premiers, and has written a book on the ninth. In this book, he collects the interviews he (or, in the case of Ontario's 17th premier, a predecessor) has conducted with them. Other than adding a bit of context around leadership races and election outcomes, Mr. Paikin lets the interviews speak for themselves. In reading this book, I got the sense of the evolution of Ontario politics. Mr. Paikin's interviewing skills also game me a sense of what it's like to be the premier...the highs and lows of that office, which (so far) only 25 people have occupied.… (altro)