National Network for Equitable Library Service

Originally published in 1988, this revised and expanded edition of Donald C. MacDonald's acclaimed memoirs provides an inside look at provincial politics in Ontario through the eyes of a party leader. Dubbed "the Happy Warrior" by Tommy Douglas, MacDonald led the Ontario CCF/NDP for seventeen years, and continued to sit in the Legislature for twelve years after stepping down as party leader. During his political career, MacDonald played a significant role in the rise of the CCF/NDP, and provided a strong voice for the left wing in the Legislature.

Cairine Wilson, Canada’s first female senator, was one of nine children raised in an atmosphere of rugged Scots liberalism and strict presbyterianism by affluent Montreal parents in the late nineteenth century. She displayed an interest in politics early in life and through her father’s position in the Senate, was befriended by many notable politicians of the period, including Sir Wilfrid Laurier, an experience that left a permanent mark on her.

The half-century since Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1952 has witnessed many changes, some for good and some for ill. Among these, she has been one of the few constants.Fifty Years the Queen recounts her amazing life as Canada and the Commonwealth celebrate the Golden Jubilee of her accession to the throne. Elizabeth II is a figure whose faultless devotion to duty flourishes in an age of individual self-gratification.

On February 20, 1959, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker announced to the House of Commons the cancellation of the CF-105 Arrow. Its development costs to that time were $340 million. The Arrow was to be the world’s unsurpassed interceptor aircraft. Yet within two months of the Prime Minister’s announcement, six completed aircraft were dismantled and all papers and documents associated with the project were destroyed. Here is the history and development of the Arrow - the plane that would make Canada the leader in supersonic flight technology.

The diaries, letters, and sketches of Elizabeth Simcoe are drawn upon as sources in this portrayal of the energetic and remarkable woman who came to Upper Canada with her husband when he was appointed lieutenant governor.

Eleven Exiles is a personal account of the American Revolution. By focusing on eleven different people who were on the losing side of the American Revolution, and who had to make new lives for themselves in what remained of British North America. Eleven Exiles reflects the major themes of those turbulent years. What were the attitudes of these men and women toward the significant social and political ideas of the time? What motivated them to leave their home and move to a wildnerness? What challenges and hardships did they face?

Dixie & the Dominion is a compelling look at how the U.S. Civil War was a shared experience that shaped the futures of both Canada and the United States. The book focuses on the last year of the war, between April of 1864 and 1865. During that 12-month period, the Confederate States sent spies and saboteurs to Canada on a secret mission. These agents struck fear along the frontier and threatened to draw Canada and Great Britain into the war.During that same time, Canadians were making their own important decisions.

The Difficult War: Perspectives on Insurgency and Special Operations Forces is a collection of essays that deals with theoretical concepts related to insurgency as well as to the practice of irregular warfare. Since special operations forces are such an integral element to counter-insurgency, this volume also contains a large SOF component. Importantly, this book will assist the practitioner of the profession of arms to understand insurgency or, perhaps more accurately, counter-insurgency and those components that are germane to its practice.

A stalwart Tory, Stan Darling was a Member of Parliament for twenty-one years. In The Darling Diaries, he looks back on his career in politics, the places he has been, and some of the people he has met — Libyan dictator Gaddafi, President Bush, and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Never afraid of the press or anyone else foolish enough to quarrel with him, he strenuously advocated (and got) controls on the emissions which cause acid rain — for which he earned the nickname Mr. Acid Rain. He helped to get a free vote on the death penalty in Parliament.

For well of a hundred years, Canadians and Americans have crossed the border that separates their two countries to serve in one another’s armed forces. The American Civil War, the two world wars, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War - Cross-Border Warriors presents anecdotes, letters, and diaries by or about individuals who left family and native land to engage in these far-away struggles.