Good reads about Canadian politics.

October 31, 2013 6:25 AM

What are some good reads about Canadian political history?

The past few years, I have become increasingly interested in Canadian politics. I have a good handle on how our government works and I'm pretty up-to-date on current issues, but I would love to read more about our political history. Any must reads out there that fit this criteria? Can be books, blogs, journal articles, etc.

posted by futureisunwritten to Law & Government (5 answers total)

I really liked Let the Eastern Bastards Freeze in the Dark: The West Versus the Rest Since Confederation. It's a great history of confederation and how the western provinces moved from territories to province, contrasted with the eastern provinces.
posted by exois at 6:33 AM on October 31, 2013 [1 favorite]

Discipline of Power, Jeffrey Simpson

Double Vision, Anthony Wilson-Smith

Right Side Up, Paul Wells

Others here.
posted by ewiar at 7:14 AM on October 31, 2013 [1 favorite]

For Canadian political history, Pierre Berton is very accessible. His The Last Spike and book on the Klondike goldrush are vivid reads. His best work covers the period from just after confederation to the beginning of the 20th century, but he wrote about everything from the colonial period to the 70s.
posted by bonehead at 7:54 AM on October 31, 2013 [1 favorite]

George Bowering did two lively, idiosyncratic histories: Stone Country: An Unauthorized History of Canada (2003) and Egotists and Autocrats: The Prime Ministers of Canada (1999). Great introductions to our history, and the one about prime ministers of course especially focuses on politics.
posted by wdenton at 8:56 AM on October 31, 2013

"It Now Comes Down to the Battle Between Two Little Books".
posted by No Robots at 10:35 AM on October 31, 2013 [1 favorite]