One hundred years ago, Canadians went to the polls to decide the fate of their country in an election that raised issues vital to Canada’s national independence and its place in the world. Canadians faced a clear choice between free trade with the United States and fidelity to the British Empire, and the decisions they made in September 1911 helped shape Canada’s political and economic history for the rest of the century. Canada 1911 revisits and re-examines this momentous turn in Canadian history, when Canadians truly found themselves at a parting of the ways. It was Canada’s first great modern election and one of the first expressions of the birth of modern Canada. The poet Rudyard Kipling famously wrote at the time that this election was nothing less than a fight for Canada’s soul. This book will explain why.

David MacKenzie is a professor of history at Ryerson University and the author of several books on Canadian history and international relations. He is also the editor of Canada and the First World War. He lives in Toronto.

David MacKenzie's profile page

PATRICE DUTIL is the author or editor of a dozen books, a frequent commentator on political and policy issues, and the host of over 100 podcasts in the Canadian history series “Witness to Yesterday.” He is a professor in the department of politics and public administration at Toronto Metropolitan University. He founded and for five years edited the Literary Review of Canada and served as president of the Champlain Society for seven years. He is a senior fellow at the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History at the University of Toronto and a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. Among his books are Ballots and Brawls: The 1867 Canadian General Election, Prime Ministerial Power in Canada: Its Origins under Macdonald, Laurier and Borden and Macdonald at 200: New Perspectives and Legacies (edited with Roger Hall).

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"Dutil and MacKenzie have succeeded in bringing to life the Canada of a century ago in their fascinating, well-written, and well-researched book."

The Halifax Chronicle Herald

Patrice Dutil and David MacKenzie sustain Dundurns reputation for page-turners.

The Dorchester Review

[the authors] manage to make it clear why the election was so important to Canada, and why the themes heard in 1911 still resonate today.

Beyond the Hill

"Dutil and MacKenzie are to be congratulated for bringing the issues that dominated these important elections to the attention of modern readers in such entertaining and informative styles."

Literary Review of Canada

Popularly related, yet thoroughly researched, this volume will delight all of us who are fascinated by political campaigns and their often-disturbing results.

OHS Bulletin

"This new volume is the perfect primer that just might lead to a resurgence in interest in Laurier and the lesser known Borden."

The Hill Times and Kingston Whig Standard

"Canada 1911 provides an in-depth look at a decisive election. [the authors] manage to make it clear why the election was so important to Canada, and why the themes heard in 1911 still resonate today. And there is no arguing that it was a key event in Canadian history."

The Victoria Times-Colonist

"It is a well-pace narrative for a popular audience."

The Winnipeg Free Press

the meticulous attention to detail makes Canada 1911 compelling.

Canada's History