Canada has no better interpreter than prolific writer and thinker John Ralston Saul. Here he argues that Canada did not begin in 1867; indeed, its foundation was laid by two visionary men, Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine and Robert Baldwin. The two leaders of Lower and Upper Canada, respectively, worked together after the 1841 Union to lead a reformist movement for responsible government run by elected citizens instead of a colonial governor.

But it was during the "Great Ministry" of 1848—51 that the two politicians implemented laws that created a more equitable country. They revamped judicial institutions, created a public education system, made bilingualism official, designed a network of public roads, began a public postal system, and reformed municipal governance. Faced with opposition, and even violence, the two men— polar opposites in temperament—united behind a set of principles and programs that formed modern Canada. Writing with verve and deep conviction, Saul restores these two extraordinary Canadians to rightful prominence.

John Ralston Saul is one of Canada’s leading social and political commentators. He is the author of numerous books on philosophy and contemporary politics, including Voltaire’s Bastards, Reflections Of A Siamese Twin, and most recently The Collapse of Globalism. Saul was the Massey lecturer in 1995, and won the 1996 Governor General’s Award for nonfiction for The Unconscious Civilization, based on those lectures. He is the former president of PEN Canada and the creator of the acclaimed LaFontaine Baldwin Lecture series. A regular speaker and panelist across Canada and internationally, John Ralston Saul currently lives in Toronto.

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These books are…opportunities to deepen the relationship between Canadians of the past and Canadians of the present. May this dialogue continue, so that today’s biographers themselves will be the subject of the next wave of writers.” - The Globe and Mail

“The books would be a lovely addition to any library…they’re accessible and ready to be read by all.” - The Nova Scotian (Sunday Herald)

“Saul’s Extraordinary Canadians series is an extraordinary treat for history buffs” - The Hill Times

“The books would be a lovely addition to any library…they’re accessible and ready to be read by all.” - The Nova Scotian (Sunday Herald)

“Saul’s Extraordinary Canadians series an extraordinary treat for history buffs” (headline) - The Hill Times