Bob Plamondon

I enjoyed reading this account of Jean Chretien's time as Prime Minister of Canada. I was employed in the federal government throughout this time, and it provided a trip down memory lane -- not always the best of memories, but still. This is the second book by Mr. Plamondon that I've read. He does his research well and (as far as I can tell) his facts are accurate. I do, however, think he chooses his thesis early on (Chretien was a good PM; Pierre Trudeau was a bad one) and uses his research to support that thesis rather than providing a more neutral telling and allowing readers to judge for themselves.… (mais)

Bob Plamondon wrote this book to "set the record straight" about Canada's 15th Prime Minister. So many books have been written by and about Mr. Trudeau, almost uniformally complimentary. Yet, some argue that he wasn't the best PM we ever had -- in fact, he was the worse. Those voices haven't been broadly heard.

Mr. Plamondon has done an amazing amount of research, with his sources well documented. There is no doubt that his facts are accurate. At times, though, I felt a lack of context. For example, he discusses Trudeau's economic policies without explaining that his approach was supported by Keynesian theory, which was the dominant thinking at the time. He also fails to mention that the current government has generated a large deficit doing the same thing. He criticises the lack of power the Environment department had over other departments, but this situation remains true. At times, this author has commited the wrong he set out to redress: a lack of balance.

In addtion to the strong research, this book excelled at the end when Mr. Plamondon talks about why Trudeau remains such an icon. He quotes John Geddes explaining that, like a hockey player you idolized as a child, you can never completely abandon your admiration no matter what history shows. It reminded me of the very first Star Trek movie we all lined up to see. Someone asked if the movie was any good, and was told it didn't have to be -- it would be a blockbuster in any event.

As one biography of Trudeau says in the opening sentence, "he haunts us still." Mr. Plamondon's book is an important addition to the writings about Trudeau. Even as an admirer of Mr. Trudeau (sorry, Dad!), I found things I could agree with, and I'm glad I read this book… (mais)