The Long Road Back

Hugh Segal—whose intellect, understanding and passion for Canadian politics has made him one of our most read and respected policy pundits—wonders if Canadians are still committed to the “default” reality. That’s when voterschoose the Liberals—the default position— because it’s the least harmful option available and offers the greatest comfort level. When a Diefenbaker ora Mulroney, or perhaps now a Harper, manages to break through, the ultimatevoter backlash suggests that a Conservative Canada is an unnatural aberration that requires an immediate full-scale intervention. In a book that delivers an insider’s cogent analysis of the Conservative Party’s extreme makeover during thelast decade, Hugh Segal looks at both the Liberal and Conservative forces thatshaped the party’s transformation. He reflects on Mulroney’s partisan legacy andthe Campbell, Charest and Clark wilderness years that followed. He charts the riseof Preston Manning’s Reform Party and recounts how a Berlin-like wall betweenthe Alliance and the old guard Progressive Conservatives was eventually demolished.And he looks at the careers of key players like Peter McKay, Jean Charest andStephen Harper.

At the same time, Segal weaves an informed commentary on therole of the Liberals, as well as providing an intimate and impassioned analysisof the nature of conservatism, which he feels must establish a broad economicand social context for Canada’s future success. Segal, who has been an advisorto prime ministers, has criss-crossed the country on numerous campaigns and haspenned a national bestseller, has written another winner that puts the competingforces in our national politics in a lively, coherent and inspired analysis for anyonewho cares about the health and reach of democracy in Canada.