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About
Eugene Forsey combined vision with protest and erudition with wit. A legacy for the common good: Eugene Forsey's wit and wisdom. Feisty and erudite, Eugene Alfred Forsey (1904-1991) was an activist scholar, labour researcher, constitutional expert, and senator who fought all his life for the common good. His speeches, articles, and letters informed and provoked Canadians for more than 60 years, and now his daughter brings that legacy back to life in this fascinating and relevant book. One of Canada's foremost constitutional experts, Forsey was also a provocative voice for social justice. Legendary for his sharp wit and high principle, he brought encyclopedic knowledge, irascible tenacity, and common sense to the causes of democracy, justice, and equality for all. Those themes resound through this book and resonate strongly in the Canada of today. Forsey never managed to toe a party line obediently. Raised a Conservative, he converted to social democracy as a young academic in the 1930s. He spent the following decades working for the labour movement and the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF, now the New Democratic Party) and calling governments to account in speeches, articles, and pithy letters-to-the-editor. From 1970 to 1979, he sat in the Senate as a Trudeau Liberal, but soon afterward resumed his more natural role as non-partisan critic and gadfly. In labour halls, university classrooms, broadcasting studios, and the Senate chamber, Forsey entertained even as he educated. So, too, does this account of his works and life, which blends the personal and the political to provide a rich resource for Canadians facing the challenges of the 21st century.
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Reviews
"This book is a treasure trove of facts and stories for all Canadians, especially young people and immigrants, to learn about Canada and to think about ways to take a stand for a just society today. It provides a window into an era when great ideas based on strong moral principles led Canada to become, for a time, the most respected country in the world."
Josephine Grey, Local to Global Human Rights Activist
"This is no mere collection of family anecdotes and reminiscence, nor is it a volume of collected works, though it does include many pieces of Eugene Forseys writings. It is a scholarly work, well-researched and erudite, that combines the expected personal insights of a daughter writing about her father with an objective exploration of the work of a man well-known and significant to our history."
Thecanadianencyclopedia.com
"For followers of politics in our country, the book makes an excellent read as it covers such a wide range of issues and views. It is also a wonderful illustration of the important effects of cross-party friendships in political discussion and debate. Eugene Forsey was a master at both and this is well presented in this fine publication."
Literary Review of Canada