The Unexpected Louis St-Laurent

In this invigorating reappraisal of Louis St-Laurent and his government, leading Canadian historians and political scientists investigate the impact of an overlooked political figure whose innovative policies moved Canada into the modern era.

Patrice Dutil is a professor of politics and public administration at Ryerson University, Toronto. He is the author of many books, including Prime Ministerial Power in Canada: Its Origins under Macdonald, Laurier, and Borden; Embattled Nation: Canada’s Wartime Election of 1917 (with David MacKenzie); and Canada, 1911: The Decisive Election That Shaped the Country (also with MacKenzie). He has also edited several collections, including Macdonald at 200: New Reflections and Legacies (with Roger Hall). He was the founding editor of the Literary Review of Canada (1991–96) and the president of the Champlain Society (2010–17).

With this superbly-executed, comprehensive book, [St-Laurent] now gets the tribute he would not have asked for — but nonetheless deserves.

Tim Cook:

"Leaders, like St. Laurent, make being prime minister look easy. It never is, and Dutil’s important book shows us how and why that was the case during the mid-twentieth century."

Conrad Black:

"… this is a very worthwhile book about one of the most distinguished and successful leaders in Canadian history."

Hugh Segal:

"The Unexpected Louis St-Laurent is a must-read for Canadians of all political stripes. Full of essays that both praise and criticize, it gives a full picture of St. Laurent’s policies, successes and failures. Leaders from all walks of life seeking insight on how to build a stronger post-COVID Canada will find examples there that will inspire."

J.L. Granatstein:

The Unexpected Louis St-Laurent is a fine volume, one of the few recent edited collections held together by more than the binding.

Asa McKercher, Royal Military College of Canada:
The Unexpected Louis St-Laurent span[s] a wide range of issues surrounding St-Laurent’s time as prime minister, making clear his importance as well as that of this oft overlooked period.

Barbara J. Messamore, professor of history, University of the Fraser Valley:

The Unexpected Louis St-Laurent makes a compelling case that he is an underappreciated and understudied Canadian prime minister. The expert analyses of his career will especially inform and enlighten those working in history, political science and international relations.

Christopher Dummitt, associate professor, School for the Study of Canada, Trent University:

This book is an excellent and much-needed rediscovery of Louis St-Laurent and his tenure as prime minister. We've been waiting for a book like this.

The Honourable Jean Charest, former premier of Quebec and former deputy prime minister of Canada:

This remarkable collection on St-Laurent and his government was an education for me, both as a former politician and as a student of history. At every page, I was reminded of how little I knew of this man and his work ... I rediscovered a man of action, a policy innovator, a remarkable political executive, a passionate Canadian, and an exceptional leader of men. Louis St-Laurent deserves to be remembered as one of the architects of modern Canada

Raymond Blake, fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and professor of History, University of Regina:

If I were to make a list of authors to write on this part of Canadian history, I would have selected these first-rate and productive scholars. This book brings together within a single collection some of Canada’s best minds and leading thinkers.