William Lyon Mackenzie King, Volume III, 1932-1939 : The Prism of Unity

Aided by meticulous knowledge of the former Prime Minister's diary, and with characteristic conciseness and clarity, H. Blair Neatby has written the impressive and long-awaited third volume of the official biography of Mackenzie King. He carefully and judiciously untangles a complexity of issues in Canadian political history to produce definitive accounts of controversies that have engaged the attention of Canadian historians for years. Beginning the story in 1932, this volume treats the depression years when King was first in Opposition and then the years after 1935 when he was once again Prime Minister; it is a masterly analysis of how one of the most enigmatic figures in Canadian history made shrewd and critical political decisions. Attention is paid in turn to his clearly successful tactics as Leader of the Opposition; the election campaign of 1935; a wide range of his domestic policies, including those on unemployment, inflation, relief, and trade; and to a series of international crises – the Ethiopian crisis, the Spanish Civil War, Anschluss, and Munich – that culminated in the Second World War. At all times, King's overriding concern was to preserve national unity at home and to avoid commitments abroad, either through the British Commonwealth or the League of Nations. We see King in his relations with other Canadian leaders – Aberhart, Pattullo, Hepburn, Duplessis, and Bennett – and with world leaders – Roosevelt, Baldwin, Chamberlain, and Hitler. We also see the personal side of the man, and the link between the private and the public figure. William Lyon Mackenzie King, Volume III is an accomplished piece of historical writing; progressing in a controlled way through a profusion of incident and accident, it brings to completion the outstanding biography of a consummate politician. Go back to the beginning of the Collins-Burke mysteries with this collection, which includes the first three novels in the award-winning series: Sign of the Cross, Obit, and Barrington Street Blues. Sign of the Cross: This winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel introduces lawyer Monty Collins who meets Father Brennan Burke when he represents him: the priest is the lead suspect in the murder of a young woman. Conflict between lawyer and client simmers, as evidence piles up and murder charges seem inevitable. With Burke remaining tight-lipped about his past, Monty has no choice but to go behind his back and conduct a probe into the life of his own client. Never in his career has Monty been so lost for answers, until a long-forgotten incident takes on new and ominous meaning ... Obit: "Strong characters and a vivid depiction of Irish American family life ... 's outstanding as her first."--Library Journal. Declan Burke fled Ireland forty years ago and never looked back. Now settled in New York, he thinks he's put the old country behind him, until he reads the obituary of one Cathal Murphy. The obituary, he sees at once, is not about Murphy at all. It is a coded indictment of Burke's own life. And an announcement of his impending death. Halifax lawyer Monty Collins investigates the obit with its allusions to Burke's IRA past. From the farms of Ireland to the tenements of New York City, Collins gets no help from Burke, who-good soldier to the end-keeps the silence of the grave. Barrington Street Blues: A rich man and a poor man are found dead of gunshot wounds outside a seedy bar on Barrington Street in Halifax. The police declare it a murder-suicide, but bluesman/lawyer Monty Collins-hired to represent the victims' families-suspects it's a double murder. Helped by his friend Father Brennan Burke, and hindered by his femme fatale law partner Felicia Morgan, Monty explores the dark side of Halifax society: hookers, drug addicts, boozers, gamblers, and people desperate to cover up a series of parties that got way out of hand. A secret from the past and turmoil with his estranged wife, Maura, have Monty singing the blues, lashing out at his closest friends, and spending far too much time in the bars of Halifax PREFACE 7 CONTENTS 9 INTRODUCTION 19 CHAPTER ONE. THE OTTAWA TRADE AGREEMENTS 35 CHAPTER TWO. THE NEW LIBERALISM 46 CHAPTER THREE. PRE-ELECTION MANŒUVRES 68 CHAPTER FOUR. BEYOND POLITICS 88 CHAPTER FIVE. THE NEW CONSERVATISM 98 CHAPTER SIX. DEALING WITH THE NEW DEAL 108 CHAPTER SEVEN. KING OR CHAOS 128 CHAPTER EIGHT. THE REINS OF OFFICE 144 CHAPTER NINE. THE LIBERAL RESPONSE TO THE DEPRESSION 171 CHAPTER TEN. CANADA AND THE EUROPEAN VORTEX 188 CHAPTER ELEVEN. PORTENTS OF DISUNITY 204 CHAPTER TWELVE. A FORAY INTO EUROPEAN DIPLOMACY 228 CHAPTER THIRTEEN. THE PROVINCIAL CHALLENGE TO NATIONAL UNITY 243 CHAPTER FOURTEEN. THE RELUCTANT ASSERTION OF FEDERAL LEADERSHIP 267 CHAPTER FIFTEEN. ON THE EDGE OF THE VORTEX 291 CHAPTER SIXTEEN. CANADA GOES TO WAR 312 EPILOGUE 337 NOTE ON SOURCES 343 NOTES 344 INDEX 377