BOOK REVIEW COMPTE RENDU John Turner: The clarion call of public service

Paul Litt. Elusive Destiny: The Political Vocation of John Napier Turner. : UBC Press, 2011.

Review by David Herle

n the 1962 federal election, eight travels the country urging young peo- heavy lifting to, as Litt puts it, “remove of every 10 eligible Canadian citi- ple to set aside their material aspira- moral regulation from the Criminal I zens cast a vote. This close to uni- tions and enter public life. As Code.” Turner was one of many versal participation was emblematic of Canadians turn away from politics, get- Catholic politicians to struggle with the centrality of politics to Canadian ting people to vote is difficult enough, public issues like abortion and divorce. life at that time. The rest of that never mind standing as candidates. Premier Dalton McGuinty’s father decade was full of passionate engage- The bulk of Elusive Destiny: The resigned from Turner’s riding executive ment in issues that touched on Political Vocation of John Napier Turner by over liberalized abortion laws. Canada’s relationship to the US and Paul Litt is devoted to the period between Non-historians will take away what our role in the Cold War would his entry into politics in 1962 and his res- from this book a much better under- be, protecting and expanding individ- ignation as Leader of the Liberal Party in standing of how two committed civil ual rights, growing the welfare state, 1989. That three-decade period is really libertarians in Prime Minister Trudeau becoming bilingual and the rise of two distinct political eras for Turner, sep- and Justice Minister Turner found separatism. Canada was being arated by nine years in the wilderness of themselves suspending rights by transformed and politicians were lead- Bay Street. One of the attractions of this imposing the War Measures Act. Litt’s ing the transformation. book is that it reclaims from history the account shows a cabinet struggling In that context a young John first of those eras. Most Canadians are with inadequate information about Napier Turner turned his back on most likely to remember Turner for his what they were dealing with. As Justice building a career in law and business time facing off against Minister Turner searched frantically and devoted himself to public service. during the 1980s, ironically a time that for a less intrusive mechanism than Unlike today’s “star” candidates who Turner would surely largely rather forget. the War Measures Act, , insist on being lightly placed into the What Litt demonstrates, in interesting one of Trudeau’s closest advisers on most opportune circumstances, Turner detail, is that John Turner the cabinet Quebec issues, convinced the govern- ran for a nomination, defeated a sitting minister was a pivotal figure in the devel- ment of the need to move immediate- Progressive Conservative and waited opment of Canada in the late 1960s and ly, using whatever device they had three years for a junior cabinet post. early 1970s. available. Already a rising star in legal In his thorough but highly read- Those who understand Trudeau and circles by that time, his abilities, charm able account of those years, Litt adds Turner only as rivals will be surprised at and connections surely signalled a greatly to conventional political how closely they collaborated both on lucrative and comfortable life in the understanding of some key issues and policy and politics. Turner’s efforts in the private sector. Yet John Turner developments. 1974 campaign are considered by Liberal believed, and often said, that public campaigners to have been instrumental service was second only to the clergy as rust to own Justice to success. Turner also spent a consider- a calling. Subsequent to leaving politics T reform with a powerful quote that able amount of political capital to create in 1989, he has devoted much of his rings to this day — “There’s no place broad acceptance for Trudeau govern- time to trying to rekindle that spirit by for the state in the bedrooms of the ment policies in places — western talking about the importance of public nation” — but one learns in Elusive Canada, Washington — where Trudeau policy to the future of the country. He Destiny that Turner did much of the himself was a less than compelling

78 OPTIONS POLITIQUES DÉCEMBRE 2011-JANVIER 2012 John Turner: The clarion call of public service BOOK REVIEW salesman. On a personal level, the become anachronistic in an increasing- harness television was deadly. His abili- Trudeaus and Turners vacationed and ly secular and cynical world. His male- ty to rise to the occasion with brilliance dined together socially, even attending oriented jock talk was fine in 1960s was more sporadic than it had been. Midnight Mass together the night before , was enjoyed in 1970s corporate Perhaps Turner knew this, and Justin’s birth. Over time, different culture, but burned on impact in 1980s that is why he was so ambivalent approaches to policy and the growing politics. New technologies also created about returning to politics in 1984. prominence of Turner took their toll on difficulty. Litt makes it pretty plain that However, he was trapped. The John the relationship, but for a number of the more important television became Turner persona was built around being years they were a formidable team. to politics the less effective a communi- PM-in-waiting. The leadership open- cator Turner was. ing in 1984 was going to represent a erhaps most notably, Litt provides One clear shift in political culture change in his life whether he decided P more facts and nuance around was epitomized by the different to run or not. Turner’s departure from the Trudeau approaches taken by Trudeau and Turner However, Litt also documents the government than has previously been to creating public policy in Canada. extent to which the Liberal Party itself understood. The underlying reason was John Turner was a true believer in bro- made it impossible for Turner. Jean personal. Turner had held the two top kerage politics. He knew the country — Chrétien never accepted the results of jobs in cabinet and Trudeau was in for both its geography and its people — bet- the 1984 leadership in which he had lost the long haul. With no further upward ter than perhaps any other politician of to Turner. In Chrétien’s name and with mobility available in politics, Turner his time. He saw Canada as a fragile con- his overt encouragement, his loyalists was increasingly attracted to a new struct composed of people and regions and assorted opportunists not only tried career challenge and the prospects of that were very different. He saw a coun- to remove Turner but actively sought to making some real money in the busi- try held together more by emotional hurt his and the Liberal Party’s chances ness world. But the catalyst was his connection and a desire to be together of winning. When his greatest moment opposition to the PM’s decision to than by a grand intellectual construct. As as leader arrived and his free trade debate impose mandatory controls on wages a result he believed that policy needed to showdown with Mulroney gave the and prices. There was no disputing the be built on consultation and compro- Liberals a shot at victory in the 1988 dangers of runaway inflation. But mise. Turner would take a half loaf election, the Progressive Conservatives Turner felt, as he had when he and accompanied by social peace rather than were able to rebound by reminding Trudeau jointly campaigned against risk division through devotion to policy Canadians of the lack of confidence in mandatory controls in the 1974 elec- purity. As the 1960s morphed into the Turner the Liberals themselves had tion, that a system of voluntary con- 1970s, compromise came to be the polit- shown. “He’s not fighting for your job, trols was a better way to go. As finance ical equivalent of unprincipled, and he’s fighting for his own” was a devastat- minister he was working furiously with Turner’s brokerage approach could look ing PC comeback. business, labour and other stakeholder weak compared to the impression peo- Paul Litt, a historian at Carleton groups to arrive at an agreement on a ple had of Trudeau as the fighter for core University, does an excellent job of voluntary control mechanism. When principles. In Turner’s time as leader, bringing history to life. All of the events Trudeau pulled the plug on that these different approaches would come described are capable of multiple inter- process and decided to implement into sharp relief as the Liberal Party tried pretations, but Litt finds a good balance mandatory controls, Turner knew his to address the , sup- between Turner’s perspective and that of time as Minister of Finance was up. ported by Turner because it secured other contemporaries. If this book finds Like Don Draper of the Mad Men Quebec’s signature to the Constitution its way into university classrooms, the television series, the Turner of the on acceptable terms and opposed by first half of the book might inspire 1960s epitomized cool in that era. He Trudeau because it might compromise young people to rise to our own occa- combined the charm that made him the Charter of Rights. sion of crisis and enter public life to the most popular student at UBC and The parts of the book that deal with shape Canada’s future. the preferred escort of Princess Margaret Turner’s period as Leader of the Liberal The most telling thing about John with dashing good looks. However, Party are as hard to read as the second Turner is that if you had told him in both the fictional character of Draper half of an Elvis Presley biography. You 1962 how it would all end in 1988, he and the real John Turner relied on ways know how it ends, and the process of would have done it all again anyway. of interacting, of understanding the getting there is painful. Litt pulls no That’s the call of public service. world around them, and on belief sys- punches in his assessment of Turner’s tems that would not age well. Society performance in this role. Much of his Contributing Writer David Herle, chief was changing, and Turner would strug- former skill at forging consensus among campaign strategist for the Liberals under gle to change along with it. His idealism warring parties seemed to desert him in Prime Minister , is a princi- about church and public service would managing his caucus. His inability to pal of the Gandalf Group in .

POLICY OPTIONS 79 DECEMBER 2011-JANUARY 2012