Stories Best Left Untold

Description

“Gord was up for any challenge. And he got things done. So I sent him to the tough spots in government. But he didn’t complain…and now I think of it, he laughed a lot. That’s what he’s achieved in this book -stories of politics combined with his small-town, hard-rock view that exposes a foot soldier’s humour, humility, and humanity.

And he was a real advocate -one week personally saying, “Pass the Meech Lake Accord,” the next week as Elijah Harper’s lawyer, saying “Stop the deal.” Read all about it.” — Gary Doer, former Manitoba premier and Canadian ambassador to the U.S.

Gord Mackintosh was not your typical politician and this book is not your typical political memoir. Mackintosh steps out of his familiar role as the Manitoba NDP’s go-to guy, foot soldier and law reformer to provide a unique take on the quirky places and people behind his long and varied career.

From secret passages, archaisms, and funny business at Manitoba’s Legislature, to door-knocking surprises, crime fighting and “saving Mother Earth,” Mackintosh weaves warmhearted anecdotes of his many years in public life. Hooey, hijinks, and embarrassment that humanize our political system are interspersed with major political events of the last thirty years, for which he had suspiciously diff ering roles. Whether Manitoba’s French Language Crisis, the Meech Lake Crisis, the MTS Debate, the Flood of the Century, the Auto Theft Capital of North America, or the internal rebellion against Premier Greg Selinger, he still urges, “It wasn’t me.”