A review of The Constant Liberal: Pierre Trudeau, Organized Labour and the Canadian Social Democratic Left by Christo Aivalis (University of British Columbia Press, 2018) by Luke Savage.
"A new book by historian Christo Aivalis, however, makes a convincing case for Trudeau’s consistent adherence, in both thought and action, to the liberal tradition. But, as its title suggests, The Constant Liberal: Pierre Trudeau, Organized Labour and the Canadian Social Democratic Left is also concerned with the Left as both a political and intellectual force during the critical decades of Trudeau’s life and career. This makes it doubly useful as a clarifying account of one of Canada’s most influential politicians and a chronicle of a particularly vibrant period for its since-tamed labor and left movements."
"The Constant Liberal draws on Trudeau’s papers and files, but also a rich and hitherto under-examined body of material from within the Left — notably socialist magazines, labor journals, and trade union releases — detailing the stark ideological divergences between the two. What emerges is a picture of distinct and opposing political and intellectual traditions: on the one hand, an organized socialist left committed to the material interests of the working class; on the other, a current of politically ambidextrous liberalism whose ultimate loyalty was to capital."
See the full article here: https://jacobinmag.com/2019/03/constant-liberal-pierre-trudeau-canada-labor-movement/.
