The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Your Turn -- Your Favourite Canadian Book Part Two

Episode Date: March 21, 2024

So many entries in our "favourite Canadian book" contest  that we stretched things into a second week. Lots here from Berton to Atwood of course, but dozens more that we've established a catalogue of richness from Canadian authors. Plus, this week the Random Ranter on "homelessness".

And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. You are just moments away from the latest episode of The Bridge. It's Thursday, it's your turn, and it's part two of your favorite Canadian book. Plus, the random renter, are we ever going to do anything about homelessness? That's coming right up. And hello there, Peter Mansbridge back in Toronto after a couple of days in Ottawa and then off to Montreal this weekend for the state funeral of Brian Mulroney. A couple of notes to make before we get into your letters, this second week of your letters. You may recall we had a tremendous number of letters in the first week, and then we agreed to take new letters, because we never got through the whole first batch, to take new letters up until Monday noon hour of this week,

which we did. And there have been a bunch since then, but deadlines are deadlines, and that's what we did. So I'll get to those in a second. A number of you have asked. There have been so many great books mentioned here. Can you put out a list of all the books and authors? And so that is happening as of this moment.

You can go to my website, thepetermansbridge.com, and go through the little subsections. You'll find one that talks about the book list. There's almost 100 of them that we mention. And, you know, it's a great little category to have because if you're looking, if you've decided, hey, I want a Canadian book as my next read, well, there's lots of choices here right across the spectrum,

you know, from politics to sports to entertainment to children's books. I mean, they're all there. So you can find that list, once again, on my website, thepetermansbridge.com. Okay. The other thing I wanted to mention is I had highlighted that tomorrow's Good Talk would be one we recorded in Ottawa a couple of nights ago. We did, along with Carleton University's Masters of Political Management program, we had a wonderful evening in the Chateau Laurier Hotel in one of the big dining rooms there, the Oval Room, the Adam Room.

We had a Q&A with some of the graduate students about politics in Canada. And we recorded it for both our YouTube channel and obviously for the podcast, the audio. We've decided, because it's really good, lots of good back and forths with Chantel and Bruce and the audience. But we're going to run it next Friday, on Good Friday, the Easter weekend.

So it's available for that weekend. We got a little magic to do in the production of it, which we will have accomplished by next week. So tomorrow will be a regular Good Talk with Bruce and Chantel, where we'll deal with the week's news. Next week will be the special edition from Carleton University. And we really enjoyed it. It's the first time in almost three years that the Good Talk crew has been on the road.

And actually, together, we've recorded Good Talk in separate locations, the three of us, for all this time. This is the first time we've actually been together in one room to do the recording of Good Talk. So that was fun. And hopefully we'll do it again, you know, in different parts of the country over time. You know, we need to do it in conjunction with somebody,

whether university or whomever. But hopefully that will continue because it was good fun and I think everybody enjoyed it as a first experience for us on something like that. So once again, tomorrow, a regular good talk. Next weekend, Easter weekend, we will have the special edition done a couple of nights ago out of Ottawa with the Carleton University's Masters of Political Management program. So look forward to that.

Okay. Why don't we get started? Random ranter coming up later. I can tell you that of all of these entries, some names did occur more than others in terms of authors. And it's really interesting when you look at the top four lists. I mean, there are lots of new Canadian authors in this package of authors. But some classics remain near the top or at the top.

There were more choices of Pierre Burton books than anyone else. Farley Mowat, Stuart Maclean, the wonderful Stuart Maclean, who I worked with for many years at the CBC, and of course Margaret Atwood. who I worked with for many years at the CBC, and, of course, Margaret Atwood. Those are kind of your top four, but there are lots more. So let's get at what's left on the list.

Barb Dawson from Dresden, Ontario. The Canadian author that immediately came to mind was Pierre Burton. He wrote 50 bestsellers, and they varied from Canadiana to pop culture to wonderful history books for children. The first book I read many years ago was Niagara, A History of the Falls, and that started my interest in Mr. Burton's work. He has a comprehensive collection of works from the Klondike to the War of 1812 to the crazy 1960s. I'd recommend selecting any book written by Pierre Burton, and you'll find yourself looking for more. Craig Hosea from Brandon, Manitoba.

My recommendation is Marching to Armageddon, Canadians in the Great War, 1914-1919, by Desmond Morton and Jack Granatstein. Two of my favorite Canadian authors and Jack of course worked alongside of me in many big shows over the years. Anyway back to Craig's letter. When I visited my grandparents in the 1970s we would often meet up with the extended family of the Royal Canadian Legion in Morden, Manitoba. One time I remember asking my mother why the veterans were like they were, and she told me, Son, we don't know what they've been through. That phrase stuck with me over the years.

As a young adult, I read Marching to Armageddon. I was transfixed, reading the book from cover to cover. On each page, I was offered a glimpse into the lives of those veterans I had met at the Legion a few years earlier. That was 35 years ago when I was the same age as those young soldiers whose deeds were detailed on the pages. Now my own children are that age. Morton and Granatstein's words are as gripping to me now as they were all those years ago. Travis Moore of Ottawa. When I was a youngster in grade four, I was introduced to Canadian author Gordon Corman's first novel, This Can't

Be Happening, at Macdonald Hall. The adventures of best friends who routinely found themselves in trouble with authority at a boarding school resonated a lot with me. Corman's series of novels probably factored into my decision to attend the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. It's been decades since grade four. However, with my spouse from Omaha, Nebraska, I now periodically gift my dog-eared Corman soft covers to my American nephews, who share the same zest for good-natured fun as I once did. It's also part of my clandestine plan to proliferate Canadiana south of the border. They don't seem too interested in Anne of Green Gables. Michael Pash from Victoria.

If you'd like a fantastic way to spend some hours lost in a defiant world of imagination, in a distant world of imagination, I recommend The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay. Beautifully written with great character development and an engaging plot. Give his books a try. Sometimes you just need a holiday between your ears. I'll say.

Ben King from Glasgow via Ottawa. One book which I believe is essential reading for any Canadian is The Best Laid Plans by Terry Follis, which is set in and around Ottawa and the happenings of Parliament. A burnt-out political speechwriter wants to quit the Liberal Party and take a teaching job, but before he can leave for good, he is dragged into running a campaign that the party knows they won't win. He convinces his landlord, an old Scottish engineering professor,

to put his name on the ballot. While the book is primarily a tongue-in-cheek representation of federal politicians, thick-headed party leaders, scandals and campaigns, there is a great message about how we should think about public service federal politicians, thick-headed party leaders, scandals and campaigns. There's a great message about how we should think about public service and representing the people who elected you above your party, which has stuck with me years later. Sounds great, Ben. I haven't read that. I'll look for it. Nathaniel Hayes, he's a PhD student.

I'm sorry, I'm bumbling along today. Nathaniel Hayes, he's a PhD student in Kobe, Japan. The book I think that all Canadians should read is Obamasan by Joy Kagawa. Through her exquisite prose, she describes the multitude of experiences that Japanese Canadians endured during the 1940s. She takes readers on a journey through the fear and worry that Japanese Canadians felt being uprooted from their homes, being separated from their families, and being sent into the camps of the interior of B.C. or the sugar beet farms on the prairies. This chapter of Canadian history is understudied across Canada, and Kagawa's work makes this history accessible and relatable to all Canadians. Mike Laughlin in Calgary.

I would suggest that Canadians tackle Mark Carney's values. While I recognize the popular allure of easy answers and scapegoats, maintaining our democracy calls for a little more effort from Canadians. Mark Carney does a good job outlining the history of how we assign value in our world and gives reasoned arguments for paths forward based on deep subject knowledge Wow. You never know. Ian Walker in St. John's, Newfoundland. I'd recommend Canoe Country by Roy McGregor. The premise of the book is how canoeing is one thing that ties the country together,

and I love that idea. A perfected indigenous technology shared with other cultures that became the only viable method of travel for traders, trappers, and cartographers of this country for hundreds of years. Now, no matter where you live in Canada, you are never far from a place to push off a canoe to enjoy our natural beauty. It's an activity that crosses the geographic, political, cultural, and religious divides of the country.

What's more Canadian than that? Matthew Skolarsik in Vernon, BC. My choice for a Canadian book everyone should read is The Company, The Rise and Fall of the Hudson's Bay Empire by Stephen R. Brown. It's a fascinating read on the founding of our nation. It speaks to the commerce established between the Europeans and Indigenous peoples of Canada. It talks about the hardships of between the Europeans and Indigenous peoples of Canada. It talks about the hardships of conducting the fur trade in the unforgiving natural environment. Brown doesn't appear to have an agenda with the storytelling, and by the end I felt I understood the history of the Hudson's Bay Company is a complicated one. Art Bell in Burlington, Vermont, via Brantford, Ontario. Pattern Recognition by William Gibson.

Yes, it's science fiction, and maybe the best sci-fi is being written. I don't even like sci-fi. He has expansively and beautifully warped my mind since college, painting pictures of what our futures might be, starting with the Internet, before we knew what the Internet was. That wasn't that long ago. Wanda Soder in Saskatoon. My picks for a Canadian book would be The Break by Katharina Vermette. Very well written and gives a voice to the Métis people of Canada. Shazil Mohamed in Bowmanville, Ontario.

My choice is Is There Bacon in Heaven by Ali Hassan. Ali navigates the reader through the journey of his life, what it's like growing up as a minority in a small town, moving around the country and attempting to capture his identity as a Canadian while having an allowance for his ancestral heritage. This classic immigrant story captures the quintessential spirit of what it means to be Canadian. Jonathan Young.

He writes from Brussels. He's originally from Nova Scotia. As we approach the four-year anniversary of Canada's worst mass shooting, I encourage everyone to read Paul Polango's 22 Murders. This in-depth investigation sheds much-needed light on this horrific tragedy. Not only is it top-quality journalistic writing, it offers an opportunity for all Canadians to better understand their society and its institutions.

And we've had Paul on the bridge a number of times over the past couple of years talking about this very example. John Ward in Victoria, B.C. I would recommend And No Birds Sang by Farley Mowat. I think most people identify Mowat's books as stories about adventures in the Canadian wilderness for younger readers, but not this one. Mowat forced his way into the Canadian Army and fought on the front lines to liberate Italy

from the Nazis in 1943. A wonderful, true account from an amazing Canadian of the greatest generation. A must-read for all Canadians. Peter McKinney in Beaconsville, Quebec. Big Men Fear Me by Mark Bury. This is a fascinating story of Canadian history that pulls in gold mines, newspapers, business, and politics.

Very eye-opening. I can tell you it's the story about George McCullough who bought the Globe and the Mail, sorry, bought the Globe, and he bought the Mail and Empire, and merged those two papers into the Globe and Mail. Heather Barth in Cochrane, Alberta, just outside Calgary. I'm selecting Welcome Home by Stuart McLean, published in 1992. In 92, I was away from home working and attending university,

living away from my small town. I found myself yearning for the connection and support I once took for granted. I was hungry for all things Canadian. I was a lover of the CBC, the tragically hip, and devoted to reading anything about Canada. Stuart's book delivered. He offered a glimpse into small-town Canada

in this collection of stories, shining a light on the realness of people, their stories, dreams, and goals, all from a small-town perspective. The book provides the reader with a connection to themselves and to what it means to be Canadian. John Baser, or Baser, in Edmonton. The humorous historical novel Solomon Gursky Was Here by Mordecai Richler portrays the four generations of a prominent Jewish family whose wealth originated through gun running in Quebec.

Maybe that's rum running in Quebec during American Prohibition. The action is centered on adventurous Ephraim and his mysterious grandson Solomon amidst many familial conflicts during the development of their family's business. There are historical similarities between the fictional family and the Canadian Bronfman family who founded Seagram, which the author claimed were purely coincidental. Or incidental. Sorry.

Carolyn Rose in Harrelsmith, Ontario. That's not far from Kingston. My recommendation is Stephen Leacock's Sunshine Sketches of a Small Town. I read this book in high school English and fell in love with it. To me, Leacock manages to capture the essence of Canadian humor and life. I go back to this book and reread parts of it. The way he describes people and situations is so familiar and funny. It makes me think of growing up in the late 60s and early 70s

in Kingston. As a retired English teacher of 30 years, I've taught many novels and plays, but this book is the one that still speaks to me as a Canadian. Michael Hambrook in Delta, BC. I enjoy novels that both entertain and instruct. Two Solitudes by Hugh MacLennan is one such novel that illustrates one of Canada's most notable cleavages, the historic English-Canadian experience versus the historic French-Canadian experience.

We must endeavor to know and evaluate our history as our dynamic and pluralistic country evolves. Brent Wagner in Winnipeg. My Canadian book is Paddle to the Amazon by the late Don Starkle. The book is about a father and his two sons paddling from Winnipeg to the Amazon in Brazil. Many will never believe this, but this is non-fiction, not fiction. I read the book around 1988 when I was 15 years old, and that book has stuck with me to this day, now that I'm 50. I never turned into a major wilderness adventurer like I thought I might after reading that book,

but I joined the Naval Reserve at 18 and traveled up and down the east and west Canadian coasts and took many canoe trips with friends and camping trips with family. Donna Ward in Ayr, Ontario, south of Kitchener. During the lockdown for the pandemic, I decided to take on online university course in Canadian Aboriginal Studies. Embarrassingly, as a then 56-year-old Canadian educator, I was very ignorant of how our country was truly shaped and sadly didn't delve further into how Indigenous Canadians

played an integral part in how we have failed them. During my course, I came across a book, From the Ashes, a memoir about the life of an extraordinary Indigenous man's resilience and determination through some of the worst struggles. Jesse Thistle was once a high school dropout, abandoned as a child, fell into self-destruction of drug and alcohol addiction. Despite abuse and the impact of Canada's prejudice and racism towards Indigenous Canadians,

Jesse is now an Indigenous scholar and author. Through this memoir, I learned the impact my ignorance had on many students I could have reached with the truth. Upon returning to the classroom, I made it my mission to teach Canada's truth. Alison Toms, just outside Thunder Bay. I recommend The Lightkeeper's Daughter by Jean E. Pendozoal. When we moved from eastern Ontario to this area in 2021, I resolved to learn more about my new hometown and northwest Ontario.

This book revolves around two women, the oldest raised on Porphyry Island on Lake Superior. It weaves together stories of family discoveries, geography, and the life the lighthouse keepers led until they were replaced by technology. Doug Brown in Stony Creek, Ontario. It's near Hamilton. After a serious car accident while recovering and considering my health, I discovered Peter Attia, and I read his book, Outlive. He firmly believes that we have more ability to extend our health span, the ability to do things that are important to us, that many think. He focuses on what he calls Medicine 3.0, placing far more emphasis on

prevention than treatment. In the book, he provides many science-backed facts and advice, but also personal stories. I believe this book has the ability to change the life of the reader, as it has mine. You know, it's funny, you write about that, Doug. I was flying from Ottawa yesterday to Toronto, and I was in the lineup, but you know, as they were boarding the plane and the woman in front of me was reading, Outlive. It's a great book. I have my copy. Francie Ford, Cox Health, Nova Scotia. He's a Newfoundlander, living in Cape Breton. Well, my offering would be

Small Game Hunting at the local Coward Gun Club by Megan Gale Coles. Set in St. John's, this is an unflinching look at how some view and treat others. This one can be difficult to read, but also unforgettable. Jessica Kirkpatrick from Fort Good Hope in the Northwest Territories The book I put forward in response to the question of the week is The Tenant Class by Ricardo Tranjan The book completely upended how I understand the issues with housing in Canada What I found most interesting was his explanations

of how housing supply is being used as an oversimplified scapegoat for the issues being faced. What I found most enlightening was his depiction and defense of renters as a class. I would encourage all Canadians, especially long-time homeowners, to read this book. Anthony Sinn in Nepean, Ontario. The Dishwasher by Stéphane Leroux captures the time and feel of downtown Montreal, St. Lawrence Boulevard at a certain time in the recent past. I love the book because it is about hardcore work and the intensity of being a young working man navigating himself, his relationships, and his place. Faith Kaszczewski in St. John, New Brunswick. Hollow Bamboo, written by William Seto Ping, is about his grandfather of the same name.

He writes about his grandfather's travels from China to St. John's, Newfoundland in 1931, a remarkably unpleasant trip that took 30 days. In Canada, the protagonist experienced racism, mistreatment, and hardship, but eventually managed to live a comfortable life here as a leader in his community. The first couple of chapters are rather unconventional, but it's worth persisting. The strength of and respect for this character will stick with you. Brian Uba from Burlington, Ontario.

The book I recommend is Globe and Mail columnist Doug Saunders' Maximum Canada. Why 35 million Canadians are not enough. It's a proposal to grow Canada's population to 100 million. It's a well-thought-out argument for why Canada needs both strong immigration and economic policies to keep our country relevant as a middle power.

We've got lots more, but let's take a break. Let's take a break, and we'll be right back with more of your letters about your favorite Canadian authors and their books, right after this. And welcome back. You're listening to The Bridge on Sirius XM, Channel 167. Canada Talks are on your favorite podcast platform. Back now to more of your books. In this second week of listing the books that you've written in about Canadian books, Canadian authors, and we've just had letters from all parts of the country. It's wonderful. Robert Thiessen in Abbotsford, BC. I've chosen George P.

Grant's Philosophy in the Mass Age as the great Canadian book. Grant was Canada's representative at the Socratic Club in Oxford, where he learned at the feet of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Lewis's ability to communicate profound ideas simply rubbed off on Grant, and in 1958 he burst onto the national scene in Canada with a series of nine radio lectures he delivered on the CBC. These lectures would become philosophy in the mass age.

The book remains a source of insight into an ongoing crisis of meaning felt by many in North America's consumer culture. Serge Simpai in Toronto. Toronto, I love you is an invitation to explore the vibrant heart of Toronto through the lens of love, diversity, and human connections. Didier Leclerc's skillfully captures the essence of the city's multicultural tapestry, offering readers a deep, reflective, and often poignant look at life in an urban landscape. Man, I must have been in that flight from Ottawa.

I'm having trouble reading today. And it's not my eyes. I've got my glasses on. I can see everything. I just, out of my mouth comes a word different than the one I'm looking at. Jill Snell in Fernie, B.C. That's southeastern B, I think. I pick Iona Wishaw's historical fiction series following Lane Winslow. The first in the series is a killer at King's Cove.

Everyone needs a little fiction in their lives, and this is a fun murder mystery series with a strong female lead character. Bill Day in London, Ontario. My choice would be Tim Cook's The Madman and the Butcher. It's one of the most readable history books I've ever read. It's written by one of our preeminent war historians, and Tim certainly is. It gives a clear picture of both our preparations for World War I and how our role was enhanced.

It discusses two of the more interesting and most controversial figures in our history, Sir Arthur Currie and Sam Hughes, and the lawsuit Currie launched against Hughes. Deirdre Pringle in Cremor, Ontario. The Canadian book everyone should read is Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga. Hear, hear. I'm a retired educator. I thought I was fairly well informed about the 60s scoop and all of the ensuing ramifications. I understood nothing.

This book was just one mind-blowing situation after another for me. All of these young people were placed in untenable, unwinnable scenarios. So many things became clear to me after reading it. Mostly it was crystal clear how every institution was set up to fail the indigenous young people they were meant to protect. The echoes from this one book will never leave me. Matthew Schell in Whitby, Ontario. The echoes from this one book will never leave me. Matthew Schell in Whitby, Ontario.

It's east of Toronto. A book I recommend is Shake Hands with the Devil by Lieutenant General Romeo Deloyer. I read this book as a teenager and it was life-changing, opening my eyes to the plights many experience outside the safety of our wonderful country. This book made me very proud to be a Canadian and of our peacekeeping history. Ron Fisher in Moncton. Lots of heavy choices last Thursday. That's when we started this.

But for me, I would choose something that is light, fun, and very Canadian. Rick Mercer's The Road Years, a wonderful deep dive into how the Mercer Report came to be, what it was like traveling to every corner of Canada, and the experiences he had with everyday Canadians. It's a joyful and sometimes poignant read that helps to remind us of who we are and how ordinary people can make a difference. Sue Moffat from Ancaster, Ontario. It's part of Hamilton, right? My book is The Wake,

The Deadly Legacy of a Newfoundland Tsunami by Lyndon McIntyre. This is a well-researched, well-written, incredible account of the tsunami that hit Newfoundland in 1929. Who knew? We read this in book club and we were all enlightened as to the isolation of the communities, the absolute spirit and determination of the people, the heartbreaking health care, and the corruption of big business. Lyndon McIntyre's family was part of this era, a must-read for sure. Eric Consor in Sherwood Park, Alberta. I'd recommend the Dreadful Water series by Thomas King.

I'd found three of these books in my mom's collection when I was packing up her house after she'd passed. These books focus on Thumps Dreadful Water, a retired indigenous detective who's moved to a small town and is dragged into helping the local sheriff solve a murder. Thomas King has an enjoyable wit and writing style that makes these murder mysteries a lot of fun to read, but also gives the characters enough depth and gravitas to give each moment the weight it deserves. I brought home all of my mom's novels, 400 or so, and I'm

slowly reading them. While we did have different genre preferences, there's been a few books that I've read so far that I would have loved to discuss with my mom now. It's a little bittersweet, but I feel like I'm keeping her close this way. Good for you. Code Clements. Code is in Cherry Grove, Alberta, a little southeast of Coal Lake. Louis Hippolyte LaFontaine and Robert Baldwin by John Ralston Saul.

I remember 60 or 65 years ago learning about the family compacts in eastern Canada. This book explains how the two gentlemen of the title, one French, one English, risked their lives to create a Canada of equality. And apparently the only country in the world where the conquerors in war, the Protestant English, made the conquered, the Catholic French, equal partners in democracy. Part history, part thriller, and just plain interesting. Something that every student should learn, equality,

and be made aware of how rare it is. Gary Gould from Brantford, Ontario. I would recommend Canadians read Alex Epstein's book, Fossil Future. This book brings a moral case for use of fossil fuels long into the future. In spite of fossil fuels contributing to the one degree of warming in the last 170 years, climate-related deaths are at an all-time low due to developed technology and fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are still the dominant energy source and have brought global poverty to an all-time low.

The author presents a fair assessment of both sides of the controversial climate change topic, offering low- low emissions alternatives. Okay, it's always good to see what the other side has to say whenever there's a debate on any issue. Michael Artendale of Greater Sudbury. One of my favorite books is part of the Kingdom of Walden series called After Oil by K.M. Cannon. Picture this, a small city in northern Ontario

doing some last-minute Christmas shopping and you stop for gas. However, the pumps are dry. The gas station has no idea when they will get more. The story shows the devolution of society at a local level to the point of a kingdom happening around a farm and a war to try to take it over. The premise and the storyline are good. Robert Sagan from Wasega Beach in Ontario. Jason Baronet released his first novel, Bit Rot, last year. It's a riveting science fiction novel that enthusiasts will gobble up.

And that's all Jason has to say about it. Bit Rot. Martin Partridge in Peterborough County, Ontario. Living now near Marmora, Ontario, and having lived for a decade in Toronto, I continue to be fascinated by Michael Ondaatje's In the Skin of a Lion, a truly marvelous fictional story of Canadian places and people. Narda Havel from Fall River, Nova Scotia. A book recommendation is Pluck by Donna Morrissey.

It's a memoir of Donna's life growing up in Newfoundland. The reader will get a better understanding of rural life in Newfoundland and the strength of the people who live there. Hendrika Scherhaus in London, Ontario I'd like to bring attention to the book Crazy Town the Rob Ford story by Robin Doolittle and Kevin Donovan at that time

they worked together at the Toronto Star this is an excellent read and almost thriller type of true story describing the turbulent years of the rise and fall of Rob Ford. Ford was city councillor who rose to the position of mayor. While in office, he kept the country entertained in his antics and managed to embarrass the city as well as our country, even south of the border, while applauded by many. This book gives first and foremost a riveting

account of the incredible, careful, and brilliant work of two journalists who discovered and saw the video of Rob Ford smoking crack. Their careful investigation gives proof of their professionalism, their patience and their intelligence. Robin now works for the Globe. Kevin is still at the Star. Carol Lavely in Stittsville, Ontario, just west of Ottawa. For those who want to have a close look under the cobwebs of the mythologized development of northern Ontario, look no further than Charlie Angus's Cobalt. You know Charlie Angus, of course.

He's an NDP MP, has been since the early 2000s. This is an unapologetic historical look at the dark side of how Canada got to be what it is today, an international mining giant. Think no further than the exploitation of Indigenous lands and of a multicultural workforce, and no surprise, the destruction of the environment. I especially appreciated the connection to the establishment of the Toronto Stock Exchange, something I had never thought of as the daughter and sister of miners. This is an important, engrossing read of our history, so relevant today as the pressure for precious metals ramps up internationally. Catherine Munro in Nacowick, New Brunswick, 65 clicks west of Fredericton on the St. John River. I'm recommending the book Up From the Ashes, written by local author Steve Rennie.

This book is a must-read, especially for those who believe in redemption. It is masterfully and beautifully written. The book contains characters you will find very endearing, and it contains real-life history, a wonderful read you will find hard to put down. John Ellingson in Penticton, B.C. Birds of Alberta by Chris Fisher and John Acorn. Great book for anyone in Alberta interested in birds.

Great pictures, great descriptors, and always a paragraph of interesting facts. I've since moved to B.C. and I know there is a Birds of British Columbia that I must get. And here's our last one that we're reading. There were more, as I've said. But these are the ones that kind of made it onto the podcast.

Margaret Belal in Ingersoll, Ontario. That's just east of London. I'd recommend listening to Thompson Highway's audiobook version of Permanent Astonishment. Hearing his voice tell stories of growing up on the land in the sub-Arctic are mesmerizing. His experiences as a survivor of residential schools and where that led for him later in life are told with humor and often profound wisdom. Well, there you go. And I thank you so much for all the letters that you've written.

There are so many. They're all winners. And as I said, there were many more. There were only so many we could get in and some missed the deadline, et cetera, et cetera. But what's interesting, you now have a database for Canadian books that your fellow listeners are recommending that you read. And there are many in that list that I've never heard of before.

You may have trouble finding them. Always check your local library. You'd be amazed at the books that are in our libraries. So always check that for starters. But the list is on my website, thepetermansbridge.com. The name of the book and the name of the author. All right? They're all there.

So if there was something you found interesting or you wanted to check on, that's where you go. All right. Thursdays are not just your turn. They're the random ranter's turn. And of late, the random ranter, who's a guy who cares, lives on the prairies, has a, I hate to say ordinary job, but he has a really good job. But it sort of slots into that package we call ordinary job, ordinary guy. Could be the guy next door.

Could be the guy you see at the gas station. Could be somebody you bump into at the grocery store. But he's a thoughtful guy who's always constantly coming up with ideas of how the world could be a better place, how our politicians could be better. He occasionally gives a nod to politicians too. But he has a social conscience, and it's been kind of on display of late in a number of his rants. And it is today as he tackles one of the great dilemmas of our time. So with that kind of a setup, why don't we hear then this week's commentary from the random renter there's no denying that homelessness is a problem these days i mean it's everywhere and our

governments seem powerless to fix it there's a ton of talk about affordable housing, but I think the idea that we can fix homelessness just by building more housing drastically oversimplifies the problem. Homelessness doesn't just happen. It takes a culmination of events to get there, and affordable housing is just one part of the story. but I'm not hearing a lot about the rest of it. I mean, I think one of the issues we have is that we think of it as a local problem, but if we examined it, I think we'd find that we have a problem that stretches from sea to sea, from small towns to big cities, from east to west, and especially from north to south. It's a national problem, and it's transient. Some might even say migratory. But the way we're dealing with it now means that if you find a

solution for your city, you're just setting yourself up to attract more of the problem. And that's why I think we need a national approach. Cities don't have enough resources to solve the homeless problems of their outlying areas. Provinces don't have the resources to solve the problems of entire regions. It's going to take everybody working together and have any hope. We need to work with people at the family level because I think homelessness is as much about a lack of support as it is about a lack of housing. I mean, in my experience working with at-risk people, the one commonality that stood out to me was an unstable family history that involved physical or sexual or substance abuse. And a lot of the times it was all three. Often they've been in the system at some point, in foster care or a group home or prison. And to make matters worse,

schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or fetal alcohol syndrome were common complications. I'm sure there are some good news stories out there where a roof over someone's head solved all their problems, but in my experience, I never saw that once. Where I volunteered, when the faces changed, it was because of jail, death, or they were new. In five years, I never saw anything I could call a happy ending. So I don't have a lot of hope. In fact, I'm a bit of a pessimist. I think once the problem takes root, you're in trouble. All you can try to do is control it.

And that's what putting roofs over our homeless population does. It just contains the problem. It takes it off the streets and out of sight. But it's not a solution. Simply housing our current homeless population is the pound of cure. The ounce of prevention would be to invest in the services that support families, like education and health, like family services, like addiction treatment centers. And we can't just do it in the cities because poverty, neglect, and drug addiction,

it's everywhere from God-fearing farming communities to mill towns to first nations. Look, there's no doubt about it. We need to build more affordable housing, a lot more. But at the same time, we need to take a national approach to the underlying causes of homelessness so that we can even stand a chance at reversing the trend for the next generation. Because if we continue with the approach we're taking now, then the problems we're seeing on our streets could just be the tip of the iceberg. There we have the random ranter for this week. Big topic. Major topic. And one that we, as yet, have not discovered a solution for.

All right. Before we go, one of the things we've done on this ever since we started at the beginning of the year was to pick the letter that kind of impressed me most. It's hard to call it a winner because all the letters impressed me. They're all winners. The ones that made it on air, the ones that didn't.

They're all good. But we did say that we'd pick one every week and whoever that person was, whether they want to or not, are going to get a copy of one of my books. I'll sign it and mail it out to you. This week's winner, it's actually the last couple of weeks' winner, their entry into the Best Canadian Book, Best Canadian Author.

The winner is Heather Barth in Cochrane, Alberta. And just a quick reminder of her letter. I'm selecting Welcome Home by Stuart McLean, published in 1992. In 92, I was away from home working and attending university, living away from my small town. I found myself yearning for the connection and support I once took for granted. I was hungry for all things Canadian. I was a lover of the CBC, the tragically hip and devoted to reading anything about Canada. Stuart's book delivered. He offered a glimpse into small town Canada and

this collection of stories, shining a light on the realness of people, their stories, dreams, and goals, all from a small-town perspective. The book provides the reader with a connection to themselves and to what it means to be Canadian. Stuart McLean, we miss him. He was a great broadcaster, a great writer, a great reader. Stuart and I worked together in the late 70s, or no, I guess late 80s, at Ryerson University in Toronto.

What was then Ryerson? In the journalism program. And he got me to come in there for a couple of years and work with students, and it was great fun. But my regular job was taking more and more of my time, and I had to leave there. But Mark Bulgich went in, my co-author on How Canada Works, spent, I don't know, 10 or maybe 20 years teaching at Ryerson.

Anyway, Heather Barth. Heather, drop me an email to themansbridgepodcast at gmail.com. Give me your postal address, and I will get you a copy of one of my books signed, mailed directly to your door. That's going to wrap it up for this day. And this week's your turn.

Tomorrow, it's Good Talk. Chantel and Bruce will be here and we'll deal with, well, there's lots of things that will be going on this week and we'll deal with them on tomorrow's program. That's it for today. I'm Peter Mansbridge. Thanks so much for listening. Talk to you again in 24 hours.