Trudeau's Tango

A chronicle of Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s first term as prime minister and the attempt to bridge one of Canada’s classic political fault lines.

Trudeau appeared to enjoy the encounter. He stood his ground while escaping projectiles, including a tomato . . .

In this insightful and lively history, Liberal insider Darryl Raymaker recalls the attempt to broker “a marriage from hell” between the federal Liberal Party and Alberta’s Social Credit government in the late 1960s. Raymaker uses his deep connections and backroom knowledge to trace the tangled political relationships that developed when charismatic statesman Pierre Trudeau confronted the forces of oil and agriculture in Canada’s west. Part memoir, part chronicle, Trudeau’s Tango provides a window into Canadian history, politics, economics and the zeitgeist of the late 1960s.

“Trudeau’s Tango is part memoir, part documentary of the geographic, cultural and political divisions that are a permanent fixture of Confederation. The fact we held it together remains a world-class achievement. . . . Compelling reading for any Canada 150 book club . . . A fresh and lively account of politics with sharp elbows.” —Holly Doan, Blacklock’s Reporter

“An excellent book about Alberta and the Trudeaus.” —Warren Kinsella, HuffPost

“[Raymaker’s] book recalls a tumultuous political era with wry humour and a touch of anger.” —Frank Dabbs, Alberta Views

“A detailed chronology of the history and tangled political relationships of the Liberal Party at the national and provincial levels and its opponents in Alberta—the once dominant Social Credit Party and then the Progressive Conservatives—from December 1967 through November 1972. The account is filled with blow-by-blow descriptions of political events and encounters at the provincial level. . . . Recommended.” —G.A. McBeath, CHOICEMagazine