Mel Hurtig (1932–2016)

What makes a book good or worth reading? The prose the ideas behind the prose? Readability? Variations on the theme. I don't agree with Mr. Hurtig on a lot of things but he does have some good ideas, like Canadian citizens knowing more about their history and becoming more involved. But I don't agree that Canadians have lost control of their country. I think Canadian patriotism is as strong as it ever was. I do believe governments have a part in it, but I believe it has to come from the show more grassroots. show less

This book was a bit spooky to read. It is so easy to manipulate numbers and Hurtig presents so many numbers that are opposite to what we are always told that you wonder who is playing with them. He makes a lot of important points regarding our dependence on the US and how our Canadian social policy is slowly erroding to turn us into a US state. It is a very important book to read and to help us realize that we need to do something to preserve our Canada. Reading it several years after it show more came out was interesting as he spends a few pages blasting Harper and saying if he ever becomes PM we are in for it. I will have to look around to see if Hurtig has published any follow up articles on the subject :) show less

Mel Hurtig did an excellent job at educating the people about the real effects of NAFTA in this book printed in 1991. Mel's vision of the future has certainly come to pass only faster I believe than he originally projected. He further elaborates on the destruction of our soveriegnty and democracy in his 2002 book 'The Vanishing Country, Is it Too Late to Save Canada'. I would recommend the later as it's a newer book with more current stats but either are definitely must reads for every show more Canadian. Full of facts and an excellent reference book that every Canadian should own. Another recommendation would be Jack Layton's book 'Speaking Out: Ideas that Work for Canadians'. This country is on the eve of extinction and what are we going to do about it? We must act now. Please also join 'The Council of Canadians', which was founded by Mel Hurtig, and is an important activist group fighting to save what's left of our nation. show less

This book is outstanding and must be read by *every* Canadian! If your Canadian and you read just one book this year let it be this one.