The Sound of One Voice: Eugene Forsey and His Letters to the Press

In true democratic fashion the great Canadian academic and constitutional aficionado Eugene Forsey chose to air his heartfelt opinions in the broadest of public forums, the letters to the editors page. His foremost concern was the survival and success of Canada as a unified nation, but the demise of the English language, litter, and the misguided aesthetics of government agencies in the placing of public statuary did not escape his at times acerbic pen.

Selecting from some eight hundred letters written over sixty years, Hodgetts weaves together a remarkably full picture of this patriot, whose debates in the press ranged from the role of the governor general, the senate, the judiciary, and the rule of law to his last battle over the Meech Lake Accord. In answering the question of why such a prominent public figure would attach himself to this particular genre, "The Sound of One Voice" broaches the greater meaning of the letter to the editor, a much neglected area in the literature of democratic politics.

The author's light touch - belying his solid scholarship - combined with the wit and erudition of Forsey's letters, makes for immensely pleasurable reading. Friends made through the press will be delighted to read this collection; those who missed his public voice by a generation will get a veritable crash course in Canada's central national issues.

J.E. Hodgetts is Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, President Emeritus at Victoria University, and a Skelton-Clark Visiting Fellow at Queen's University.