Stories Best Left Untold

Product Description

Gord Mackintosh was not your typical politician and this book is not your typical political memoir. Mackintosh steps out of his familiar role as the Manitoba NDP’s go-to guy, foot soldier and law reformer to provide a unique take on the quirky places and people behind his long and varied career. From secret passages, archaisms, and funny business at Manitoba’s Legislature, to door-knocking surprises, crime-fighting and “saving Mother Earth,” Mackintosh weaves warm-hearted anecdotes of his many years in public life. Hooey, hijinks, and embarrassment that humanize our political system are interspersed with major political events of the last thirty years, for which he had suspiciously differing roles. Whether Manitoba’s French Language Crisis, the Meech Lake Crisis, the MTS Debate, the Flood of the Century, the Auto Theft Capital of North America, or the internal rebellion against Premier Greg Selinger, he still urges, “It wasn’t me.” Calling it “more sunshine sketches than social science”, Mackintosh exposes what it’s really like in politics, with seasoned political advice, strong opinion -- including an “unbiased view” of opponents, and a celebration of leadership. He also offers a self-deprecating backstory to many government decisions—required reading for Manitoba citizens of any political stripe.

Review

“Gord was up for any challenge. And he got things done. So I sent him to the tough spots in government. But he didn’t complain…and now I think of it, he laughed a lot. That’s what he’s achieved in this book -stories of politics combined with his small-town, hard-rock view that exposes a foot soldier’s humour, humility, and humanity.
And he was a real advocate -one week personally saying, 'Pass the Meech Lake Accord,' the next week as Elijah Harper’s lawyer, saying 'Stop the deal.' Read all about it.” — Gary Doer, former Manitoba premier and Canadian ambassador to the U.S.




“Mackintosh’s memoirs are richly informative and serve as an important insider account” — 
Winnipeg Free Press

About the Author

Gord Mackintosh is recognized as one of Canada’s most prolific provincial politicians and one of the longest sitting Attorneys General. Serving twenty-three years as an MLA and seventeen as a Minister, Mackintosh helped to drive nation-leading public safety initiatives and provincial reforms for family services and conservation. From his small-town upbringing by a mother weakened by TB, to lessons at North America’s toughest school, in a rock band, and in Winnipeg’s North End, Mackintosh became counsel to Elijah Harper for the Meech Lake Crisis and helped fight Saskatchewan’s Alameda dam before he was elected six times as a New Democrat to Manitoba’s Legislature. He now provides consulting services and teaches Canadian law in the political science department at the University of Winnipeg.