THE CANADIAN READER - VOL.10 NO.2 - JOURNEY TO POWER

Oct 13, 2026

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Literary review of Don Peacock’s JOURNEY TO POWER, framed as insider accounts of Canadian political leadership transitions centered on Pierre Elliott Trudeau. The critique places the book within the 1966–1967 conservative leadership contest, the shift from Pearson, and the Liberal leadership race and election campaign. It contrasts conflicting interpretations of Trudeau’s rise and highlights Peacock’s contributions on Pearson’s role, Trudeau’s federalism, and the campaign’s planning versus luck, while noting limitations in the Conservative-side narrative.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time26 min

AccessFree to download

THE CANADIAN READER

JOURNEY TO POWER - Review of Don Peacock

THE AUTHOR

OX BELLS AND FIREFLIES - Review of Ernest Buckler

VoL10 No 2 THE CANADIAN READER VOL.10 NO.2 JOURNEY TO POWER by Don Peacock reviewed by Peter Regenstreif CANADIAN AUTHORS HAVE BEEN NO MORE IMMUNEto Trudeaumania than has the Canadian electorate,to judgefrom the avalanche of books and articles concentrating on thenew Prime Minister that has descended on the public. The quality of these literary efforts has run the gamut frompot-boiler to useful instant-history.Journey to Power belongsin the latter category.It is the work of an insider,Don Peacock,who after some ten years as a journalist on Parliament Hillserved Liberal cabinet ministers Harry Hays and J.J.Greeneas a Special Assistant and then,from October 1966 untilJanuary 1968,was Special Assistant—mostly speech-writing-to Prime Minister Lester Pearson.Peacock also worked onthe Trudeau leadership campaign. The book is true to its title.It is not confined to theTrudeau phenomenon but begins in 1966 when the Conserv-ative Annual Meeting voted for a leadership convention overDiefenbaker's objections.It takes the reader through the Con-servative leadership contest and convention of 1967;the prep-arations for the changeover from Pearson;the Liberal leader-ship race;and the election campaign itself. Because of his position,Peacock is far better on the Liberalsthan on the Conservatives.His accounts of Robert Stanfield'svictory and the internal politics of the Conservative party addlittle to what is already known.The only novel aspect of thispart of the book is the author's description of the deterior-ating relations between Stanfield and arch-strategist DaltonCamp. Peacock makes up for it when he is dealing with the Liberals,Pearson,the leadership race and the focus of his story,PierreElliott Trudeau. Two conflicting interpretations of recent events in Canadianpolitics have been conveyed by several other accounts of thisperiod.One view has it that Trudeau's victory was gained onlyafter a tough struggle over the Liberal establishment by a small inner core of hard-nosed professionals.The other suggeststhat the emergence of Trudeau was a happenstance thing--afluke resulting from the availability of a swinging French-Canadian hero and a public made receptive by adoring media-men(and women). There were,of course,elements of both in the ultimatesuccess of Canada's fifteenth Prime Minister but Peacock makesan effective contribution to the record on three points. First of all,he gives a calm appraisal of Pearson's role inelevating his successor to power.There is no question thatPearson favored Trudeau and helped him considerably duringthe final six months of his tenure in office.Some of the datesand places had not been put together before the author didSO. Secondly,in discussing the development of Trudeau as acontender for the leadership,Peacock devotes considerablespace to issues rather than confining himself to personalities.Specifically,he deals rather extensively with Trudeau's con-ceptions of federalism and shows how they differed from thoseprevailing among not only the Conservatives but also themajority of Liberals-including,at least at one time,Pearsonhimself. Finally,I believe Peacock makes a beginning at setting therecord straight regarding the question of the planning(or lackof it)in the campaign to make Trudeau leader of the Liberalparty.To read some accounts,Trudeau'srun for the leadershipwas a masterpiece of strategy.Peacock shows that Trudeauwas a reluctant candidate and that his off-hand organizationoccasionally hurt rather than helped his cause. If anything,to me,Peacock doesn't really go far enough inthis last point.Many of us who were fortunate enough towatch the political in-fighting in Canada at first-hand duringthe past year and a half could easily write reams of copy aboutthe role of dumb luck rather than brains in the eventual out-come. The truth is,Trudeau is not today,nor was he then,anideal candidate.For example,Bryce Mackasey drove himselfto a heart-attack during the first week

FAQs

What period does JOURNEY TO POWER cover according to the review?

The book begins in 1966, moves through the Conservative leadership contest and 1967 convention, then covers the preparations from Pearson to the Liberal leadership race and the election campaign.

How does the reviewer assess Peacock’s strengths?

Peacock is described as stronger on the Liberal side, particularly in assessing Pearson’s role, Trudeau’s development as a leadership contender, and points relevant to how Trudeau became Liberal leader.

What criticism does the reviewer raise about the book’s final point?

The reviewer argues Peacock does not go far enough in addressing the role of dumb luck versus brains in the outcome, and cites examples of how Trudeau’s reluctance and organization issues affected the campaign.

Oct 13, 2026

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