- Description
- Author
- Details
Gerry St. Germain's story begins in "Petit Canada" on the shores of the Assiniboine, growing up with his two younger sisters, his mother and his father--a shy Metis trapper and construction worker who sometimes struggled to put food on the table. St. Germain was initially troubled in school, scrapping with classmates and often skipping out to shoot pool, but an aunt and uncle with some extra cash paid his tuition to Catholic school, where a nun recognized his aptitude for math and encouraged him to pursue his dreams. He would go on to become an air force pilot, undercover policeman and West Coast chicken farmer. Business gave way to politics, and in 1988 he became one of a tiny number of Aboriginal Canadians named to a federal cabinet. That milestone was just one of many for a man who played a critical role in Canada's Conservative movement for a generation.
From the Brian Mulroney era to the roller-coaster leadership of Kim Campbell, then to the collapse of the Progressive Conservative party in 1993 and the subsequent rebuilding of the movement under Stephen Harper, St. Germain remained a trusted confidant of prime ministers and a crucial and often daring behind-the-scenes broker in bringing warring factions together. But he is most proud of his efforts during his later years in the Senate, when he was a quiet hero to Canada's Aboriginal community. He spearheaded major Senate reports on key issues like land claims and on-reserve education during the Harper era, when there were few friendly faces for First Nations leaders on Parliament Hill. That role reflected St. Germain's profound determination to help people who are still dealing today the brutal legacy of residential schools and the paternalistic Indian Act. Memories of his humble beginnings, and the shame he once felt over his Metis heritage, bubbled to the surface in his final address to Canada's Parliament in 2012, when he said in a voice quaking with emotion: "I am a Metis."
Peter O'Neil
Harbour Publishing
ISBN: 9781550177848
Hardback
6.0 in x 9.0 in - 240 pp
You might also enjoy
A Field Guide to Gold, Gemstone & Mineral Sites of British Columbia Vol. 2: Sites within a Day's Drive of Vancouver
Rick Hudson$29.95
A Hard Man to Beat: The Story of Bill White: Labour Leader, Historian Shipyard Worker, Raconteur
Howard White$21.95
A Magical Time: The Early Days of the Arts at Simon Fraser University
Ann Cowan, Barry Truax, Bill Jeffries, Carole Gerson, Christine Hearn, Frances Atkinson, Francis Mansbridge, Hildegard Westerkamp, Max Wyman, Sandy Wilson, Tessa Perkins Deneault$38.95
A Rock Fell on the Moon: Dad and the Great Yukon Silver Ore Heist
Alicia Priest
Translation missing: en.products.thisProd.from
$24.95
Translation missing: en.products.thisProd.regular_price
$32.95
Using Power Well: Bob Williams and the Making of British Columbia
Benjamin Isitt, Bob Williams, Thomas Bevan$22.95
The Curve of Time: New, Expanded Edition
Edith Iglauer, Howard White, M. Wylie Blanchet, Michael Blanchet$19.95
Adventures in Solitude: What Not to Wear to a Nude Potluck and Other Stories from Desolation Sound
Grant Lawrence$26.95
The Road to Appledore: Or How I Went Back to the Land Without Ever Having Lived There in the First Place
Tom Wayman$26.95
Milk Spills & One-Log Loads: Memories of a Pioneer Truck Driver
Frank WhiteTranslation missing: en.products.thisProd.from $24.95
Tranquility Lost: The Occupation of Tranquille and Battle for Community Care in BC
Gary Steeves$21.95
Where Mountains Meet the Sea: An Illustrated History of the District of North Vancouver
Daniel Francis$39.95
Watershed Moments: A Pictorial History of Courtenay and District
Catherine Siba, Christine Dickinson, Deborah Griffiths, Judy Hagen$34.95
A Better Place on Earth: The Search for Fairness in Super Unequal British Columbia
$22.95
The Carbon Tax Question: Clarifying Canada’s Most Consequential Policy Debate
Thomas F. Pedersen$26.95
