The political landscape of British Columbia has been characterized by divisiveness since Confederation. But why and how did it become Canada’s most fractious province? A Long Way to Paradise traces the evolution of political ideas in the province from 1871 to 1972, exploring British Columbia’s journey to socio-political maturity. Robert McDonald explains its classic left-right divide as a product of “common sense” liberalism that also shaped how British Columbians met the demands and challenges of a modernizing world. This lively, richly detailed overview provides fresh insight into the fascinating story of provincial politics in Canada’s lotus land.

Robert A.J. McDonald's profile page

• Winner, Clio Prize (British Columbia), Canadian Historical Association

Robert A.J. McDonald was professor emeritus of history at the University of British Columbia and a leading historian of British Columbia. He was the author of Making Vancouver: Class, Status, and Social Boundaries, 1863–1913, and co-editor of Vancouver Past: Essays in Social History, among other works. As editor of BC Studies and a member of various boards and committees, he was passionate about raising awareness of the history of the province and Vancouver. He was Seagram Chair at the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, president of the Vancouver Historical Society, and a much-loved teacher.

This book is one of the very best histories of Canadian provincial politics.

CHOICE Connect

A new history of British Columbia richly blends political history with the not-so-new social history in the late Robert A.J. McDonald’s A Long Way to Paradise.

BC Bookworld

...a masterful book that will undoubtedly be the definitive political history of British Columbia for years to come.

The British Columbia Review