A collection of the most powerful and moving oratory that Canada has to offer.

Throughout history, men and women of great eloquence have persuaded their contemporaries to build nations, to make war and create peace, to sway judges and juries, to celebrate the accomplishments of the living, and to mourn for the dead.

Canada has had more than its share of great orators, individuals who have used their rhetorical powers to explore important issues faced by our nation: Confederation, relations between peoples, human rights, the economy, culture, our international relationships, particularly with the United States, but also our role in the larger and developing world.

Great Canadian Speeches is a thought-provoking collection of the finest speeches in Canadian history, among them:

• Sir John A. MacDonald making a case for Confederation, while silver-tongued Joseph Howe argues against it;
• Louis Riel pleading his case to a Regina jury in 1885;
• Nellie McClung demanding the vote for women;
• Dr. Norman Bethune urging Canadians to support the Republican cause in Spain;
• Pierre Trudeau and Rene Levesque facing off in the 1980 Quebec referendum;
• Thomas Homer-Dixon pondering Canada's future in an increasingly unstable world.
• David Suzuki addressing environmental challenges
• Jean Chretien on the Trade Tower bombing
• Justin Trudeau's "Je t'aime papa"
• Stephen Lewis' talk on AIDS and the west
• and many more.

Great Canadian Speeches is an eminently readable, thought-provoking oratory for anyone who treasures our country's history and literature.

Dennis Gruending
is a former Member of Parliament from Saskatchewan. A journalist by profession, he has worked for three newspapers and as a producer and host for CBC Radio in western Canada. His previous books includeGreat Canadian Speeches, The Middle of Nowhere, and biographies of Emmett Hall and Allan Blakeney. His articles, stories, and poems have appeared in NeWest Review, The Canadian Forum, New Internationalist, Maclean's, and Reader's Digest. Dennis lives in Ottawa, Ontario.

Dennis Gruending's profile page

"A delight to dip into and savour."
— Quill and Quire

"Great Canadian Speeches is a remarkable collection edited by Dennis Gruending sharing orations by our political greats as well as history-makers like Norman Bethune and Nellie McClung."
— Canadian Bookseller

"Exquisitely balanced."
— Winnipeg Free Press

"Dennis Gruending's latest book is so timely. . . A teaser of a book: so much to digest of our history, and yet you want to keep discussing its meaty parts. A very worthwhile book.
— The Oscar (Ottawa)