Filled with fascinating, personal anecdotes and peopled with colourful characters from Winnipeg’s past, Roland Penner’s A Glowing Dream: A Memoir takes the reader on a historic, and often tumultuous, journey. Drawing on memories and archival materials, Penner connects the political dots from his paternal ancestors who emigrated to Southern Russia at the time of Catherine the Great to his own political activities. His father Jacob Penner’s family arrived in Winnipeg in 1904, partly due to the threat of Siberian exile, or worse, for his socialist and political activities. Penner grew up with parents (who met at a reception for Emma Goldman in 1908) who were watched by the RCMP because they were considered dangerous subversives. Taking us from the often-romanticized early days of Winnipeg’s North End to life in the public sphere, Penner tells of his role in such momentous political milestones as Manitoba’s new human rights legislation, legislation Penner counts as his crowning achievement. As former government house leader and Attorney General, Penner shares the tribulations and triumphs of standing one’s ground and fighting for what he believed to be right.

Born in Winnipeg in 1924, Roland Penner became involved (after his return from active service during World War II) with the communist Labour Progressive Party and, later, with the New Democratic Party of Manitoba. He practiced law for 15 years and, in 1972, was the first Chairperson of Manitoba’s new legal aid system. In this position, he helped lay the basis for a legal aid system that is still considered one of the best in Canada. In 1981, Penner was elected to the Manitoba Legislature and appointed Government House Leader, Chair of the Treasury Board, and Attorney General in the NDP government of Howard Pawley. Penner served mainly as Attorney General, Minister Responsible for Constitutional Affairs, bringing forward new Human Rights Legislation, and, for a brief period, as Minister of Education. He was Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba, where he still teaches Constitutional Law. Penner was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada, in 2000, being cited for his contribution to legal aid and human rights.

Roland Penner's profile page

Following a successful law career, Howard Pawley served for nineteen years as a member of the Manitoba Legislature, and is currently an associate professor emeritus at the University of Windsor.

Howard Pawley's profile page