The Unexpected Louis St-Laurent

Much of Canadas modern identity emerged from the innovative social policies and ambitious foreign policy of Louis St-Laurents Liberal government. His extraordinarily creative administration made decisions that still resonate today: on health care, pensions, and housing; on infrastructure and intergovernmental issues; and, further afield, in developing Canadas global middle-power role in global affairs and resolving the Suez Crisis. Yet St-Laurent remains an enigmatic figure. Contributors to The Unexpected Louis St-Laurent assess the degree to which he set the policy agenda. They explore the features of his personality that made him effective (or sometimes less so), the changes he wrought on the state apparatus and federal-provincial relations, and the substance of his governments policies. This wide-ranging collection fills a great void in Canadian political history, bringing together seasoned professionals and new scholars to investigate the far-reaching influence of a politician whose astute policies and bold resolve moved Canada into the modern era.