About

Mel Hurtig is an Officer of the Order of Canada and has been awarded honourary degrees by six Canadian universities.  Among his many other awards and honours, are the Lester B. Pearson Man of the Year Peace Award, the Speaker of the Year Award, the Royal Society of Canada’s Centenary Medal and, on two occasions, the Canadian Book Publisher of the Year award.  He has been Chairman of the Board of the Canadian Booksellers Association, the National Chairman of the Committee for an Independent Canada, and is the founder and former Chairman of the Council of Canadians.  Mel Hurtig also founded and published the Canadian Encyclopedia.  He is the author of several bestselling books, the latest being The Truth About Canada: Some important, some astonishing and some truly appalling things all Canadians should know about our country.

Be sure to also follow Mel on Facebook.

By randall December 28, 2009

22 Comments to “About”

  1. By Jacob Rempel, April 14, 2010 @ 3:04 pm

    Re: Grassroots members are ignored at a political party’s peril — March 25 (The Record Columnist James Travers estimates that fewer than five per cent of Canadians bother to join political parties. Having been a party scrutinizer many times, I estimate that the number is actually closer to two per cent. — Matthew Foster.

    It’s worse. And for a party to ignore it’s own members may actually be good, because it’s own members include less than one percent of the population, not necessarily well-informed. That’s grim.

    But, you know, those low numbers represent an opportunity for the thousands of non-member activists in Canada. It means that if the activists in progressive protest organizations actually join any party en mass, they can take over any party, choose its leader, and nominate all the riding candidates. Mel knows how hard it is to start a new party and campaign. Paul Hellyer knows. The Greens know. And the NDP knows how hard it is to break into a H of C majority.

    However, if all the environmental organizations, Council of Canadians, and a plethora of progressive thinking groups and special causes groups can get together, the numbers would be large enough to buy enough membersips in, for example, the Liberal Party, and take over with a radically new platform policy which would appeal to that progressive majority which is often revealed in opinion polling.

    I think such a Party would sould gain and hold a majority. We would bring our soldiers home quickly, and reverse the deep continental integration process, and of course work to restore our environment.
    —Jacob Rempel

  2. By Ben Crandall in NB, April 21, 2010 @ 3:24 pm

    From What I read so far on the the platforms of the parties out are out there and those that have seats in the house. Many have been using a neo-liberal/neo-consertive ‘rule book’. It this “rule book” that has lead to the US over all decline and down fall. Their economic crisis that they’ve exported around the world has only hasn’t there down ward spiral. Free market economics dose not have a language for culture, people, family, memory (history of/by people). When comes to gabbing a party use the media as is (controversy, celebrity, charm and charisma). Like what South America has done by rejecting both neo liberalism and neo conservatism. The next majority party (be by coalition or by it self) will NEED to be a populist in nature and function.

    As the House of commons now stand The Conservatives (or as my step-dad calls them CRAP; Conservative Reform Alliance Party) who are nothing more that western sepertices in disguise. And the
    Liberal party are both using the same rule book. Now the Quebec Qua their stated seperatices, at least they don’t hide that fact. The NDP and the Green Party I’m less certain on, other than that I think they’d bend to the money as to what is right for the people. Call me naive if you will, but I believe that the people of this country are hungry for someone to believe in, not so much to trust but believe in. Kinda like a next MacKenzie King if you will.

    People are fickle but they want/need to be heard. Some need to hand held but that’s another issue. The current crop of parties and leaders have nothing to really endear them to what the masses of this country wants freedom from fear, security, family, food and community(home). As far as I can see no one going after these, and one party is actively trying to make these things worst. I’m looking for alternatives, but the field of choses looks damn bleak. I starting contemplate my owe party but finding those of like mind is … slow
    –Ben Crandall

  3. By jillian, July 19, 2010 @ 11:29 am

    Dear Wilmer,

    Thank you for your comments. Please feel free to share this info and link to Mel’s blog. We need to get as many Canadians as possible informed!

    Jillian
    Mel’s Assistant

  4. By Roseann Chadbourne, July 25, 2010 @ 3:21 am

    There’s a book recognized as “Avoid Retirement And Remain Alive”. The idea could be the truth that retirement has no area in modern society. If you are able to make work pleasant by balancing it against the other points you’ll like to perform, then you are able to live like you’ve got every one of the time within the globe.

  5. By Kyle Roerick, August 11, 2010 @ 10:55 am

    Hello,

    I am trying to contact Mr. Hurtig. i am a student at the University of Ottawa writing his thesis on the Free Trade debate 1985-1988 and am desperatly trying to find copies of the publications produced by the Council during that time for public desemination.

    Thank you so much,

    Kyle Roerick
    kyle.roerick@gmail.com

  6. By jillian, August 12, 2010 @ 5:34 pm

    Dear Kyle,

    I’m assuming that you have seen Mel’s books. The most recent, The Truth About Canada, has a comparison of many economic indicators both before and after the Free Trade agreement was implemented. The Vanishing Country also has an analysis of the FTA – the softcover version contains an index which would help to identify the relevant pages.

    As for Council publications, I’m sure you probably know that the Council of Canadians has it’s office in Ottawa. I would assume that they maintain a library and I would encourage you to visit there if you have not already.

    Warmest regards,
    Jillian
    Mel’s Assistant

  7. By jim bjork, August 31, 2010 @ 3:00 am

    hi 54 yr old optometrist 3 male kids 20,19,17 concerned with what they are going to inherit. Why can we not print our own money and stop the huge hemorrhage of our cash to the bankers? How can we get this passed in ottawa? I see it as the most important issue-if we get spending under control everything else falls in line. And nobody talks about it. What gives? Thanks jim

  8. By jim bjork, August 31, 2010 @ 3:01 am

    it’s time to get this legislation passed(printing our own money) or we are going deeper and deeper in debt (for no good reason) just like the U.S.

  9. By Nonie Williams, September 2, 2010 @ 9:11 pm

    How do I send an email with a simple query to Jillian without joining facebook?

  10. By jillian, September 3, 2010 @ 12:31 pm

    Nonie,

    Please feel free to email me at jillianskeet@telus.net.

    Thanks.

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