In a nutshell, this book makes a convincing case that a person like Barack Obama could never become Prime Minister of Canada, due to the closed nature of Canada's political parties. It also puts forward a convincing argument that Canadian politics is overwhelmingly dominated by white males, despite our multicultural society. This is in sharp contrast to the U.S., where minorities wield a lot more political power. After making these very important points, Ibbitson counsels Canadians to get-over our inherent anti-U.S. smugness, and to be open to the possibility that we could learn some things about improving democracy from the United States.
On the negative side, however, this book contains some flaws. More specifically, on more than a few occasions, Ibbitson puts forward two different arguments which, on reflection, contradict each other. For instance, Ibbitson warns that Obama's environmental policies could hurt the Canadian economy as it could reduce production in the Alberta oil sands. (This leaves the reader with the impression that Ibbitson favours the development of the oil sands). Later in the book, however, he goes on to argue that Ottawa should participate in a cap-and-trade system with the U.S., even though this would also hurt oil sands production. (This second argument seems to favour the environment over short-term economic gain). At no point, however, does Ibbitson provide a clear answer to the question of how much oil sands production -- if any -- should be allowed, while balancing environmental concerns.
Despite these inner inconsistencies, however, this book is a fascinating read that will make Canadians rethink their relationship with the Unites States. In short, this is a well-written work that is well worth reading.
3 out of 5 stars
