About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
Description
A provocative case for the special balance and uniquely Canadian nature of the Conservative imperative throughout our history.
In a manner that reflects his long-time academic and practitioner's association with conservative politics and ideas in Canada, Hugh Segal traces the deep historical roots of Canadian conservatism and the themes that unite its pre- and post-confederation reality with today's challenges and issues. The Right Balance connects the historical roots and exclusive intellectual principles of Canadian conservatism to the fundamental idea of Canada with a new and insightful perspective.
Provocative and timely, this book puts the present Stephen Harper-led Conservative Party of Canada into a dynamic historical context and gives readers fresh insights into how Canadian conservatism is different and why, providing depth and texture to today's headlines. The Right Balance will appeal to both adults and students who are interested in the economics, ideas and DNA of our present political debates.
Editorial Reviews
"What Segal's legacy may be, like William F. Buckley's...is the legitimation and popularization of a political party which has, more than once, threatened to fall into the abyss."
— Winnipeg Free Press
"Canadian conservative roots are unique -- finally, a book that explains why and how...a great book for the Political Science and History departments at our educational institutions..."
— William Davis, Rt. Honourable
"The Right Balance is a meditation on Canadian conservatism. Neither derivative nor transplanted, it is a native perennial, only occasionally in bloom, enduring across the years as a voice of moderation, civility and reason."
— Globe & Mail
"Segal insists The Right Balance isn't an ideological exercise pitting right against left...[he] describes Conservative party history as a long-running dialectic between competing interests."
— Toronto Star
"Segal sets out less to define an ideology than to link up Tory history, always contrasted against Liberalism...On his own party and its deep roots, Segal offers a warm and timely family history."
— Maclean's
"The Right Balance is downright peppy."
— CBC.ca
"Hugh Segal is one of the great shining lights of Canada, a man unafraid to find the right balance politically, socially, morally -- even whimsically. This is a wonderful screed from a fine mind, a mind honed on both principles and the art of the possible."
— John Fraser, Master of Massey College at the University of Toronto
"The Right Balance...provides a historical look at the development of Canadian conservatism under party leaders dating back to pre-Confederation years."
— National Post
"Senator Segal strikes thoughtful recollections of values in conservative politics over the past three centuries. He shows with intelligence there is more than meets the eye to conservatism."
— Pierre Marc Johnson, Former Premier of Quebec
"The new book by Hugh Segal, Conservative senator and longtime party operative, is among the most engaging of the books attempting to situate and explicate Canadian conservatism that have been published since Stephen Harper's ascension to the prime minister's office. While it is by no means a page-turner, The Right Balance is downright peppy compared to many of its predecessors...Segal...issues a carefully calibrated plea to the Conservative Party leadership to remember its roots, and maybe even restore them."
— Quill & Quire
