Grant Notley: The Social Conscience of Alberta, Second Edition

This book is a biography of my dad’s political life. However, it is also a primer for would-be politicians. Its most salient message? Political victory worth having rarely comes easy. – Rachel Notley, from the Foreword Grant Notley, leader of Alberta’s New Democratic Party from 1968 to 1984, stood out in Alberta politics. His goals, his personal integrity, his obvious dedication to social change, and his “practical idealism” made him the social conscience of Alberta. He bridged the old and the new; he provided the necessary hard work to ensure the continuation of a social democratic party in Alberta. Albertans felt intuitively that he represented a part of their collective being, and his untimely death in 1984 touched them deeply. Leeson’s new introduction recognizes Grant Notley’s significant contribution to the continuity and health of his party while acknowledging the important work of his daughter, Rachel Notley, who led the Alberta NDP to electoral victory in 2015. Readers of politics, biography, and social history will appreciate this new edition of an important book.

Table of Contents:
ix A Note on the Text xi Foreword by Rachel notley xv Preface to the First Edition xvii Acknowledgements xix Introduction to the Second Edition xxxv Introduction to the First Edition 1 | A Prairie Child 2 | University Years 3 | The Early NDP 4 | Provincial Secretary Photographs 5 | The Leader 6 | The MLA for Spirit River-Fairview 7 | The Social Conscience of Alberta 8 | The Leader of the Official Opposition Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Howard Leeson's biography of Grant Notley is based on his years of association with the NDP. He was Mr. Notley's first executive assistant in 1971. He is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Regina. He and his wife Ede live on a small farm just outside of Regina.

Review :
"This book provides some excellent context for understanding the [NDP] party and the groundwork that has led to its success." "The University of Alberta Press has printed a second edition of this 1992 biography now more arresting given recent events. Author Howard Leeson, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Regina, recalls the man who might have smashed a Prairie political machine a generation before his daughter did.... "Grant Notley" is an affectionate tribute to a quiet, decent workaholic who might have become Alberta’s premier in 1986, and altered the whole course of his province and the Prairies." [Full article at https://www.blacklocks.ca/review-the-what-might-have-been] "Leeson...provides a key insight into Grant Notley's time—the organization and electoral development of a new party.... The book's most compelling insight is...that effecting real change in politics—be it about reducing inequality, alleviating the suffering of the poor or diversifying the economy—requires getting elected to government.... Leeson effectively shows the considerable personal toll politics takes on an individual and their family." "Especially commended to the attention of those with an interest in Canadian politics in general, and the political career of Grant Notley in particular..."