Author’s notes

Some of the explanatory footnotes and in-text references will strike Canadian readers as elementary and/or unnecessary. They are intended for Americans who, understandably, are less familiar with Canadian geography, history, traditions, customs, politics, and acronyms. In the same vein, a US readership is the reason I sometimes take brief historical detours to give context to certain subjects.

Award-winning author Ed Smith (1940–2017), in his great book From the Ashes of My Dreams, eloquently stated, “This book is intended to be futuristically productive rather than historically unkind.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself. My rule of thumb, in writing this volume as in life, has been: If I can’t say something good about someone, I say nothing. With some exceptions, where it would have been disingenuous not to bell the cat or state the obvious, I have adhered to that guideline.

Persons who are no longer alive are identified, if the reference is complimentary or neutral; otherwise, the reference is anonymous. (Not that all the persons accorded anonymity herein are current recipients of their eternal reward.)