Jean Chretien’s sudden heart surgery this week came just before the launch of his much-anticipated memoir, My Years As Prime Minister. As James Adams reports in The Globe and Mail,

Chrétien was scheduled to visit 10 Canadian cities, including Winnipeg on Nov. 12. Other appearances were set for Montreal on Oct. 16 and Toronto on Oct. 19, followed by a break of about three weeks, then a return to the “campaign trail” Nov. 6 with a daytime visit to London, Ont., and a nighttime appearance in Kitchener, Ont. The next day, the former PM was to visit Moncton, followed by stops in Halifax (Nov. 8), Calgary (Nov. 13), Edmonton (Nov. 14), Vancouver (Nov. 15) and Victoria (Nov. 16).

Right now, though, all of that has been postponed as the former prime minister’s publisher, Random House, waits on news of his recovery. The same goes for a planned industry launch at Ben McNally Books in Toronto on Oct. 19.

It’s safe to say that Chretien, who wowed BookExpo Canada attendees last June with a lengthy stop at the trade show (and also spoke to Q&Q at that time), will do whatever he can to make up for lost time once he’s back on his feet. As bookseller Paul McNally tells the Globe, “As a touring author, I’d think he’d be a publicist’s dream because he’s such a seasoned campaigner….”