The Selected Writings of Brian Mulroney. The Philosophy of John Diefenbaker. The unlikeliness of such books throws into relief how unusual Pierre Trudeau was among Canadian prime ministers. In addition to governing the country for longer than anybody since Mackenzie King, he’s an exception among national leaders in being a substantial intellectual presence. We’re interested in knowing not just what Trudeau did, but what he said – especially since his actions were guided by a consistent set of ideas and principles – to an extent rare among politicians.

Journalist Ron Graham does academics, pundits, and political junkies a service by providing a concise, accessible, and well-organized introduction to Trudeau’s thoughts about public affairs. The volume consists of 23 thematically arranged chapters – most with introductions and notes newly written by Trudeau himself – that contain excerpts from his articles, speeches, and interviews with the media, ranging from the 1940s to the 1990s. We find his thoughts on the art of governing, the role of the state, free enterprise, human rights, bilingualism, Quebec nationalism, and Canadian patriotism. The format allows us to trace recurring themes, including Trudeau’s belief in the primacy of individual rights over collective rights, his famed preference for reason over emotion in public life, his Keynesianism in economics, his belief in the possibility of achieving a “just society,” and his even-handed distaste for Québécois separatists and anti-French anglophones. But there are some tensions among his ideas. For example, prior to his political career Trudeau bitterly attacked authoritarianism, but as prime minister he showed an inflexible desire to impose his personal vision of Canada on a reluctant country – the common factor, perhaps, being another of his well-known ideas: that he’s always right.

Trudeau’s new contributions in the book show he hasn’t lost his intellectual edge or his combativeness (he typically dismisses separatists as whiners and “crybabies”). Unfortunately, there isn’t much here that reveals anything unexpected about his thought. But at a time when he’s so often referred to as the author of our current woes or as the kind of leader we need again, it’s good to have a book that reminds us exactly what he stood for and why he did what he did.