Trudeau appeared to enjoy the encounter. He stood his ground while escaping projectiles, including a tomato…

In this insightful and lively history, Liberal insider Darryl Raymaker recalls the attempt to broker “a marriage from hell” between the federal Liberal Party and Alberta’s Social Credit government in the late 1960s. Raymaker uses his deep connections and backroom knowledge to trace the tangled political relationships that developed when charismatic statesman Pierre Trudeau confronted the forces of oil and agriculture in Canada’s west. Part memoir, part chronicle, Trudeau’s Tango provides a window into Canadian history, politics, economics, and the zeitgeist of the late 1960s. Foreword by Lloyd Axworthy.

Darryl Raymaker was born, raised, and educated in Alberta and practised law in Calgary for more than 50 years. An active member of the federal Liberal Party since 1963, he ran as a candidate four times and has served on the national executive of the party. He lives in Calgary, Alberta.

Darryl Raymaker's profile page

"After he sold his Calgary practice, Darryl Raymaker—lawyer, corporate director, political junkie, folk music aficionado and raconteur—embarked on a lifetime labour of love: a book about the wayward course of the Liberal Party in Alberta and its love-hate relationship with Pierre Elliott Trudeau during the prime minister's first mandate (1968 to 1972) 'Trudeau’s Tango' is the ably written result. [H]is book recalls a tumultuous political era with wry humour and a touch of anger."

Alberta Views

"Trudeau’s Tango" is part memoir, part documentary of the geographic, cultural and political divisions that are a permanent fixture of Confederation. The fact we held it together remains a world-class achievement. Trudeau’s Tango makes compelling reading for any Canada 150 book club.... Trudeau’s Tango is a fresh and lively account of politics with sharp elbows." [Full review at https://www.blacklocks.ca/review-pierre-the-sodbusters/]

Blacklock's Reporter

# 4 on Edmonton Non-Fiction Bestsellers list, October 08, 2017

"[Raymaker's] book is a detailed chronology of the history and tangled political relationships of the Liberal Party at the national and provincial levels and its opponents in Alberta—the once dominant Social Credit Party and then the Progressive Conservatives—from December 1967 through November 1972. The account is filled with blow-by-blow descriptions of political events and encounters at the provincial level. It also features the rise of Pierre Trudeau, Canada’s charismatic prime minister, who was unable to permanently improve electoral outcomes for Liberals in Alberta (perhaps for lack of trying).... Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; upper-division undergraduates through professionals." [Full review at http://www.choiceconnect.org/webclipping/205897/t83h--3f47c2mj78f7lgai46q7hlhc21-s90qyditg06p52vza]

CHOICE Magazine

"...Darryl Raymaker, has recently written an excellent book about Alberta and the Trudeaus, called Trudeau's Tango. In his compendious book, Raymaker reminds everyone that the Trudeau name has always been controversial in Alberta—but respected, too. The Trudeau name gave 'Alberta Liberals hope,' Raymaker writes. The father, then—like the son, now—'was a man for his time—new, youthful, superbly confident, tough and equally articulate in both official languages.' What made Pierre Trudeau appealing in Alberta in his era makes the son just as appealing in his." [Full post at http://ow.ly/lBtH30dKOog]

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