In the early years of Stephen Harper’s rule, Ken Dryden’s face—as he sat through question period daily in the House of Commons—revealed more than most of those around him. His expression ranged from distaste to disgust. As the days passed, he seemed less and less attracted to the mob scene that engulfed him. I wondered what was going on behind that living mask and how long he could put up with Ottawa’s demeaning game.
As a prominent member of Parliament and former candidate for his party’s leadership, Dryden has not been a frequent participant in parliamentary debate. In a recent exchange with Susan Delacourt of the Toronto Star, he said that “he decided about eight months ago to pull himself out of the political fray because he hated how he sounded to himself.” Now, in Becoming Canada: Our Story, Our Politics, Our Future, he tells us about his recent political experience, and how he coped with it. While he writhed uncomfortably through question...
Denis Smith is a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Western Ontario and, most recently, author of Ignatieff’s World Updated: Iggy Goes to Ottawa (Lorimer, 2009). He lives in Ottawa.
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