Man of the Hour

On November 1, 1902, a telegram landed at Rideau Hall, asking Lord Minto to “receive globe encircling message via England, South Africa, Australia and Pacific Cable congratulating Canada and the Empire on completion of the first segment state controlled electric girdle the harbinger of incalculable advantages, national and general.” The sender of this staccato rhapsody was Sir Sandford Fleming, from just down the road. The completion a day earlier of his pet project, a telegraph cable from Vancouver Island to Australia, had allowed his words to loop the world before returning to the governor general in Ottawa. John Boyko’s sturdy new biography, In Pursuit of Tomorrow: The Inventive Life of Sandford Fleming, shows that the Pacific Cable was but one episode in a life devoted to consolidating Canada and the Empire. If Fleming’s stated desire to “build up Canada” is reminiscent of Mark Carney’s commitment to “build Canada strong,” then his controversial career suggests...