Rob Ford's drug and alcohol-fuelled antics made world headlines and engulfed a city in unprecedented controversy. Reporter Robyn Doolittle was one of three journalists to view the video of Ford appearing to smoke crack cocaine. Her dogged pursuit of the story uncovered disturbing details about the mayor’s past and shone a light on the history of substance abuse and criminal behaviour that has beset the Fords, one of the most ambitious families in Canada.After Doolittle helped break...

Had It Coming is not a diatribe or manifesto, but an informed look at how attitudes around sexual behavior have changed and still need to change."As a culture we aren't very good at having nuanced, complicated discussions," Doolittle writes in her introduction. "The public space is not a safe venue to talk about controversial subjects. Social media has seen to that . . . I've come to embrace the complexities and messiness that comes with those toug...

His drug- and alcohol-fueled antics made world headlines and engulfed a city in unprecedented controversy. Toronto mayor Rob Ford’s personal and political troubles have occupied center stage in North America’s fourth-largest city since news broke that drug dealers were selling a videotape of Ford appearing to smoke crack cocaine.Reporter Robyn Doolittle was one of three journalists to view the video and report on its contents in May 2013. Her dogged pursuit of the story has uncover...

Had It Coming is not a diatribe or manifesto, but an informed look at how attitudes around sexual behavior have changed and still need to change."As a culture we aren't very good at having nuanced, complicated discussions," Doolittle writes in her introduction. "The public space is not a safe venue to talk about controversial subjects. Social media has seen to that . . . I've come to embrace the complexities and messiness that comes with those toug...

A timely indictment of a prime minister determined to remake Canada.In Party of One, Investigative journalist Michael Harris gives us an intimate look at Stephen Harper, and draws a portrait of a Prime Minister whose policies and instincts, Harris believes, are a clear and present danger to Canada’s democracy. Fueled by the election victory of May 2011, unchecked by the opposition, the staggering gap between Stephen Harper’s stated political principles and his practices starkly drive Harri...

Harperland: The Politics of Control examines Stephen Harper’s first four years in power. Soarking to the top of the best-seller lists in its first week, Peter C. Newman called it “A book of revelations...This is Stephen Harper unplugged.” Don Martin of The National Post declared it an excellent book providing insights the Prime Minister could well learn from. In Harperland, prominent Globe and Mail columnist Lawrence Martin assesses Harper’s governance, focusing on the growth of executive ...

InParty of One,investigative journalist Michael Harris closely examines the majority government of a prime minister essentially unchecked by the opposition and empowered by the general election victory of May 2011. Harris looks at Harper’s policies, instincts, and the often breathtaking gap between his stated political principles and his practices.Harris argues that Harper is more than a master of controlling information: he is a profoundly anti-democratic figure. In the F-35 debac...

Following widespread news that Toronto Police are in possession of the alleged Rob Ford crack cocaine video, there has never been a better time to read the essential backgrounder to Rob Ford's increasingly wild and erratic mayoralty.When people talk about recalling politicians, it's usually because the politician delivered something other than what they advertised, and the voters voted for--lies, frauds and infidelities. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, however, is exactly what the voters e...

An all-new collection of furiously funny rants from the most recent seasons of the Rick Mercer Report plus three brilliantly written, previously unpublished pieces by Rick. Illustrated throughout with photos and snatches of dialogue from Rick’s encounters and exploits across Canada.“[Mercer’s] trademark one-camera rants against the Canadian parliamentary machine are more concise, and more believable, than any campaign ads.” —The Globe and Mail“The comedian of choic...

Drawing on a wealth of articles written by by National Post journalists including Christie Blatchford, Jonathan Kay, Andrew Coyne, Chris Selley and more, How Rob Ford Happened examines the precipitous rise and calamitous fall of one of the most controversial public figures in Canadian political history. From his early days as a crusading suburban city councillor to his reign as Mayor of Toronto and his eventual crowning as the city’s clown prince, the National Post presen...

2015 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize — Shortlisted, Non-FictionIn Irresponsible Government, former MP Brent Rathgeber takes Parliament to task for its failure to hold the government to account.Irresponsible Government examines the current state of Canadian democracy in contrast to the founding principles of responsible government established by the Fathers of Confederation in 1867. The book examines the failure of modern elected repres...

Margaret Thatcher transformed British political life forever. So did Ronald Reagan in the United States. Now Canada has experienced a similar, dramatic shift to a new kind of politics, which author Donald Gustein terms Harperism. Among its key tenets:A weakened labour movement--and preferably the disappearance of unions--will contribute to Canada's economic prosperityCutting back government scientific research and data collection will improve public policy-making