Dialogue On Democracy: The Lafontaine Baldwin Lectures 2000 To 2005

Honouring Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine and Robert Baldwin, political reformers who led Canada's first democratic government, the annual LaFontaine-Baldwin Lecture has become the national symposium for Canadians to gather as citizens and reflect on the history and future trajectory of their democracy. LaFontaine and Baldwin injected into public debate the imagination and initiative needed to make sense of their reality. The LaFontaine-Baldwin Lectures—established by John Ralston Saul in 2000—aim to encourage our imaginations by continuing the public debate around the future shape of Canada's civic culture. A collection of six lectures exploring aspects of Canadian identity and democracy, Dialogue on Democracy includes essays by John Ralston Saul, Alain Dubuc, Georges Erasmus, Beverley McLachlin, David Malouf, and Louise Arbour on responsible government, nationalism, Aboriginal values, human rights, and the distinctively Canadian response to our differences. The lecturers participated in lively conversations with Rudyard Griffiths, executive director of the Dominion Institute, and their exchanges, reproduced here, connect the essays and extend the debate. Provocative and enlightening, Dialogue on Democracy is an important addition to the dialogue about Canada's past and its future.