Book description
Some years are more spectacular than others, and 1939 was no
exception. Canada was a different place: steak was 29 cents a pound
and a brand-new Ford coupe could be bought for just 6. The prime
minister attempted to send a telepathic message to Adolf Hitler in
Germany. It was a year when the king and queen toured Canada and wowed
to use a showbiz term everyone from Toronto and Vancouver to Gogama
and Craigellachie. It was also a year when Canada wavered on the
doorstep of a clouded future. Isolation and neutrality or the
continued embrace of the British Empire? The onset of war and the
Royal Visit settled all that as Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie
King beat back external and internal threats to keep the tapestry of
national unity from unravelling.
Through Canada on the Doorstep youll discover the births,
deaths, storms, crimes, and politics that made 1939 so memorable.
“Canada on the Doorstep shows how one year changed the world in so
many dramatic ways.” William Rayner is a retired newspaperman who has
written several books about the history of Canada and British Columbia.
His 34-year career included writing and editing assignments with the
Montreal Star
, the
Globe and Mail
, and the
Vancouver Sun
. Prior to becoming a journalist, he served five years in the Royal
Canadian Navy. He lives in London, Ontario.
