Bill Bennett

"He was premier of British Columbia for more than a decade, but Bill Bennett remains an enigma to the people of his province. Now, ... Bob Plecas presents a fascinating insider's account of the former premier's public life." "Using a wealth of anecdotes taken from interviews with Bill Bennett, his former ministers and senior officials, Bill Bennett: A Mandarin's View reveals how Bennett set out to defeat Dave Barrett's NDP government and bring modern government to B.C., how his government endured the inevitable scnadals--remember "Gracie's finger"?--and how it agonized over Clifford Olsen's crimes." "Never before has a mandarin told the stories behind the stories that made the news in B.C. for most of the 1970s and 1980s. Here's an inside-out view of the Summer of Discontent--the Restraint program and Operation Solidarity--as well as a compelling telling of the high-stakes drama of Bennett's duels with Pierre Trudeau. You'll find out too about the man who made his dream of Expo 86 a stunning reality for all of British Columbia. And there's more, much more."-- Book jacket.