On Mackenzie King (0:47)
On King's Problems (1:10)
If Quebec Leaves (1:31)
On Politicians (0:53)
Bruce Hutchison was one of Canada's foremost journalists. From his base in Victoria, B.C. (where he built a home of his own design in the 1920s and lived until his death in 1992), Hutchison travelled the length and breadth of this country and wrote about its people, its history and its political fabric. He was one of the first writers to breathe life into the story of Canada, probing the human side of its political leaders and the psyche of its people. His legacy has inspired such later writers and journalists as Pierre Berton, Peter C. Newman and Peter Gzowski.
Hutchison was a particularly close observer of Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King, and wrote a biography of King called The Incredible Canadian. Among his many other books are The Unknown Country: Canada and Her People; The Struggle for the Border; Canada: Tomorrow's Giant; Macdonald to Pearson: The Prime Ministers of Canada; and The Unfinished Country. He was the winner of three Governor-General's Awards. His books should be required reading for any Canadian student or any student of Canada.
In the spring of 1992 we were privileged to be allowed to interview Bruce Hutchison in his home. Although he was past 90, he spoke clearly and at length about Mackenzie King in particular and Canada in general. As it happened, this was to be his last video interview. He died five months later.