A Canadian reader contacted me to say he can't believe I agree with John Ibbotson, given that Mr. Ibbotson, although (or perhaps because) he writes for the Globe and Mail, is very much a member of the Toronto liberal establishment.
Sorry, but in recommending Ibbotson's Open and Shut, I did not say I agree with his conclusions. I disagree violently with his advocacy of gay rights (he says nothing about gay wrongs), women's reproductive rights (meaning the right to kill babies) and multiculturalism (turning the rest of Canada into Toronto).
But I understand why he wrote the book. Its main point, it seems to me, is to rouse Canadians from their adequacy, to point out the intellectual sloth and gross leadership deficiencies of their politicians and public service, and to promote a national debate on how to improve.
Indeed, at the very end of his book, Ibbotson invites readers to participate in the Open and Shut online forum. I'm going to join up and if you feel like speaking your mouth [mind? ed.] I suggets you do the same.
If, for instance, you feel that Mr. Ibbotson is wrong to suggest that Canada has anything to learn from the U.S.A. about how to better manage its cities or improve the quality of public education, Mr. Ibbotson's forum (sponsored and run by the Globe and Mail) would be the place to say so. Others, including the author, will disagree with you. But that's exactly the kind of dialogue Mr. Ibbotson is trying to encourage, to open up the closed society that is Canada.
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