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With Jonathan Sas and Luke Savage
Before his death in January 2024, Ed Broadbent collaborated on Seeking Social Democracy, the first full-length treatment of his ideas and remarkable seven-decade engagement in public life. Part memoir, part history, part political manifesto, in Seeking Social Democracy Broadbent leads readers through a life spent fighting for equality in Parliament and beyond: exploring the formation of his social democratic ideals, his engagement on the international stage, and his relationships with historical figures from Pierre Trudeau and Fidel Castro to Tommy Douglas, René Lévesque, and Willy Brandt.
Two of Broadbent's collaborators, Jonathan Sas and Luke Savage, discuss his life and ideas and how he offers lessons to a new generation on how principles can inform action and social democracy can look beyond neoliberalism. Seeking Social Democracy is an engaging, timely, and sweeping analysis of Canadian politics, philosophy, and the nature of democratic leadership.
A Different Drummer Books will be on site with books for sale.
Presented in partnership with ECW Books
Borrow Seeking Social Democracy from our collection
Ed Broadbent was first elected to Parliament in 1968 and served as an MP for 21 years, 14 of which were spent as leader of the New Democratic Party leading them through four federal elections. During his time in Ottawa, his focus was on Indigenous and economic rights, women’s equality, child poverty, ethics in government, and tax equality. The founding president of Rights & Democracy, Ed held a doctorate in Political Theory and taught at several prestigious universities. He was invested as a Member of the Privy Council (1982), Officer of the Order of Canada (1993), and Companion of the Order of Canada (2002).
Jonathan Sas has worked in senior policy and political roles in government, think tanks, and the labour movement. He is an honorary witness to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. His writing has appeared in the Toronto Star, National Post, The Tyee, and Maisonneuve Magazine.
Luke Savage is a writer and journalist whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Guardian, Jacobin, the New Statesman, the Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, and the Literary Review of Canada. His first book, The Dead Center, was published in 2022.
If you need an accessibility accommodation during this program, please register early so we can confirm arrangements a few days before your visit.
Central Library is the largest location and houses historical and special collections, a computer lab, meeting rooms for public rental, and departments responsible for system-wide library services support. Burlington Public Library is a tax-supported registered charitable organization.
