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His nickname was 'Chick': the fastest Canadian sprinter in 1947; member of the Canadian Olympic team, 1948; and a champion swimmer. He once hauled the Prime Minister, John Diefenbaker, from the surf in Barbados. He sounds a bit like The Hoff. But Chick had a great mind too - he was a Rhodes Scholar. He studied law, got into politics, and became a star in the Liberal Party. Chick was Minister of Justice under Pierre Trudeau. He was Minister of Finance during tough economic times. He was Leader of the Opposition. And then: Canada's 17th Prime Minister - John Turner.
But John held the top job for just 79 days. So how did the '70s Golden Boy become the '80s under-achiever? Let's go back. Under Trudeau, John was a trusted lieutenant. But the relationship fell apart in a turf war between the two and John paid the price: political exile. When he returned as party leader and Prime Minister in 1984, the Liberal Party was beset with palace intrigue - much of it aimed at John. And in the general election the Liberals got whupped. Their worst defeat, well, until this one.
John's incredible rise and fall is charted in a new book called 'Elusive Destiny'. It looks at John's attempt to renew the party he loved, the political tactics that undermined him, and how he moved on after his political colleagues moved him out.
Check out the rest of this week's guests right here.
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