JOHN IBBITSON is one of Canada's best known and most respected journalists and authors. Since arriving in 1999 at the Globe and Mail, he has served as Washington bureau chief, Ottawa bureau chief, chief political writer and, since 2015, writer-at-large. He co-authored Empty Planet- The Shock of Global Population Decline, which has been translated into nine languages and is sold around the world, as well as the national bestseller The Big Shift, both with Darrell Bricker. He is also the author of Stephen Harper, the bestselling and award-winning biography of Canada's 22nd prime minister. His writing for fiction includes The Landing, which won the 2008 Governor General's Award for Children's Literature. In March 2018, on its tenth anniversary, the book was republished by Kids Can Press. John is the general editor of the The Nation's Paper, which will be published by Signal in October 2024. John Ibbitson lives and writes in Ottawa.
INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER One of the Globe and Mail’s Best Books of 2023 “John Ibbitson brilliantly describes how the historic clash between Mike Pearson and John Diefenbaker revealed divisive chasms in our national life that have continued to the present day. A reminder that sometimes the past is not really past.” —Bob Rae, UN Ambassador and former interim Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada “The Duel brings fresh eyes to the bitter political battle between John Diefenbaker and Lester B. Pearson, who became prime ministers with exhilarating hopes and enthusiastic supporters but who left office surrounded by auras of failure and dismal polls. John Ibbitson makes the case that the two leaders, so different in personality and background, shared far more principles and policies than they or their supporters would admit. Together, these two complex, ambitious, highly intelligent, and flawed men were principal architects of the more tolerant, generous, and open Canada that exists today.” —John English, author of The Life of Lester B. Pearson “Canadian politics changed dramatically during the Diefenbaker-Pearson years. John Ibbitson’s in-depth research and analysis tells the tale of the battle of these two titans, who were the last of their generation of old school politicians. Ibbitson is a gifted and talented writer who brings history to life. A pleasure to read!” —John Baird, former Conservative Minister of Foreign Affairs “John Ibbitson has brought life and relevance back to the history of John Diefenbaker and Lester B. Pearson. It is a textured and incisive account that includes not only the history of these two men, but also the significant moments and trends that shaped the nation over decades—and continue to today.” —J.D.M. Stewart, author of Being Prime Minister “The rivalry between John Diefenbaker and Mike Pearson dominated Canadian politics for a generation. John Ibbitson examines the parallel lives of these two men, showing how their fraught relationship helped create the institutions and the policies that still govern Canada today.” —Robert Bothwell, author of The Penguin History of Canada