Fearful Symmetry - the Fall and Rise of Canada's Founding Values

by Brian Lee Crowley

In the 1960s, Canada began a seismic shift away from the core policies and values upon which the country had been built. A nation of "makers" transformed itself into a nation of "takers". Crowley argues that the time has come for the pendulum to swing back - back to a time when Canadians were less willing to rely on the state for support; when people went where the work was rather than waiting for the work to come to them.

Thought-provoking, meticulously detailed and ultimately polarizing, Fearful Symmetry is required reading for anyone who is interested in where this country began, where it's been, and where it's going.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

388 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Luaba · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good learning tool to better understanding of the country's political relationship between Quebec and the rest of the nation.

Crowley's book is a good starting point for understanding Quebec's tortured relationship with Canada. Crowley, a longtime Canadian political wonk who now runs his own think tank, argues that Quebec has essentially been blackmailing Canada for years. This blackmail hasn't just created a massive flow of cash to Quebec from the rest of Canada (the ROC, as it is sometimes called); it also has ended up expanding government programs that satisfy Quebecers' love of statism and skepticism about private enterprise. The result: Canada has become a European-style welfare state, despite a majority Anglo population that might otherwise prefer the small-government American model.

But Crowley's story comes with a happy ending: Thanks to the oil industry, Alberta is booming these days. And the West, in general, is attracting lots of immigrants. Quebec's share of the population is diminishing, as is its clout in Ottawa. Thus, in future years, the rest of Canada will have to pay less and less Danegeld to Quebec's policy extortionists.

For almost seven years, Canada has been ruled by a disciplined center-right Conservative administration led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Although not blessed with anything resembling great charisma, Harper somehow managed to stitch together the remnants of two now defunct political parties (the Reform Party and the Progressive Conservatives) to create a coalition that has won three straight elections.

[Tim Weakley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author develops his case fairly well. I think he places perhaps too much blame on Quebec for all of our current issues. I think maybe there was a little bit too much economic theory vs actual discussion of moral values.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know this is a bit overused as a clarification, but I would give this book 3.5 stars if I could. Happily, it seems to be sitting at 3.25 stars as I write, so 4 might do the trick!

Crowley is incredibly intelligent and knowledgeable about his subject, and does an excellent job bringing many disparate factors together to develop a convincing argument for less government intervention and more free market capitalism. I am slightly surprised that he hasn't been "cancelled" as a result of writing this book, since many of his views-particularly his perspective on the value of traditional and lasting marriage, would draw a special type of vitriol from the woke crowd. I suspect, however, that few in that particular crowd have read this book.

That, of course, is the very unfortunate current result of academics such as Crowley who seek to be honest in their assessment of the world and present historic and statistical fact as evidence for their assessments. Their work, which in another age would shake up politicians and the public in presenting shocking yet very persuasive ideas, is simply ignored rather than engaged with. Public debate has, in large part, become a shouting match-and individuals such as Crowley are simply ignored for not being aggressive enough.

All that is to say, Crowley is courageous in his assessments, but even I, who am somewhat predisposed to agree with some of his points, found his delivery much too dry. It lacked the literary eloquence that would serve to push his ideas into a public dialogue, and possibly drive change.

Beyond his delivery, the real reason I do not give Crowley's book a higher rating is that he, at times, forgot about the humanity factor in his predictions for the future and prognosis for the present. Woke culture and emotionally driven politics has completely upended any trends he hoped for, and his solutions drift too far towards optimism at times. It was interesting reading Marx' Capital at the same time as this text, as Marx persuasively contradicts some of Crowley's assumptions regarding the response of employers to shortages in the workplace as well as the movement towards more automation.

Crowley should have seen the rapid advancement of technology, as it was not particularly difficult to see. The longterm future for corporations struggling with labour shortages is likely increased automation and outsourcing of labour to reduce the reliance on people, not the increase in labour bargaining power (although in the short term it can help).

All that being said, I certainly do recommend the reading of this book to any serious explorer of Canadian politics, economics, and sociological society.

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

boring!