From the Wood Chair to the Green Chair: A Memoir

by Dennis Mills

456 pages, Paperback

Published January 15, 2025

Reviews

[Tom Axworthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

We live in a cynical age where negativism/extremism dominates social media and many are jaundiced about politicians. An antidote to this dystopian view of life is the Memoir by former MP Dennis Mills whose motto is" never better!".Mills had an impressive career as a businessman in Chair -man Mills Corporation, a special events organization ( yes they started in the early 1900s by supplying wood chairs to events) before entering politics in the 1980 Pierre Trudeau government as an advisor on communications, then becoming an MP in 1988( the green chair in the House of Commons) serving until 2004, His memoir is organized around both his business and political expertise largely through recounting the projects he has been involved in such as bringing the Rolling Stones to Toronto, ensuring that the Canada word mark was consistently employed on government projects( basic branding) and his campaigns for tax reform, the encouragement of sports, preservation of Canada’s fresh water and support for Canada’s farmers.Mills has relentless optimism and energy ( I worked with him in the Trudeau government so know his qualities first hand.He was the go to guy when we wanted things implemented on the ground) and his book is a how- to- manuel on how to engage citizens, animate volunteers and build teams. The goal of the memoir is to demonstrate that individual MPs can make a difference thereby encouraging citizens to run for office.He wants future generations to serve( and have fun) like he did and in our modern world of polarization what a pleasure it was to read about a local activist MP l who was polite, independent thinking, always returned phone calls, worked well with MPs from all the parties , loved people and got things done.