The journalist, broadcaster and author and 56th Viceregal consort Whit Fraser discusses his new memoir From Ragged Ass Road to Rideau Hall: Stories of Canada (Douglas & McIntyre, 2026), with Joseph Planta.

From Ragged Ass Road to Rideau Hall: Stories of Canada by Whit Fraser (Douglas & McIntyre, 2026). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: From Ragged Ass Road to Rideau Hall

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Whit Fraser joins me again. The journalist, broadcaster and author has a new memoir out this week, From Ragged Ass Road to Rideau Hall. The subtitle says it all, “Stories of Canada.” In the book he recounts stories of connecting with Canadians he encountered as a journalist, as well showcases memorable Canadians that he’s met more recently as the fifty-sixth viceregal consort, as his wife Mary Simon has been Governor General since 2021. We forget that in a previous career, he was a reporter on Parliament Hill, covering politics and stories about our North in the 1970s and 1980s. He was one of the first anchors on CBC Newsworld, now CBC News Network. He’s made friends high and low, and it’s these gifts of connection and communication that makes this book highly readable. He also calls out various media outlets in this country for the kind of reporting on Rideau Hall that’s unlike the sort of journalism he practiced. He also takes us into the rooms where various office holders or heads of state gather, like the Speech from the Throne in 2025 that wasn’t delivered by his wife, but rather King Charles III. It’s a delightful story he tells from his front row seat. Whit Fraser was founding chair of the Canadian Polar Commission (1991-1997), and executive director of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (2001-2006), He is the author of True North Rising, and the novel Cold Edge of Heaven. This new book is published by Douglas & McIntyre. We spoke last Thursday with Mr. Fraser joining me from Rideau Hall in Ottawa. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Whit Fraser; Your Excellency, good morning.

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