The author and broadcaster Carol Off discusses her new book True Patriot Love: Reporting from the Frontlines of Canadian Sovereignty (Random House, 2026), with Joseph Planta.
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True Patriot Love: Reporting from the Frontlines of Canadian Sovereignty by Carol Off (Random House, 2026).
Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: True Patriot Love [1] |
Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:
I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.
Carol Off joins me again. The bestselling author and former host of CBC Radio’s As It Happens, has just published True Patriot Love: Reporting From the Frontlines of Canadian Sovereignty. The book not only charts how Canadians feel in this moment when our sovereignty is under attack by Donald Trump, but it also illustrates what we’re doing in the face of an existential threat. I’ll ask Ms. Off about whether the attitude Canadians are taking is a surprise and whether it’s sustainable. We’ll also talk about the rise of separatism within Canada, chiefly last week’s referendum in Alberta, and the recent Parti Quebecois government taking office in Quebec. The book is full of examples of what Canada’s done in the past when facing cultural or economic threat. On media, broadcasting, film and books, the book describes the efforts of so many Canadians over the last fifty, sixty years who fought for a sovereign culture and what that meant for Canadian arts and letters. The book is also personal for Carol, talking about journeys across Canada in her youth, getting into broadcasting, as well as the stories she covered in Canada like the Meech Lake Accord and Free Trade, or outside of Canada like conflict in Bosnia and Rwanda. Carol also writes candidly about how reporting assignments drew her away from her young son. There’s also an incident that she discusses in the book about being assaulted by a Canadian Senator when covering federal politics in the 1980s. The book reflects Canada then as now, as well as the Canada that we’ve come to appreciate; that the author has come to love. Carol Off’s previous book At a Loss for Words: Conversation in an Age of Rage was a number one bestseller. She’s written four other works of non-fiction. This new book is published by Random House. She joined me from Toronto last week. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Carol Off; Ms. Off, good morning.
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