The political, media and business elites of Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal ran this country for almost its entire history. But in the last few years, they have lost their power, and most of them still do not realize it’s gone. The Laurentian Consensus, a name John Ibbitson coined for the dusty liberal elite, has been replaced by a new, powerful coalition based in the West and supported by immigrant voters in Ontario. So what happened?

Great global migrations have washed over Canada. Most people are unaware that the keystone economic and political drivers of this country are now Western Canada and the immigrants from China, India, and other Asian countries who increasingly are turning Ontario into a Pacific-oriented province. Those in politics and business have greatly underestimated how conservative these newcomers are, and how conservative they are making our country. Canada, with an ever-evolving and growing economy and a constantly changing demographic base, has become divorced from the traditions of its past and is moving in an entirely new direction.

In <em>The Big Shift</em>, John Ibbitson and Darrell Bricker argue that one of the world’s most consensual countries is polarizing, with the west versus the east, suburban versus urban, immigrants versus old school, coffee drinkers versus consumers of energy drinks. The winners—in politics, in business, in life—will figure out where the people are and go there too.

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Product details

Publisher : HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; Canadian First edition (Feb. 26 2013)
Language: : English
Hardcover : 256 pages
ISBN-10 : 1443416452
ISBN-13 : 978-1443416450
Item Weight : 454 g
Dimensions : 16.21 x 2.54 x 23.5 cm

Best Sellers Rank: #157,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #171 in Politics in Government
- #2,875 in Politics (Books)

Customer Reviews:
52 ratings

Product description

About the Author

Darrell Bricker is the CEO of Ipsos Global Public Affairs. Prior to joining Ipsos Reid, Bricker was director of public-opinion research in the office of the prime minister. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from Carleton University and is the co-author (with Edward Greenspon) ofSearching for Certainty: Inside the New Canadian Mindset. He is the co-author, with John Wright, of What Canadians Think About Almost Everything. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellBricker.

John Ibbitson, chief political correspondent for The Globe and Mail, has served as the paper’s Queen’s Park columnist, Ottawa political affairs correspondent and bureau chief in both Washington and Ottawa. His numerous political books include Open and Shut: Why America Has Barack Obama and Canada Has Stephen Harper and The Polite Revolution: Perfecting the Canadian Dream. His novel The Landing won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Children’s Literature. He lives and writes in Ottawa. Follow him on Twitter @JohnIbbitson.

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Top reviews from Canada

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Ken McCormack

Very interesting look at the changing demographics in Canada. ...

Reviewed in Canada on May 7, 2015

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Very interesting look at the changing demographics in Canada. A reader must be critical that this is only the authors view, but it provides food for thought.

2 people found this helpful

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Matthew Bolton

As Advertised!

Reviewed in Canada on July 31, 2020

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Delivered in good condition!

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bill rogerson

I loved the whole package and I would tell anyone that ...

Reviewed in Canada on September 18, 2014

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It taught me about underlying currents in todays society. I loved the whole package and I would tell anyone that this a very smart book to purchase.

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Rose Lamb

Awesome read.

Reviewed in Canada on October 19, 2014

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Great book and love that it is Canadian data and the author is Canadian too. Well done and Darrell is a wonderful speaker for those planning a conference. Thanks.

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Neil Soliven

good book

Reviewed in Canada on September 15, 2015

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excellent read for those who are politically engage

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Richard O'B

One Star

Reviewed in Canada on October 4, 2016

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Out of date already - oil crisis duh

One person found this helpful

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Griffin Wild

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on June 30, 2015

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interesting premise, well presented

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EX-Horseman

Buy this one

Reviewed in Canada on May 24, 2017

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A good read

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M. McManus

How Canada went from left to right

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 14, 2013

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In the 1990s, Canada was solidly on the left, so much so Pat Buchanan dubbed it 'Soviet Canuckistan'. Yet just a few years later, Canada had withdrawn from Kyoto, was rigorously punishing criminals and generally pursuing a solidly rightist agenda. So how did this transformation take place? The author argues that political and cultural power in Canada was traditionally rooted in Ontario. Canada's large immigrant communities tended to lean leftwards, and with Eastern Canada solidly on the left as well, this was a winning coalition the left expected to endure. Yet under the guidance of Harper, the Conservatives in Canada successfully poached voters from the left. They were particularly successful attracting voters drawn from socially conservative immigrant groups such as Koreans, Indians and Chinese, who had previously voted leftist. This was done by appealing to their frustrations about crime under the 'softly-softly' policing of the Canadian left, and interestingly, their fears about illegal immigration. This was because legal immigrants are even more angry about illegal immigration than the settled population. Added to the votes of Western Canada, which the right got anyway, the left saw its support collapse, and the right firmly establishing itself in Canada.

The book also notes that whilst the right in Canada has been hugely successful, it has not always been able to succeed. Harper's rightist world view meant that he initially found it difficult to manage foreign policy with China. Also, he had to accept that on issues like the death penalty and abortion, Canada was not quite ready to embrace all of the right's agenda.

This book is a great introduction to Canadian politics.

Max Musterer

Excellent Take on how Canada is shifting but has issues

Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2019

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The basic premise of this book is that immigration is shifting Canada away from a big Liberal state to a small C conservative one i.e. small goverment, family and tough on crime. As with all books like this the basic premise can summed in in 2-3 chapters but no one will pay 14 dollars for a 50 page book so the authors need to fill out the rest of the book. This is where they run into issues, as the book was written during the Harper period they make all kinds of election predictions that, embarrassingly, don't come to pass. Fast forward a decade and Justin Trudeau after one term is in serious trouble. if it weren't for Doug Ford we'd see a majority PC government.! So yes the basic premise of the book is spot on.

Recommended if you want to understand Canadian politics. Just note you only need to read the 1st 3 chapters.

William L. Seavey

Should be Read by Both Canadians and Americans

Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2014

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John Ibbotson writes for Canadian media and Darrell Bricker is a pollster; together they have dissected the recent changes in demographics in Canada, as a wave of new immigrants (and the "dying off" of the Laurentians--a moneyed, influential elite that has controlled politics, culture and even the economy for years) imposes new demands on what many consider to be one of the greatest countries in the world (yes, even compared to the USA). I came across this tome late in my research on how Canadians and Americans can cooperate better together--maybe even form a union--and plan to quote from it in my new book nearly ready for publication. This book would certainly be useful to both Canadians and Americans in understanding what is truly going on above the 49th parallel. Lots happening there!

2 people found this helpful

Nadine

excellent read

Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2014

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This book was required reading for 2 of my university classes this semester thus why I read it. Having laughed out loud many times I highly recommend it even if it's not on a political science required reading list. Gotta love Laurentian Elite profs who embrace the idea of The Big Shift :) Enlightening, insightful and written in a way that humorous and easy to read.

2 people found this helpful

Rob Chilton

A hint of what's to come.

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2013

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For a news/political junkie, it was interesting to read in black and white what I've felt to be happening for quite some time.

2 people found this helpful

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