Larry Ostola speaks with Patrice Dutil about his book, Ballots and Brawls: The 1867 Canadian General Election.

Ballots and Brawls by Patrice Dutil explores Canada's first federal election in 1867, shortly after Confederation. The book vividly recounts the idealistic foundations laid in the 1864 Charlottetown and Quebec City conferences and delves into the chaotic and often violent summer election across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec. Dutil highlights the key political and social tensions of the time—economic issues, taxation, defence, and cultural divides—while profiling major figures like John A. Macdonald and George-Étienne Cartier. Drawing on archival sources and poll data, the book provides a compelling, detailed look at the birth of Canadian democracy.

Patrice Dutil is a professor of politics and public administration at Toronto Metropolitan University and a senior fellow of the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History at the University of Toronto. He is the founder of the Literary Review of Canada and was president of the Champlain Society from 2011 to 2017. He is the author and editor of several books on Canadian politics and governance, including Statesmen, Strategists and Diplomats: Canada’s Prime Ministers and the Making of Foreign Policy and The Unexpected Louis St-Laurent: Politics and Policies for a Modern Canada.

Image Credit: UBC Press

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