Getting it Done

Whether it was organizing Canada's first G-7 Summit, directing the Prime Minister's Office or concluding the Free Trade agreement, Derek Burney fused politics, public policy, and diplomacy into a fine art. His memoir is a vivid and revealing account of his remarkable career. At the heart of "Getting it Done" are Burney's colourful vignettes about key politicians. Hear Pierre Trudeau making an off-colour joke to Ronald Reagan and ride in a limousine with a fretful Jimmy Carter before his first G-7. See Colin Powell lose his temper over Canadian concerns about collateral damage in the first Gulf War and George Bush Sr. chafe at the excessive European flavour of G-7 summits. And listen to Brian Mulroney confide about the difficulties of being both prime minister and the father of young children. Burney also offers an inside look at his time as Chief of Staff to Mulroney, often cited as a model of how the Prime Minister's Office should work.As Canada's Ambassador in Washington - "both the easiest and the toughest diplomatic post in Washington" - he is ideally suited to critique the ways in which Canada manages, and sometimes mismanages, its complex relationship with the world's sole hyper-power. His career in Canada's foreign service spanned three decades with assignments in Japan and Korea and he served in Ottawa as deputy minister. Burney not only got it done but his memoir is indispensable reading for anyone interested in Canadian public affairs.