L.R. “Red” Wilson, a Canadian Journey

Dimitry Anastakis is Professor and L.R. Wilson/R.J. Currie Chair in Canadian Business History at the University of Toronto in the Department of History and the Rotman School of Management, where he teaches about business, the state and politics, globalization, and automobility. He has published twelve books and edited collections, including five books on aspects of the Canadian auto industry in North America including Dream Car: Malcolm Bricklin’s Fantastic SV1 and the End of Industrial Modernity.

“Red Wilson is a modest, low-profile, and unassuming Canadian leader and icon who has made a remarkable and lasting contribution to Canada in higher education, business, and public service. His secret sauce is his innate sense of humour and his unique ability to unite people in common cause to solve difficult problems. An incredible role model par excellence.” - Anthony (Tony) Fell O.C. LL.D, Retired Deputy Chair, Royal Bank of Canada and University Health Network “In a fractured world where you’re often either pro-business or pro-government, Red Wilson understood and respected both, and how each wove the fabric of a nation. This is an insightful book underlining the character and the making of a great Canadian who forged a path through the foreign service, to the public service, and to the apex of business, all with a concern for a civil, prosperous country. Lynton Ronald ‘Red’ Wilson: the best of Canada." - Howard Green, Four-Time Bestselling Author, Founding Anchor at BNN, and Executive Presentation Coach“Red Wilson is a Canadian legend. Reading this comprehensive and nicely illustrated biography, you will fully understand why. But this isn’t just history. His motto, while derived from Tennyson’s Ulysses, and lived out in a different context, could not be more relevant today: ‘To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.’” - Matthias Kipping, Professor of Strategic Management and Richard E. Waugh Chair in Business History, Schulich School of Business, York University "Whether in business affairs, university postings, or government service, Red Wilson served each and every one with energy and enthusiasm." - Rod McQueen, Author of The Eatons: The Rise and Fall of Canada’s Royal Family“I first met Red Wilson when he was a deputy minister at Queen’s Park more than four decades ago. Over the years, I’ve watched him contribute to Canada as very few have. What’s made Red’s contributions so important and distinctive is that they’ve happened in both the private and the public sectors. If I can put it this way, he’s done well, but he’s also done good. And how he’s done it can be an example to the rest of us on how to live a meaningful life and make Canada better in the process. Red’s path to greatness is a story worth telling and reading, and now I’m glad we can. Well done, Dimitry Anastakis.” - Steve Paikin, Host of, The Paikin Podcast and Co-host of the #onpoli podcast“With a deft writing touch, and a nose for memorable anecdotes, historian Dimitry Anastakis chronicles a great Canadian life. The biography of business leader Red Wilson meticulously charts a dizzyingly varied career, set against the canvas of post–-Second World War Canada, with all its optimism, achievement, and, at times, disappointment. The book is jam-packed with important names and big jobs, but the writer always takes us back to the essential ingredient of family.” - Gordon Pitts, Author of Unicorn in the Woods: How East Coast Geeks and Dreamers Are Changing the Game

• Foreword by the Right Honourable David Johnston Introduction to a Biography: Red Wilson Writes a Letter to His Children and Grandchildren First Quarter: Port Colborne Lessons, 1940–19581. Commitment: Paper Routes, Baseball Cards, and the Importance of Family, Summer, 19522. Role Models, Teachers, and Mentors: Miss Currant Sets Lynton Wilson Straight, Grade 6, SteeleStreet Public School 3. Economy: Ford Model A’s, First Jobs, and Port Colborne’s Lessons of Working Life and Summer Fun Second Quarter: Formative Years, 1958–19674. Education: McMaster University’s Class of ’62 Reunion, and the Value of a Liberal Arts Education5. Sportsmanship: Football Injuries, Hockey Memories, Tennis Victories, and the Thrill ofCompetition6. Duty: Adventures in (Her Majesty’s) Trade Commissioner Service of Canada Third Quarter: Learning the Ropes, 1967–19817. Experience: Intersections in Canada’s Global ’60s, from Cornell to Christmas in Tokyo and BackAgain 8. Apprenticeship: Early Life and Career Lessons, from Labatt to Ottawa to MacMillan Bloedel 9. Service: The Station Wagon Years: Policymaking, Parenthood, and Poetry at Queen’s Park and atHome Fourth Quarter: Leadership, 1981–200510. Leadership: Red’s Path: Big Sugar, Board Memberships, and Banking 11. Responsibility: Building a Telco Future: BCE, Technology, and a Changing Canada 12. Character: Tragedy at Nortel, Success at CAE, and Traversing a Challenging Business Landscape One More Touchdown: Canada, Philanthropy, History, and Legacy, 2005–13. Determination: Championing Canada, Competing to Win, and Lessons of Leadership14. Philanthropy: Building the Wilson Foundation, McMaster, and the Humanities15 History and Legacy: Red’s Crusade for Canadian History, Heritage, and Canada Coda: Lessons Learned, Legacies EarnedAcknowledgmentsIndex