Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s yet-to-be-named book on the history of hockey is due out in November, says his publisher Simon & Schuster.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s yet-to-be-named book on the history of hockey is due out in November, says his publisher Simon & Schuster.
In a strange twist, however, the book will be published by an American publisher because of a provision of the Investment Canada Act, which was originally meant to support Canadian publishing, reports the Globe and Mail. However, the U.S. publisher will be able to distribute the book in Canada and the U.S. simultaneously, so eager readers will be able to purchase the book as it is released.
While the prime minister penned the book, he will not keep a penny of the proceeds, Harper’s literary representative Michael Levine told the Toronto Star.
All proceeds from the book will go to support military families through the Military Families Fund of the Canadian Forces Personnel and Family Support Services.
Nor will he use the PMO or any official government resources to promote the book. “There will be no announcement from the PMO, no political connection whatever,” Levine told the Star.
The book will focus on the early days of hockey and the PM wrote it by working in 15-minute chunks, mainly in the evenings, according to Reuters.
“The early days of professional hockey featured outsized personalities who fought pitched battles to shape the game we know and love today,” Harper said in a statement from the publisher. “Writing this book has taught me a lot about hockey and a great deal more about Canada. I hope all who read the book enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the experience of writing it.”
Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to remove references to a ghostwriter on the title. Roy MacGregor was involved in the project as an editorial consultant.