Behind the Man: John Laurie, Ruth Gorman, and the Indian Vote in Canada is the unique -biography- of Alberta political figure John Lee Laurie, a key proponent of Aboriginal rights in the 1940s and 1950s. Before 1961, the Aboriginal people of Canada could only vote in federal elections if they agreed to become -Canadian, - that is, to leave their reserves, give up their treaty rights, and leave behind their homes, farms, and families. Laurie was instrumental in securing amendments to the Indian Act in 1961 which gave Aboriginals the unfettered vote.

Ruth Gorman worked tirelessly...