The Rule of Law: Religion, Nationalism, and Abuses of History

A parliamentarian’s warning from inside Canada’s democracy

At a moment when democratic institutions face increasing strain, The Rule of Law: Religion, Nationalism, and Abuses of History gathers decades of parliamentary speeches and reflections that confront one enduring question: What sustains the rule of law?

Drawn from service in the Senate of Canada, these speeches trace the fault lines of modern political life — nationalism and democracy, Quebec and constitutional change, foreign policy and moral responsibility, war crimes legislation, peacekeeping, NATO expansion, and Canada’s evolving place in the world. Moving between domestic debate and international crisis, the author returns repeatedly to a central concern: how fragile legal and democratic norms can become when history is misused and power goes unchecked.

Both a record of public life and a meditation on governance, The Rule of Law: Religion, Nationalism, and Abuses of History offers readers an inside view of parliamentary debate at the end of the twentieth century — and a timely reflection on the precarious state of the rule of law in our own time.

• Offers a rare insider perspective on parliamentary process, public policy, and diplomatic engagement
• A curated collection of Senate speeches spanning key debates in Canadian political life at the end of the twentieth century
• Addresses major national issues including Quebec, constitutional reform, and the tensions between nationalism and democracy
• Explores Canada’s role in global affairs, with discussions of NATO, peacekeeping, trade, and international law

Release: Jun 2026 | ISBN:  9781771618960

425 pages | $39.95 CDN

About the Author

JERRY S. GRAFSTEIN is a lawyer and retired senator who represented Ontario in the Senate of Canada from 1984 to 2010. A leading voice on foreign affairs, international trade, and democratic governance, he co-chaired the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group and served with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. He is also the author of A Leader Must Be a Leader: Encounters with Eleven Prime Ministers and The Fractured Twentieth Century.