Conrad Black: "he simply outgrew the country"
"In other
countries it is permissible for public figures to hold sharply diverging political views without anyone thinking it
remarkable, but in Canada it is necessary to establish just who agrees with 'Canadians,' and who does not. (...)
"For those who see any criticism of the 'Canadian way' as disloyal, of course, Conrad has always been problematic. But even
more so has been his larger-than-life persona, the outsized virtues as much as the obvious faults.
("Has there ever been a case of an accused man finding the time, while under indictment in a complex fraud trial, to write a
1,000-page
biography of a U.S. president
"He simply outgrew the country, at least in his own mind, and it hurt and bewildered him as much as it did us. And so, in his
blustering, unpleasant way, Conrad came to represent those who wished for a bigger country, a country in which people could
lead larger lives."