In today’s moralistic politics, to differ is to sin. But Stephen McNeil actually was different; he willingly committed the political sin of valuing principle over popularity. Premier of Nova Scotia for seven years, through elections, unrest, danger, and even tragedy, McNeil was determined to govern by putting principle first. Not everyone agreed with him or his priorities, but he accepted that because he was in politics for reasons other than the quest for power and the need to keep it. In Stephen McNeil: Principle and Politics, award-winning journalist and author Dan Leger argues that McNeil’s name should be there when we talk about premiers of consequence. With twenty black and white photos and a full-colour photo insert, Stephen McNeil: Principle and Politics tells the previously untold inside story of McNeil’s eventful career in politics. Through exclusive interviews with political insiders and with McNeil himself, Leger reveals that, like him or not, Stephen McNeil has had a lasting impact on the lives of Nova Scotians.

Dan Leger is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and author. A native of New Brunswick, Dan worked as a correspondent and Parliamentary reporter for The Canadian Press, as a producer for CBC TV News and as Director of News Content for the Halifax Chronicle Herald. He has written more than seven hundred newspaper columns and has appeared as a commentator on many radio and television news and current affairs programs. Dan won a Gemini Award for producing CBC's live coverage of the Swissair disaster and two Atlantic Journalism Awards for Commentary. He is author of the 2014 political biography Duffy: Stardom to Senate to Scandal. Dan is the proud father of two brilliant daughters and doting grandfather of three grandkids. He is inordinately fond of sailboats and dogs.

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