Former senator, MPP and Brockville, Ont., city councillor Bob Runciman has written a memoir detailing his 45 years in public office.
Titled From Mad Dog to Senator, the book gives a behind-the-scenes look at Runciman’s many years as a politician as well as some personal upheavals.
“Talking to people, it would remind me of other stories as well that I was involved in. So at a certain point, I said, ‘You know, this might not be a bad book,'” he told Global News.
Though a self-described introvert, Runciman says he has always been passionate about advocating for victims of crime.
“I talk about where I gained this moniker ‘mad dog,’ where I think it originated. But I was always someone who cared about victims of crime and I would get very emotional on occasion and really, I could get aggravated,” he says.
Among the highlights, Runciman says some of his proudest moments in the memoir are finding the Brockville historical society a permanent home and the three bills that became Canadian law during his time in the Canadian senate.
It also covers the controversy surrounding his resignation as Ontario solicitor general over alleged breach of the young offenders act — which he was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
But it’s not all politics.
Runciman says his book also covers personal stories, including when his wife Jeannette befriended movie star Michael Douglas.
Her tragic passing in February 2020 is what led Runciman to start work on the memoir after it was suggested to him by his therapist.
“Jeannette was always very outgoing. she had a smile that would warm up a room. and when I was going into rooms, I was kind of a back-of-the-church kind of guy, and she was right out there, that was her personality,” he says.
Runciman remains active serving on a number of boards in the local community, including chairing the St. Lawrence Parks Commission.
A launch party is being held for the memoir Friday at Royal Brock Grand Hallway, in Brockville.
Copies of the book can be purchased on his website, bobrunciman.com.