Winner of the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award
Winner of the Margaret McWilliams Award
Filled with fascinating, personal anecdotes and peopled with colourful characters from Winnipeg’s past, A Glowing Dream: A Memoir takes the reader on a historic, and often tumultuous, journey. Taking us from the often-romanticized early days of Winnipeg’s North End to life in the public sphere, Penner tells of his role in such momentous political milestones as Manitoba’s new human rights legislation, legislation Penner counts as his crowning achievement. As former government house leader and Attorney General, Penner shares the tribulations and triumphs of standing one’s ground and fighting for what he believed to be right.
News & Reviews
“Changing Manitoba’s Human Rights Code, including prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, was Penner’s proudest political moment.” —Winnipeg Free Press
About the Author
Born in Winnipeg in 1924, Roland Penner served in Europe during WWII in the Canadian artillery. On his return, he became involved with the communist Labour Progressive Party and, later, with the New Democratic Party of Manitoba. Penner practiced law for fifteen years and, in 1972, was the first chairperson of Manitoba’s new legal aid system. In this position, he helped lay the basis for a legal aid system that is still considered one of the best in Canada. In 1981, Penner was elected to the Manitoba Legislature and appointed Government House Leader, Chair of the Treasury Board, and Attorney General in the NDP government of Howard Pawley. Penner served mainly as Attorney General, Minister Responsible for Constitutional Affairs, bringing forward new human rights legislation, and, for a brief period, as Minister of Education. Following his political career, Penner served as Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba, where he taught constitutional law. Roland Penner was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2000, and the Order of Manitoba in 2014. He died in 2018.
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