I've written a book and no! this is not an attempt to flog it. I just thought you might be interested in the travails of trying to get a book from a B.C. perspective past a Toronto editor.

Let me sat this at the outset - I've nothing but praise for the courage of Key Porter Books and for the person to whom I reported, Clare McKeon.

("reported" is not the right word because I harassed her, swore at her, twice withdrew the book through her and generally made her life miserable but that the book was published is due to her.)

The problem was that Key Porter couldn't get an editor they felt comfortable with. My suggestion of Mike Smyth of the Province, a Toronto lad who's been here half a dozen years, was not accepted. Accordingly I was presented with a Toronto editor named Greg. His surname was kept secret I suspect because they knew I'd want to kill him inside a week. They were right. I referred to him throughout as Greg?

When the estimable Anna Porter asked me to write the book she knew from reading my stuff in the late Financial Post that I was a died in the blue British Columbian. She assured me of her support which, when push came to shove - as it did twice - she gave.

The problem was precisely what I anticipated. Toronto editors attend school in Toronto, graduate from college there, have all their friends there and look to other parts of Canada as nice places to visit but of little real importance and without any character or history of their own - at least none that matters. Their Canadian history learning mostly consisted if things which happened from Upper Canada east. There were certain givens. Canada was made up of "two founding nations". "Responsible" government was good. Indians were called Iroquois, Algonquin and Huron and the "west" had something to do with the Hudson's Bay Company and some cat called Louis Riel.

From the get-go Greg? and I were on a collision course.

My lifelong resentment of the central Canada "put-down" of my province was brought into sharp focus when I was a cabinet minister dealing in Ottawa with constitutional matters. The arrogance ran from the trivial, such as being called by my first name by the lowest of Ottawa bureaucrats, to sabotage of B.C.'s efforts by the Prime Minister. My suspicions were confirmed - as a British Columbian I was a second class citizen.

What sparked the book was a Toronto's assertion to me that Amor de Cosmos was the first B.C. Premier. I was unable to prove she was wrong because no standard Canadian history text mentioned John Foster McCreight, the premier when B.C. entered confederation. Obviously it was of no moment to Toronto text book publishers.

I wanted to tell the country that most of us consider the "two founding nation" to be nonsense and to describe how many British Columbians see the country and our role in it. I wanted to show that "responsible" government had come to mean one person dictatorship and a parliament full of political eunuchs.

I also had some sharp words about national unity. I wanted to talk about Quebec and national unity.

The crunch came with the first edit when Greg? disputed virtually every point even excising interviews I did during the Charlottetown campaign with people like Joe Clark, Mike Harcourt, Frank McKenna and Clyde Wells. I could not believe it! I promptly responded with a new "Charlottetown" chapter which read "On October 26, 1992, Canadians voted on the Charlottetown Referendum. I think I had something to do with the outcome in B.C. The End." I also withdrew the book.

Peace was restored by the sainted Clare who read the book and promptly emailed that the book would be printed as I wrote it, subject to grammar, structure and stuff like that - and that Greg? was history.

The new chap turned out to be well motivated, much more respectful of our province but without the faintest idea what B.C. was all about. He re-edited the book and amongst the first questions asked was "when was Roy Romanow premier of British Columbia and for how long?"

I started reviewing these new edits at 5:00PM one Friday and by 9:00PM was so convulsed with rage I withdrew the book one more time. This time I meant it but I reckoned without Anna Porter publisher and St Clare "the patient" who promptly restored order. I don't know what was said but the manuscript was returned intact and we were now down to grammar, structure and fact confirming.

Why do I tell you all this?

Because if you ever contemplate getting book from a B.C. perspective published in Toronto you'll be faced with a six foot high stone wall of prejudgment.

Unless you choose Key Porter as your publisher. They keep their word and I can assure you they're well and truly broken in.