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"Liberal Damage Control: A Litany of Flip-Flops on Canada-US Relations" by Stephen Harper An excerpt from a blistering address by Stephen Harper, leader of the Canadian Alliance and leader of the Opposition, speaking in a House of Commons debate on Canada’s position in the war in Iraq, on April 8. "The Best Prime Minister of the Last 50 Years - Pearson, by a Landslide" by L. Ian MacDonald Mulroney second overall, Trudeau and St-Laurent in a virtual tie for third, Chrétien fifth and Diefenbaker a distant sixth in Policy Options rankings "Ranking Prime Ministers of the Last 50 Years: The Numbers Speak" by Daniel Schwanen IRPP and Policy Options selected a panel of leading historians, political scientists, economists, former mandarins and top journalists — English- and French-speaking, from all across Canada, to assess the leadership and legacies of the six prime ministers who have served at least one full term of office during the last 50 years since the Queen’s coronation in June 1953. Panellists were asked to rate PMs in four performance categories — Canadian unity and the management of the federation; the economy and the fiscal framework; foreign affairs; Canada’s role in the world; as well as social policy and the concerns of Canadians. Respondents were also asked to consider how each PM found the country and how he left it, and to assess the nature of his leadership as transformational, transitional or transactional. Finally, taking all of these ratings into account, panellists were asked to rank the PMs from first to sixth place. IRPP Senior Economist Daniel Schwanen, who tabulated the results, details the ratings and the rankings of a remarkably clear consensus — a Pearson sweep. "Jean Charest and the Dawn of a New Era in Federal-Provincial Relations" by John Parisella For the first time in Quebec history, writes the former chief of staff to two Liberal premiers, the former leader of a national party has switched to the provincial scene and attained power. The arrival of Jean Charest, who knows Canada better than any Quebec premier in modern history, along with coming changes in Ottawa and elsewhere in the country, create a new dynamic in federal-provincial relations. Beyond Quebec’s traditional demands of power and money to the provinces, Charest could exercise a leadership role in what the premier has called “domestic diplomacy” with Ottawa and the other provinces. The emerging debate on the fiscal imbalance between Ottawa and the provinces may be the first test of the new dynamic of federal-provincial relations. The test will be results, not rhetoric, writes John Parisella, with an eye to previous highwater marks of relations between Ottawa and Quebec during the Pearson-Lesage and Mulroney-Bourassa years. "Six Stewards of Canada's Economy - History by the Numbers Favours Mulroney and Chrétien, While Trudeau Leaves a Legacy of Deficits and Debt" by Michael Hart and Bill Dymond Assessing the economic legacy of the six full-term prime ministers of the last half-century is easier done than said. In economic rankings, statistics are more than empirical data, they are objective evidence. Numbers talk. The authors focus on three main criteria: Canada’s performance as a trading nation during each PM’s tenure; the fiscal state of the country at the beginning and end of his time in office; and the “misery index” of inflation, unemployment, exchange rates and economic growth. They conclude that Brian Mulroney, left an economic mess by Pierre Trudeau, had the most challenging economic context of any of the six major prime ministers of the last 50 years, and did the most to improve it. Jean Chrétien also receives high marks for having the good sense to leave free trade and the GST in place, and for having the political courage to rid Canada of its crushing legacy of deficits. Lester Pearson and Louis St-Laurent guided the country through boom times, while John Diefenbaker’s vision did not translate into a good economic performance. Trudeau receives the worst economic scorecard from the authors, both former senior economic officials and authorities on international trade. "In Foreign, Defence and Trade Policy, it's all about Managing Relations with Uncle Sam" by John J. Noble In the conduct of foreign, defence and trade policy, Canadian prime ministers are measured above all by their management of Canada’s relations with the United States. At various times in the last half century, the six leading Canadian prime ministers of the period have enunciated Canadian independence from, or expressed annoyance with, the United States. But even the creation of counterweights to US influence, at the UN and other multilateral forums, has implicitly acknowledged the pull and proximity of Canada’s uniquely shared geography, history and commerce with the United States — our best friend and closest partner, whether we like it or not. John Noble, a seasoned Ottawa hand and graduate of the foreign affairs ministry, appraises Canada’s role and standing in the world under St-Laurent, Diefenbaker, Pearson, Trudeau, Mulroney and Chrétien. "Fifty Years of Social Policy: Playing 'Hide and Seek' with Villains and Heroes" by Havi Echenberg By the time social policy issues have been identified, a consensus orchestrated, legislation passed, and benefits flowing to Canadians, one prime minister’s term of office has often given way to another’s. It was John Diefenbaker who first proposed a national pension plan in 1957, but Lester Pearson who passed the Canada Pension Plan in 1965. Again, it was Diefenbaker who in 1962 appointed the Hall Commission, whose landmark recommendations were implemented by Pearson with the creation of medicare. It was, again, Diefenbaker who adopted Canada’s Bill of Rights in 1960, but it wasn’t until 1981 that Trudeau achieved the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, entrenched in the Constitution. Havi Echenberg, an Ottawa-based writer and social policy activist, examines 50 years of social policy under the six fullterm prime ministers and concludes that credit is often a shared political commodity. "Uncle Louis and a Golden Age for Canada: A Time of Prosperity at Home and Influence Abroad" by Desmond Morton Louis Stephen St-Laurent was a reluctant politician who answered the country’s call to service in a wartime cabinet, and stayed on to shape Canada’s role in the postwar world as Secretary of State for External Affairs. Succeeding Mackenzie King as Liberal leader in 1948, he became Canada’s second francophone prime minister, and in his election landslide of 1949 he became known as “Uncle Louis”, the avuncular figure who presided over a period of unprecedented prosperity at home and uncommon influence abroad. From the UN to NATO, he enhanced Canada’s stature as a leading middle power, while affirming its role as a reliable ally of the United States. In the Commonwealth, he led newly sovereign states to share a connection to the British Crown. In North America, he built the St. Lawrence Seaway, a harbinger of economic integration to come. Desmond Morton considers the 12th prime minister and concludes: “His era was such a golden age that many Canadians believed that peace, order and good government were their natural destiny.” "Hail to the Chief: The Incomparable Campaigner Who Squandered a Historic Majority" by J.L. Granatstein John George Diefenbaker was the prairie firebrand who took the country by storm in June 1957, ending 22 years of consecutive Liberal rule with the return of a Conservative minority government. With a promise of “One Canada,” Diefenbaker then swept the nation in March 1958. Diefenbaker proceeded to squander his historic majority, blundering in economic, foreign and defence policy. He mismanaged relations with the US, notably during President Kennedy’s administration, by his reluctance to raise Canada’s NORAD forces to alert status during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. He accepted nuclear weapons on Canadian soil, and then refused them. He promised to divert 15 percent of Canada’s trade from the US to Britain, then realized he couldn’t against the pull of continental market forces. Reduced to minority status in 1962, he finally lost to the Liberals in 1963, but hung on to fight another election in 1965. Yet even in defeat, he was a mesmerizing campaigner. Perhaps his greatest achievement was winning his first two elections, providing Canadian democracy with the necessary lifeblood of alternation. Jack Granatstein considers the life and lore of the “incomparable campaigner” who was Canada’s 13th prime minister. "Pearson - Amiable but Ambitious, He Governed in Chaos and Confusion, yet Left a Legacy of Unequalled Achievement" by John English Lester B. Pearson had the good fortune to follow John Diefenbaker as prime minister, and the misfortune to have the Chief sitting across from him as opposition leader, taunting and tormenting his Liberal government at every turn. From a botched budget to a string of scandals, it seemed Pearson reigned amid chaos on his side, and the destructive tactics of the Tories on the other. Yet in only five years in office, Canada’s 14th prime minister left a record of remarkable achievement — the Canadian flag, the Auto Pact, medicare, and the Canada Pension Plan with an opting out formula for Quebec. Pearson called it co-operative federalism, and he made it his mission to address the aspirations of Quebec within Canada. From the landmark Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Bilculturalism, to the recruitment of Pierre Trudeau and a new generation of francophones, Pearson made Canadian unity and federal-provincial relations the touchstones of his premiership. The irony, as his biographer John English observes, is that a diplomat who made his reputation in foreign policy, made history as prime minister in domestic policy. "From Swinger to Statesman - Canada Comes of Age in the Time of Pierre Elliott Trudeau" by Michael B. Stein and Janice Gross Stein Pierre Trudeau burst on the scene in the spring of 1968, in a season known as a Trudeaumania. “Why not? It’s spring,” he declared when a young female fan asked for a kiss. He famously proclaimed a vision of a “just society” in which the law would be an instrument of social tolerance, and economics a means of redistributing wealth. As a result, he left Canada a more tolerant and generous society, but one deeply in debt — the federal debt increased by over 1,000 percent during the Trudeau years. He pledged to put “Quebec in its place,” but insisted “its place is in Canada.” In the Official Languages Act of 1969, he did just that, sparking a decade-long backlash in English-speaking Canada in the 1970s, a controversy that today seems as dim and distant as the one over the Canadian flag in the 1960s. Hero of the 1980 referendum, he seized on the result to deliver a promise of constitutional change, which he realized in 1981-82 by patriating the Constitution with an entrenched Charter of Rights. On the world scene, he pursued the North-South dialogue and his 1983 peace initiative in an attempt to lower the temperature of the arms race. When he left office, after four terms and 15 years, the swinger had become a statesman. Michael B. Stein and Janice Gross Stein reflect on the 15th prime minister and conclude his time was a coming of age for Canada. "The Mulroney Years: Transformation and Tumult" by Kim Richard Nossal Brian Mulroney was the only Conservative leader since Sir John A. Macdonald to win consecutive majority mandates. Yet Mulroney’s rare acclaim as he took office was followed by unprecedented unpopularity as he left it. Still, no one would accuse Mulroney of hoarding his political capital. From free trade to the goods and services tax, he restructured the Canadian economy. From Canada-US relations to la Francophonie, he realigned Canada’s foreign policy. From Meech Lake to Charlottetown, he tried to redefine the relationship between Ottawa and the provinces. Kim Richard Nossal considers Canada’s 18th prime minister, and concludes Mulroney’s record is both over- and under- appreciated. "Chrétien : La politique, une question de pouvoir" by Donald J. Savoie Elected head of a majority government for three mandates and prime minister for 10 years, Jean Chrétien owes his longevity to a sound political instinct and an indepth understanding of governmental institutions, writes Donald Savoie, Clément- Cormier Chair from l’Université de Moncton. However, for want of having defined a clear and bold vision of Canada’s future, he will not leave any lasting mark on the most demanding portfolios or complex challenges, be they institutional reform, national unity, Canada’s place on the international scene or its relations with the United States. Despite exceptional leeway due to strong economic growth and a weak Official Opposition, he deliberately avoided such fundamental issues. Dealing with relatively simple portfolios that occasionally demanded difficult decisions, he proved to be a prudent manager whose style was pragmatic, though it lacked flare. Attracted by power rather than driven by deep-rooted convictions, Jean Chrétien was hardly more than a skillful administrator who managed to make it to the top. "Good Management Should Count Highly" by William Watson [summary not available] Book Excerpt: Making History The Remarkable Story Behind Canada : A People's History by Mark Starowicz In 1995, a low moment in the history of the CBC, the fate of Canada itself hung in the balance with the Quebec referendum. Paradoxically, Mark Starowicz seized on the moment to propose the biggest and boldest production in Canadian television history, Canada: A People’s History. Five years in the making, it would run in both English and French on CBC and Radio-Canada, attract an audience of millions, become a best-selling boxed video set, and win a shelf full of awards. In this exclusive excerpt from Making History, his book on the making of the series, Starowicz recounts its improbable origins and how it almost sank — literally. Starowicz, founding producer of Sunday Morning and The Journal, tells of the stuggle out of which a television epic was born. *** At the request of the publisher, this excerpt is not available online. *** Book Review: Geoffrey Kelley reviews Making History The Remarkable Story Behind Canada : A People's History by Mark Starowicz [summary not available] "The Triumph of Schumpeterian Democracy" by Joseph Heath [summary not available] |
