PRIME MINISTERS of CANADA

Prime Minister

Wilfrid Laurier
- born 1841, Saint-Lin, Canada East
(Qubec)
- lawyer
- first elected to Commons in 1874
- prime minister 18961911;
longest unbroken tenure as prime
minister; first prime minister of
French ancestry

Domestic Record
helped resolve the Manitoba
Schools Question in 1896 by allowing some Catholic and French
instruction in public schools
supported the construction of a
second transcontinental railway
in 1903
oversaw Alberta and
Saskatchewan joining
Confederation in 1905
created the Royal Canadian Navy
with the Naval Service Act in 1910
opposed conscription during the
First World War (19141918)

International Record
participated in colonial conferences of 1897 and 1902, rejecting
Englands proposals to unify the
British Empire
sent a force of Canadian volunteers to fight in the Boer War
(18991902)
fought for Canadas claim during
the Alaska boundary dispute,
1903

Prime Minister

Robert Laird
Borden
- born 1854, Grand Pr, Nova Scotia
- teacher, lawyer
- first elected to Commons in 1896
- prime minister 19111920

Prime Minister

Arthur Meighen
- born 1874, Anderson, Ontario
- lawyer
- first elected to Commons in 1908
- prime minister 19201921, June
September 1926

Domestic Record
Domestic Record
passed the War Measures Act
(1914) during the First World War
introduced income tax as a temporary measure in 1917
made conscription mandatory in
1917 by passing the Military
Service Act
won the 1917 khaki election by
passing the Military Voters Act and
the Wartime Elections Act
sent federal troops to break up the
Winnipeg General Strike (1919)

helped write and pass the Military

Service Act and Wartime
Elections Act
created the Canadian National
Railways in 1919 by nationalizing
several transportation companies
played a prominent role in ending
the Winnipeg General Strike in
1919
formed a minority government
during the King-Byng Crisis in
1926

International Record
International Record
led the Canadian delegation at the
Paris Peace Conference in 1919

successfully argued against an

Anglo-Japanese alliance at the
1921 Imperial Conference

Prime Minister

William Lyon
Mackenzie King
- born 1874, Berlin (Kitchener),
Ontario
- author, editor, journalist, lawyer
- first elected to Commons in 1908
- prime minister 19211926, 1926
1930, 19351948

Domestic Record
created the Industrial Disputes
Investigation Act in 1907
helped create Canadas first oldage pension program in 1927
fought for Canadian autonomy
during the King-Byng Crisis
(1926) and in signing the Halibut
Treaty with the United States
(1923)
appointed Cairine Wilson as the
first woman senator in 1930
commissioned the Rowell-Sirois
Report of 1937
introduced unemployment insurance in 1940

fought to allow Canada to sign the

Treaty of Versailles

held national plebiscite on conscription in 1942

won Canada a place in the League

of Nations

passed the Family Allowance Act

in 1945

was lead author of Resolution IX

at the Imperial War Conference
(1917), arguing that Canada deserved recognition as an autonomous nation

helped create the Canadian

Citizenship Act in 1947, which
was the first statute to define
Canadas people as Canadians
longest-serving prime minister in
Canadian history

International Record
defended Canadas autonomy
during the Chanak Crisis (1922)
helped create the definition of
Dominion status at the Imperial
Conference of 1926
insisted that Parliament decide if
Canada would become involved
in international conflicts
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18961968
Prime Minister

Richard Bedford
Bennett
- born 1870, Hopewell,
New Brunswick
- teacher, lawyer, businessman
- first elected to Commons in 1911
- prime minister 19301935

Domestic Record
established relief camps for unemployed single men during the
Depression
created the Canadian Radio
Broadcasting Commission
(CRBC) in 1932, which regulated
broadcasting in Canada; the
CRBC became the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
in 1936
passed the Bank of Canada Act in
1934, creating a central bank that
issues currency, sets the bank rate,
and helps decide banking policies
helped create the Canadian Wheat
Board, which works to control the
prices and marketing of Canadian
wheat

International Record
persuaded the British Empire to
give Canada preferential tariffs,
which helped the Canadian economy during the Depression

Prime Minister

Louis St. Laurent

- born 1882, Compton, Qubec
- lawyer
- first elected to Commons, 1942
- prime minister 19481957

Domestic Record
negotiated entry of
Newfoundland into
Confederation
made Supreme Court of Canada
highest court of appeal
negotiated changes to BNA Act,
giving Canadian Parliament authority to amend portions
of the Act
appointed Vincent Massey, first
Canadian-born Governor General
established Massey Commission
investigation into protecting
Canadian culture
expanded social welfare programs
initiated megaprojects such as the
Trans-Canada Highway

International Record
defined Canada as middle power
supported NATO and UN
sent forces to UN in Korea
sent Lester Pearson to defuse the
Suez crisis

Prime Minister

John George
Diefenbaker

Prime Minister

Lester Bowles
Pearson

- born 1895, Neustadt, Ontario

- lawyer
- first elected to Commons in 1940
- prime minister 19571963

- born 1897, Newtonbrook, Ontario

- professor, author, diplomat
- first elected to Commons in 1948
- prime minister 19631968

Domestic Record

Domestic Record

served as a lieutenant during the

First World War

served in the Canadian Army

Medical Corps and Royal Flying
Corps during the First World War

championed the Canadian Bill of

Rights to guarantee certain rights
for all Canadians
appointed James Gladstone, a
Blackfoot from the Northwest
Territories, Canadas first
Aboriginal senator, in 1958
cancelled the Avro Arrow project
in 1959
extended franchise to all
Aboriginal peoples in 1960

International Record
opposed apartheid and played a
role in South Africa withdrawing
from the Commonwealth
signed North American Air
Defence Agreement (NORAD)
with the U.S. in 1957
allowed two squadrons of
American Bomarc anti-aircraft
missiles deployed in Canada
(1958)

introduced maple leaf flag in 1964

established the Canada Pension
Plan, universal medicare, and
Canada Student Loans Plan

International Record
Canadian ambassador to the U.S.
in 1945 and attended the first
conference of the UN
saw Canada join NATO in 1949
president of the UN General
Assembly (19521953)
won the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize
for his part in creating the UN
peacekeeping force

PRIME MINISTERS of CANADA

Prime Minister

Pierre Elliott
Trudeau
- born 1919, Montral, Qubec
- lawyer, law professor, author
- first elected to Commons in 1965
- prime minister 19681979, 1980
1984

Domestic Record
changed the Criminal Code to decriminalize homosexuality, make
it easier to divorce, and legalize
abortions
passed the Official Languages Act
in 1969 to officially make Canada
bilingual
invoked the War Measures Act
during the October Crisis in 1970
campaigned against Qubec
separatism during the 1980
referendum
passed the Constitution Act in
1982, which entrenched the
Canadian Charter of Rights and
Freedoms in the Canadian
Constitution
appointed Jeanne Sauv Canadas
first woman Governor General in
1984

International Record

Prime Minister

Prime Minister

Joe Clark
- born 1939, High River, Alberta
- journalist
- began studying law then switched
to political science
- won a seat in the Commons in
1972
- prime minister 19791980

John Turner
-

born 1929, Richmond, England

first elected to Commons in 1962
lawyer and politician
became prime minister on June
30, 1984
- called an election on July 9, 1984
- lost the election on September 17,
1984

Domestic Record
appointed the first black cabinet
minister, Lincoln Alexander, 1979
introduced the Freedom of
Information Act, 1979 but it died
with his government. However, it
was used as the basis for the
Access to Information Act which
passed in 1982
was Canadas youngest ever prime
minister, 39

International R3ecord
supported Canadian Ambassador
Ken Taylors role in providing
haven for six U.S. diplomats in
Tehran during the Iranian hostage
taking in 1979
was appointed Secretary of State
for External Affairs by Brian
Mulroney and distinguished himself in that role

won the Albert Einstein Peace

Prize in 1984 for negotiating the
reduction of nuclear weapons and
easing Cold War tensions

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Domestic Record
second shortest tenure as prime
minister
was leader of the Liberal Party
from 1984 to 1990
resigned as leader in 1990 but
kept his seat until 1993

Prime Minister

Martin Brian
Mulroney
- born 1939, Baie-Comeau, Qubec
- lawyer, author
- first elected to Commons in 1983
- prime minister 19841993

Domestic Record
passed the Multiculturalism Act
in 1985 to recognize and promote
multiculturalism as an essential
part of Canadian heritage and
identity
launched the Meech Lake Accord
(1987), which proposed giving the
provinces more say in federal
matters and declaring Qubec a
distinct society within Canada
apologized in 1988 to Japanese
Canadians for their internment
during the Second World War
introduced the Goods and
Services Tax (GST) in 1991
tried to pass the Charlottetown
Accord (1992), which proposed
that provinces have more power,
that the Senate be reformed,
and advocated Aboriginal selfgovernment

19682010
Prime Minister

Kim Campbell
- born 1947, Port Alberni, British
Columbia
- studied politics and law
- first elected to Commons in 1988
- prime minister June 1993
October 1993

Domestic Record
appointed as first female Justice
Minister, 1990
first woman to be appointed
Minister of Defence, 1993
successfully introduced more restrictive gun control laws in response to the Montral Massacre
consulted with womens groups to
amend the Criminal Code to better protect women from sexual assault including entrenching that
in rape cases no means no
reorganized government departments, created the Department of
Canadian Heritage, and dramatically decreased the size of the
Cabinet

International Record

International Record

first prime minister to hold a First

Ministers Conference to consult
with premiers before a G7 meeting

negotiated the Free Trade

Agreement with the U.S. in 1987

represented Canada at the G7

Summit in Tokyo, August 1993

expanded free trade to include

Mexico in the North American
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
in 1992

Prime Minister

Joseph Jacques Jean

Chrtien

Prime Minister

Prime Minister

Paul Martin

Stephen Joseph
Harper

- born 1934, Shawinigan, Qubec

- lawyer
- first elected to Commons in 1963
- prime minister 19932003

- born 1938, Windsor, Ontario

- studied philosophy, history, and
law
- first elected to Commons in 1988
- prime minister 20032006

Domestic Record

Domestic Record

Domestic Record

first prime minister to win three

consecutive terms since
Mackenzie King

oversaw five consecutive budget

surpluses as Minister of Finance
from 1993 to 2002

supported federalism during the

referendum on Qubec sovereignty in 1995

inherited the sponsorship scandal

and his party fell from favour; the
Liberals fell from a majority to a
minority government in the election of 2004; his government was
voted down in November 2005
and the Liberals lost the election
in January 2006, at which point
Martin resigned as leader

helped found the Reform Party of

Canada in 1987
co-founded the Conservative
Party of Canada in 2003
in 2006, proposed to reform
Senate so positions were elected
rather than appointed
tabled the Qubcois nation motion in 2006, recognizing that
the Qubcois form a nation
within a united Canada
officially apologized to Aboriginal
peoples for the Canadian governments residential schools in 2008

appointed Beverley McLachlin as

the first female Chief Justice of
the Supreme Court of Canada in
2000
passed the Youth Criminal Justice
Act, which came into effect in
2003, creating a separate criminal
justice system for youths between
the ages of 12 and 18

International Record
led a series of Team Canada
missions to improve international
relations and trade
supported Canadian involvement
in NATOs campaign in
Yugoslavia (1999)
refused to send Canadian troops
to support the U.S. invasion of
Iraq in 2003

International Record
was a key figure in the development of the G20 and was the inaugural chair of that group from
19992001

born 1959, Toronto, Ontario

author, economist
first elected to Commons in 1993
prime minister 2006

International Record
launched plans for a strong
military presence in the North to
protect Canadian sovereignty in
the Arctic