For the third time in less than two decades, Carleton University professors Stephen Azzi (Political Management and History) and Norman Hillmer (History) have surveyed the best historical and political minds of our country to rank Canada’s 23 prime ministers on their effectiveness. Unlike in years past, this time, the duo created two lists: one cataloguing prime ministers in office for a short term (a list of 10), and another for those in office for a long term (a list of 13). They surveyed a record 123 experts, and added new questions about the prime ministers’ environmental and indigenous policies.
It led to some surprising results – one being that our current prime minister, who has been in office for less than a year, has already surpassed his predecessor on the list. Maclean’s sat down with Azzi and Hillmer to dig deeper into the survey’s key findings. The rest of the article “What makes an effective Prime Minister” by Nikki Wiart is available online.