Posted May. 25/06
From left to right: Arthur Kroeger, former chancellor of Carleton; Eileen Saunders, director of Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs; and Rudyard Griffiths, executive director, The Dominion Institute, with former prime ministers Brian Mulroney, John Turner, Kim Campbell and Joe Clark, and John Wright, senior vice-president, Ipsos-Reid on the set of Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister. (Photo: Couvrette/Ottawa)
When it comes to identifying who’s got the right stuff to be the next prime minister, the Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs helps narrow the field. As a sponsor of the nationwide challenge for the Next Great Prime Minster, originated by Frank Stronach’s Magna Corporation in 1995, the college evaluates the entries from 18- to 29-year-old Canadians.
This year, the final selection was made by former prime ministers Brian Mulroney, Joe Clark, John Turner and Kim Campbell in the contest’s first televised edition. Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister, a CTV original show that aired February 4, featured five finalists who demonstrated why they should be chosen to lead the country.
The winner, Deirdra McCracken, 24, a political science master’s student at Laval University from Sudbury, walked away with $50,000, a six-month internship, and the endorsement of the former prime ministers. The remaining finalists received $10,000 and a three-month internship.