Sir John A. Macdonald: Canadian Prime Minister

of Canada's greatest prime ministers. Some might say that he was a good or bad leader, but that is all in

Many people would like to believe that the president is the most powerful person in the world. However, the structure of America has put restraints on the president that a Prime Minister would not have. There are many differences between the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Canada. These differences include regulations, term of office, powers, and cultures. Throughout this paper you will learn that just being the leader of their country is about as similar as these two people get.

Sir John A. Macdonald was one of Canada's founding fathers. He is most remembered as being Canada's first Prime Minister, running the government from July 1, 1867 until November 5, 1873. Macdonald would become Prime Minister once again on October 17, 1878 and would stay in this position until June 6,1891. While he was leader of the country he faced his own share of political obstacles, including Confederation, the Metis rebellion and threats of an American he is among the greatest leaders Canada has ever seen and played a significant part in the forming of Canada as a country.

“The choice, however, is as clear now for nations as it was once for the individual: peace or extinction. ” 1 and Lester B. Pearson was definitely a man of peace. To those who don’t know who Lester B. Pearson is, he’s the fourteenth Prime Minister of Canada, that served from April 22. 1963 - April 20. 1968 2. During his time as Prime Minister, he’s accomplished many things, and that’s why I believe that Lester B. Pearson is the greatest Canadian.

Pierre Trudeau was an effective prime minister because he created the Constitution Act as well as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, made the Official Languages Act and decided to use the War Measures Act during the October crisis. These made Canada what it is today because of Pierre Trudeau.

As time goes on, some countries become more relevant in the global sphere while others start to fade away. Canada is a country that only becomes more relevant as time goes on. Since being granted full sovereignty, Canada has had a growing role as a major world player. Much of their international growth has to do with its close ties to the United States and the United Kingdom. However, the country has also undergone huge change and refocusing on a domestic level. With influence from both Europe and the United States, Canada has a very unique system of governing. This paper will focus on a few major areas of Canada. It will look into the history of Canada, the structure of its government, its politics, and many of the major issues it faces today.

John Diefenbaker was the last “old Tory” to be the Prime Minister of Canada. He was a member of the Conservative Party with deep values as well as being a British loyalist who supported the Queen. Diefenbaker was also a man that was well known for not supporting anything he thought was anti- British. This sentiment was most evident when Diefenbaker criticized the Liberal’s refusal to support Britain in the Suez Canal crisis and sided with the Americans. This loyalty the Diefenbaker had to the British Commonwealth would not serve him well as Prime Minister of Canada. In 1958, Diefenbaker would win the largest majority government in Canadian history upsetting the new leader of the Liberal Party, Lester B. Pearson, who had taken over for St.

idea of turning Canada back to its original roots. He compares Harper's government system with Pierre Trudeau’s. Arguing about the struggles and failures of

Pierre Trudeau is the greatest Canadian of the twentieth century due to the fact that he declared Canada’s independence from Great Britain, he abolished the death penalty, and he created the Official Languages Act, making our nation entirely bilingual.

Over the years, plenty of great Canadians have achieved and shaped Canada to what is it today. One individual by the name of Lester Bowles Pearson changed Canada in a way very few have. Pearson was born in 1897 in a small town just outside of Toronto (www.nobelprize.org). His parents Edwin Pearson and Annie Sarah raised him. Little did they know their son would be one of the greatest Canadians of all time. Pearson was known as a diplomat, professor, historian and the Prime Minister of Canada from 1963-1968(www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca). Lester B. Pearson was a remarkable man with a dream to put Canada on the map and he did so not only in a domestic way, but also in an international way. In particular, his idea to give Canada a new flag,

Trudeau was loved by many because of his upbeat personality, his sense of humor, the pride he took in being Canada's Prime Minister and many considered Trudeau to be a hero. Pierre Elliott Trudeau was an indispensable leader to Canada because he wanted to make a positive change in Canadian society. Pierre Elliott Trudeau took charge and made Canadians excited to get involved with politics, he did this by inspiring Canadians to believe they could make a positive change in the country and even the world. Pierre Trudeau was one of Canada’s greatest prime ministers, he was different from other Prime Ministers because he brought fun to politics and made Canadians get involved with their nation. Trudeau loved his job, Canada, and its citizens, and wanted Canada’s unity to be stronger as a nation. Pierre Elliott Trudeau set Canadians along a great path by introducing them to

Pierre Elliot Trudeau was arguably one of the most vivacious and charismatic Prime Ministers Canada has ever seen. He wore capes, dated celebrities and always wore a red rose boutonniere. He looked like a superhero, and often acted like one too. Some of the landmark occurrences in Canadian history all happened during the Trudeau era, such as patriating the constitution, creating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the 1980 Quebec Referendum. However, it is Trudeau’s 1969 “white paper” and the Calder legal challenge which many consider to be one of his most influential contributions to Canadian history.

Throughout Canadian history, a plenty of figures appeared to be significant for the time being. However, out from this great number of candidates that may qualify for the most important Canadian in history, William Lyon Mackenzie King prevails. First elected in 1921 after the Borden's Unionist government failed, Mackenzie King served as the longest serving Canadian head of government ever, holding the office of prime minister for 22 years. During his premiership, Canada developed from an attacked British colony to a major international player, building cornerstones for the golden age of Canadian diplomacy. His war policy made Canada an important contributor in the Allied forces during the World War II, giving supports for British and other

Opposing the belief that a dominating leader is running Canada, Barker brings up several key realities of the Canadian government. He gives examples of several “… instances of other ministers taking action that reveal the limits prime-ministerial power,” (Barker 178). Barker conveys the fact that Canada is not bound by a dictatorial government, “…it seems that the prime minister cannot really control his individual ministers. At times, they will pursue agendas that are inconsistent with the prime minister’s actions,” (Barker 181). Both inside and outside government are a part of Canada and they can remind the prime minister that “…politics is a game of survival for all players,” (Barker 188). Barker refutes the misinterpretation of the Canadian government by acknowledging that a prime-ministerial government existing in Canada is an overstatement.

In this essay, I will demonstrate that the Prime Minister is powerful and can cause many potential dangers by analyzing different elements inside and outside of our government over the period of different Prime Ministers throughout the Canadian political history.