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The Prime Ministers: Canada's Leaders and the Nation They Shaped
After a surprising conversation with young Canadians who didn't recognize the name Lester B. Pearson - Nobel Peace Prize winner and Canada's fourteenth prime minister, author J.D.M. Stewart set out to bring the country's history to a new generation. The result is Canada's Prime Ministers, a lively, accessible chronicle of Canada's leaders, from Sir John A. Macdonald in 1867 to Mark Carney in 2025.
With engaging prose and fresh insights, Stewart captures the defining moments of each prime minister's time in office, revealing how they managed relationships with Indigenous peoples, the environment, American presidents, and international powers. He also explores how their reputations have evolved - who has been forgotten, who remains controversial, and who has become a lasting part of Canada's cultural fabric. Canada's Prime Ministers is a necessary and important book, intended both for newcomers to Canadian history and those who have loved it for a long time.
With engaging prose and fresh insights, Stewart captures the defining moments of each prime minister's time in office, revealing how they managed relationships with Indigenous peoples, the environment, American presidents, and international powers. He also explores how their reputations have evolved - who has been forgotten, who remains controversial, and who has become a lasting part of Canada's cultural fabric. Canada's Prime Ministers is a necessary and important book, intended both for newcomers to Canadian history and those who have loved it for a long time.
300 pages, Hardcover
Published September 30, 2025
29 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 23, 2025
A definite 'go to' for a an excellent synopsis of Canada's Prime Ministers-- their policies, strengths and areas where they fell short (First Nations, and the environment are explored across the board.) An important book to get an appreciation of the challenges of leadership, given the multiplicity of variables at play. Does your tenure include global conflicts including war? Economic meltdown? Or a time of relative calm? Stewart presents different perspectives for us to consider, in very approachable prose. Lots of great quotations in this as well. An excellent reference book to keep on your shelf!
January 14, 2026
Young Canadians or new comers who arrived in Canada in the last decade or so had the unfortunate experience to live through the reign of the ‘inept’’.
You need therefore to read this valuable book!
Since the inauguration of the confederation in 1867, 24 prime ministers governed Canada. Only 13 of them had at least one full term.
As a nation formed from colonies united by a desire not to be part of the US, all prime minsters had to deal with 3 basic issues: (1) Reserving the union against separation tendencies, (2) The First Nations issue, and (3) managing the relationship with USA.
Other issues coloured the reigns of premiers such as leading the country through 2 World Wars (Robert Borden and William Lyon Mackenzie King), global economic recessions (R.B. Bennett and Stephan Harper), or Quebec referendums for separation ( Pierre Trudeau and Jean Chrétien).
In this engaging book you can admire the leadership of the founding pioneers like John MacDonald and Wilfred Laurier) or the extraordinary achievements of Lester Pearson- the only Noble Laureate among prime minsters of Canada- who launched global health care, Canada new flag, and Canada pension plan.
Some interesting facts:
- In a country which marvels on diversity, all prime minsters were white men, except for the only woman, Kim Campbell who ruled for only 3 months and 17 days!
- The current prime minister Carney and Mackenzie King were the ones with the highest education level with PhDs from Harvard and Oxford respectively.
Read this book and you discover that most (not all) of prime ministers who governed Canada were actually good people and real leaders, in stark contrast to Justin!
You need therefore to read this valuable book!
Since the inauguration of the confederation in 1867, 24 prime ministers governed Canada. Only 13 of them had at least one full term.
As a nation formed from colonies united by a desire not to be part of the US, all prime minsters had to deal with 3 basic issues: (1) Reserving the union against separation tendencies, (2) The First Nations issue, and (3) managing the relationship with USA.
Other issues coloured the reigns of premiers such as leading the country through 2 World Wars (Robert Borden and William Lyon Mackenzie King), global economic recessions (R.B. Bennett and Stephan Harper), or Quebec referendums for separation ( Pierre Trudeau and Jean Chrétien).
In this engaging book you can admire the leadership of the founding pioneers like John MacDonald and Wilfred Laurier) or the extraordinary achievements of Lester Pearson- the only Noble Laureate among prime minsters of Canada- who launched global health care, Canada new flag, and Canada pension plan.
Some interesting facts:
- In a country which marvels on diversity, all prime minsters were white men, except for the only woman, Kim Campbell who ruled for only 3 months and 17 days!
- The current prime minister Carney and Mackenzie King were the ones with the highest education level with PhDs from Harvard and Oxford respectively.
Read this book and you discover that most (not all) of prime ministers who governed Canada were actually good people and real leaders, in stark contrast to Justin!
March 14, 2026
if you want to see the decline of writing history
look no further than
than this modern take
get a few real biographies of some Prime Ministers
and newer isn't always better
Stewart also focuses on personal characteristics needed for leadership which is cringeworthy, and that's aside from his columns in the magazines where his view of the past 50+ years of history is colored by the Laurentian Elite perspective
yet he'll always add that we shouldn't
'judge the policies and actions of our past prime ministers by present-day standards and expectations', as his get out of jail free card
one of those books which claims no partisan bias, because he caters to every bit of praise, and every bit of criticism
you get the idea the point of the book is to tear out the pages as you read them, only keeping the pages where you see his book collection of his book list of actual biographies on his shelf
////
If you like those shrill vacuous books on Business Leadership, you'll love the style of this one
Hey, that wretched periodical Policy Magazine said it best
"One of the most important contributions of Stewart’s book is what it teaches about leadership — especially in a uniquely Canadian context. He invites us to reflect on the challenges of governing a vast, bilingual and multicultural federation and how success in nation-building rests on negotiation and political accommodation."
gag me with a spoon
"In a recent conversation with the author, he acknowledged that much more needs to be done to build understanding of the office of prime minister. He wonders whether a well-resourced centre for the study of Canadian prime ministers would make a difference. I believe it would and strongly endorse the idea."
triple gag me with a spoon
and start digging my grave
I suggest a well-resourced center for the study of MacKenzie King's hookers sitting on his ouija board while hallucinating on shaving cream, or a Davos Man Pavillion of Weirdos
/////
The CBC
During his lifetime, Canada's 10th prime minister was viewed as sober, serious and competent. But when his diaries were made public after his death, the world learned that William Lyon Mackenzie King communed with prostitutes, the spirit world and his deceased mother, earning him the nickname, "Weird Willie."
or more recently
Stewart on someone's speech at Davos
"There is much to compliment in this speech, but off the top I would say it has been a long time since I have seen a speech from a PM that quoted Thucydides and Vaclav Havel which, at least from the point of view of rhetoric, is very welcome."
/////
Samuel Huntington coined the term "Davos Man" in the early 2000s to describe a globalized elite with little national loyalty. He described them as individuals who "have little need for national loyalty, view national boundaries as obstacles that are thankfully vanishing, and see national governments as residues from the past whose only useful function is to facilitate the elite's global operations".
[Samuel P. Huntington (1927–2008) was an influential Harvard political scientist and foreign policy advisor who consulted for the CIA, State Department, and National Security Council.]
maybe this book could vanish
look no further than
than this modern take
get a few real biographies of some Prime Ministers
and newer isn't always better
Stewart also focuses on personal characteristics needed for leadership which is cringeworthy, and that's aside from his columns in the magazines where his view of the past 50+ years of history is colored by the Laurentian Elite perspective
yet he'll always add that we shouldn't
'judge the policies and actions of our past prime ministers by present-day standards and expectations', as his get out of jail free card
one of those books which claims no partisan bias, because he caters to every bit of praise, and every bit of criticism
you get the idea the point of the book is to tear out the pages as you read them, only keeping the pages where you see his book collection of his book list of actual biographies on his shelf
////
If you like those shrill vacuous books on Business Leadership, you'll love the style of this one
Hey, that wretched periodical Policy Magazine said it best
"One of the most important contributions of Stewart’s book is what it teaches about leadership — especially in a uniquely Canadian context. He invites us to reflect on the challenges of governing a vast, bilingual and multicultural federation and how success in nation-building rests on negotiation and political accommodation."
gag me with a spoon
"In a recent conversation with the author, he acknowledged that much more needs to be done to build understanding of the office of prime minister. He wonders whether a well-resourced centre for the study of Canadian prime ministers would make a difference. I believe it would and strongly endorse the idea."
triple gag me with a spoon
and start digging my grave
I suggest a well-resourced center for the study of MacKenzie King's hookers sitting on his ouija board while hallucinating on shaving cream, or a Davos Man Pavillion of Weirdos
/////
The CBC
During his lifetime, Canada's 10th prime minister was viewed as sober, serious and competent. But when his diaries were made public after his death, the world learned that William Lyon Mackenzie King communed with prostitutes, the spirit world and his deceased mother, earning him the nickname, "Weird Willie."
or more recently
Stewart on someone's speech at Davos
"There is much to compliment in this speech, but off the top I would say it has been a long time since I have seen a speech from a PM that quoted Thucydides and Vaclav Havel which, at least from the point of view of rhetoric, is very welcome."
/////
Samuel Huntington coined the term "Davos Man" in the early 2000s to describe a globalized elite with little national loyalty. He described them as individuals who "have little need for national loyalty, view national boundaries as obstacles that are thankfully vanishing, and see national governments as residues from the past whose only useful function is to facilitate the elite's global operations".
[Samuel P. Huntington (1927–2008) was an influential Harvard political scientist and foreign policy advisor who consulted for the CIA, State Department, and National Security Council.]
maybe this book could vanish
November 11, 2025
I'm bewildered by the fact that there are no other reviews of this book yet. Even though it's quite new, there always seem to be advance copies etc. But okay, I'll be the first to step in.
This would be a very good overview to use for Canadian high school history, including homeschool classes. Occasional profanity etc. probably makes it most appropriate for older teens. The author is a longtime high school teacher, and that shows up in a clear and occasionally humorous writing style, but also in certain assumptions and values. A prime minister who paid minimal attention to climate change, for example, gets an implied "could do better" grade.
As someone who did not pay nearly enough attention to political events for several decades, I can only trust that Stewart has done his homework well (he often refers to earlier works), and that the descriptions are fair, even of controversial figures of the past. Having watched the news much more closely over the past decade, I read the last chapters with a slightly different "I remember that very well" scrutiny, and while I don't necessarily agree with all the author's conclusions, I believe he has covered recent events in a reasonably neutral way. Since the purpose of the book is to review the contributions of each prime minister, rather than to stir up controversy, this erring on the side of caution seems judicious.
I recommend this book, as I said, for students or adults wanting a short and readable overview of this topic.
This would be a very good overview to use for Canadian high school history, including homeschool classes. Occasional profanity etc. probably makes it most appropriate for older teens. The author is a longtime high school teacher, and that shows up in a clear and occasionally humorous writing style, but also in certain assumptions and values. A prime minister who paid minimal attention to climate change, for example, gets an implied "could do better" grade.
As someone who did not pay nearly enough attention to political events for several decades, I can only trust that Stewart has done his homework well (he often refers to earlier works), and that the descriptions are fair, even of controversial figures of the past. Having watched the news much more closely over the past decade, I read the last chapters with a slightly different "I remember that very well" scrutiny, and while I don't necessarily agree with all the author's conclusions, I believe he has covered recent events in a reasonably neutral way. Since the purpose of the book is to review the contributions of each prime minister, rather than to stir up controversy, this erring on the side of caution seems judicious.
I recommend this book, as I said, for students or adults wanting a short and readable overview of this topic.
January 27, 2026
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. hadn't been reading history for a while, but this rekindled my interest in that subject.
the work in this book on the earlier and less well known PMs is excellent and I learned much I didn't know.
the combination of greatest hits and little tidbits for each PM were well balanced.
the book does what it sets out to do which is to achieve the slightly preachy goal of overcoming the fact that many in Canada don't know much about their PMs, and I do feel better off for having learned more
felt very proud at times reading this
the breadth of the scope of the work required tidy and often too short summations of complex issues and avoiding diving too deeply into juicier aspects of the PMs' time in office, which is what a book like this needs to do
I felt like there was more weight put on the family lives of the early PMs which added a lot to my perception of their time in office and less of that on some of the longer serving recent PMs and that's something to think about for next time
the work in this book on the earlier and less well known PMs is excellent and I learned much I didn't know.
the combination of greatest hits and little tidbits for each PM were well balanced.
the book does what it sets out to do which is to achieve the slightly preachy goal of overcoming the fact that many in Canada don't know much about their PMs, and I do feel better off for having learned more
felt very proud at times reading this
the breadth of the scope of the work required tidy and often too short summations of complex issues and avoiding diving too deeply into juicier aspects of the PMs' time in office, which is what a book like this needs to do
I felt like there was more weight put on the family lives of the early PMs which added a lot to my perception of their time in office and less of that on some of the longer serving recent PMs and that's something to think about for next time
January 23, 2026
Historian J.D.M. Stewart packs a lot of Canadian history -- all of it, really -- into one compact, easy to read 350 pages. From Sir John A. Macdonald right up to Mark Carney, Stewart revisits the lives and legacies of the 23 men and one lone woman who have led this country. Stewart is scrupulously fair in assessing the successes and failures of the 24. Most importantly, he doesn't look at prime ministers, the currently vilified Macdonald in particular, only through 21st century eyes. "Those who lived several decades, or even centuries, ago cannot possibly be expected to have viewed the world the way we do today" he writes. This is an important, valuable book; it is required reading for anyone with an interest in Canadian history, and even for those who do not.
March 17, 2026
A good modern general history, ideal for those unfamiliar or disinterested with Canadian history. The format is consistent, with key details of their personal lives, electoral history, major domestic policies (including specifics on First Nations), international affairs, and major scandals.
Appreciated is a review of the historiography of each PM, how their reputations have improved or declined over time, major primary sources (biographies, memoirs, etc.) and their representations in popular culture (like TV miniseries).
Of course, the general nature of this book limits the amount of depth, but it's a good starting point for people to decide whether to read other books delving into individual PM's.
Appreciated is a review of the historiography of each PM, how their reputations have improved or declined over time, major primary sources (biographies, memoirs, etc.) and their representations in popular culture (like TV miniseries).
Of course, the general nature of this book limits the amount of depth, but it's a good starting point for people to decide whether to read other books delving into individual PM's.
December 30, 2025
A Great Read! It reads easily and packs a tons of information. As a Quebecer leaving in Ontario, I particularly appreciated how the author adressed the evolution of the relationships between French and English Canadians and the Federal Government. I also liked how the same themes (relation with the USA, indigenous rights and conditions, people rights, army, etc.) were covered for each PM but with a perspective on how time and era may have impacted the facts i.e. the work is evolving and revisitibg the past myst be done with the right context lense.
February 3, 2026
Excellent synopsis of each PM’s tenure. Covers both accomplishments and struggles equally as well, and remains factual and impartial throughout, giving equal weight and importance to both sides of the coin.
Does a really good job highlighting key details and interesting facts. Each chapter felt like a mini story in itself.
Does a really good job highlighting key details and interesting facts. Each chapter felt like a mini story in itself.
November 16, 2025
A very detailed and easy to read collection of Canadian political history of our current and former Prime Ministers.
March 27, 2026
Great, very accessible book.
April 17, 2026
Excellent book, I learnt a lot about the past prime ministers that shaped our country.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews