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Lester B. Pearson 1957.jpg Photo by Nobel Foundation, Associated Press –

15 Influential Canadian Politicians

Canada is known to be one of the most accepting countries and most of the politicians that serve the country have influenced society positively. From touching on subjects that affect society to putting a stop to things that are affecting the current generation negatively, these politicians have used their voices to stand up for the young and old. In the case of the current Prime Minister Justin Pierre James Trudeau who tabled a motion in parliament for the creation of a national voluntary service policy for young people. In addition, Justin  Trudeau is the son of the third longest-serving Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau who was in office for 15 years and the third longest-serving in capacity as a Prime Minister in Canada. and the second to be born while his father was a prime minister. This is historic in Canada and it’s a record that has not been taken by any other family.

Read more about Politicians from the United Kingdom here.

1. Brian Mulroney

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Martin Brian Mulroney was born on March 20, 1939, a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. During the time he was prime minister, he implemented major economic reforms and advocated for immigration. He also reduced expenditures on the programs when he came into office, and reduced the benefits at middle-income levels and above for old age security.

2. Justin Pierre James Trudeau

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He was born on December 25, 1971, to Former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Margaret Sinclair as their first child. He is of Scottish and French Canadian descent. His maternal grandfather was born in Makassar, Indonesia. The family migrated to British Columbia in 1927.  Of importance to note is that he also is the eldest son of the former Primer Minister Pierre Trudeau who served as Prime Minister in the early seventies. He is in the record to have been born as the second child in the history of Canada to be born to a current Prime Minister in office ahead of John A. Macdonald’s daughter Margaret Mary Theodora Macdonalds. His faith is based on catholic belief, a culture he developed from his parents.                                               

In 2005, he fought against a Zinc mine proposal worth $ 100 million which he said was poisonous to the Nahanni River. He was vocal politically, for instance in 2006 when he criticized Quebec nationalism. He was more involved in Liberal Party politics after the death of his father. He defeated Vivian Barbot in 2008 and became a member of Parliament as a member of the official opposition.  His assignment in parliament was to table a motion that called for the creation of a national voluntary service policy for young people. In 2009 April, he co-chaired the Liberal Party’s national convention in Vancouver which was followed by his appointment as the Liberal Party’s critic for multiculturalism and youth.

He is the 23rd and current Prime Minister of Canada. He has served as Prime Minister since 2015. He is also the leader of the Liberal Party since 2013. Canada is known to have young leaders and Justin is not an exception as he is the second youngest to serve as the Primer Minister. His campaign for the seat of Prime Minister in 2015 was highlighted by his call for a united Canada despite the differences in cultures, a voice that was earlier echoed by the former Liberal Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier. He is on the record for supporting the campaign against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic by releasing funds for provinces and territories to adapt to the new situation, research, and travel restrictions. He waived student loan payments and increased the Canada Child Benefit while introducing the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) respectively. He is on record for setting targets to welcome an increased number of immigrants and refugees. In addition, he has worked on Canada’s relationship with other countries like the United States of America more the former President Barack Obama. He also banned assault-style weapons in response to the 2020 Nova Scotia attacks. For the first time in Canada, he invoked the Emergencies Act in response to the Freedom Convoy protests.

Read more about other famous Politicians from the United States here.

3. Pierre Trudeau (PET)

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He is rated the second most famous Canadian Politician and served as the 15th Prime Minister. He was the leader of the Liberal Party from 1968 until 1984 and also the official opposition leader from 1979 to 1980. He was elected to the house of Commons in 1965, later being appointed as the parliamentary secretary of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson.  He became minister for justice and attorney general where he achieved the decriminalization of homosexual acts and legalized abortion. He is known to have embraced social liberalism. He became a media sensation and inspiration through his outgoing personality and more importantly, his charismatic nature, facts that helped him win the leaLiberal Party leadership in 1968. He was popular during his tenure due to his personality and policy decisions with his motto “Reason before passion.” He started the domestic policy on bilingualism and multiculturalism which fostered a pan-Canadian identity.

4. Lester B. Pearson

Lester B. Pearson 1957.jpg Photo by Nobel Foundation, Associated Press –

He was a Canadian statesman, scholar, diplomat, and politician. He was the 14th Prime Minister of  Canada from 1963 to 1968. He was the ambassador to the United States of America from 1944 to 1946. Further, he was the secretary of state for external affairs between 1948 to 1957 under the leadership of Liberal Prime Ministers William Lyon Mackenzie King and Louis St. Laurent. He organized the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis which became the focus of the world platform earning him a Nobel Peace Prize in 1957. In 1965, he introduced the Order of Canada and the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism. In the same year, he oversaw the creation of the Maple Leaf flag. It was during his leadership that the Canadian government unified the Armed Forces and kept the country away from the Vietnam War.

He resigned as Prime Minister after a half decade in power. Before his resignation, he brought Canada the top country in the world to implement a points-based immigration system. In addition to resigning as Prime Minister, he also resigned from politics. He is rated as the most influential Canadian Prime Minister and also the greatest leader of the 20th century.

5. Mike Harris

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His full name is Michael Deane Harris born on January 23, 1945, in Toronto, Ontario. He became the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario between 1990 and 2002 and Premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002. His leadership advocated for Common Sense Revolution and also worked on a program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and budget cuts. Further, he was a member of the provincial Parliament (MPP) in 1981 for the riding of Nipissing. As a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, he led the strong majority government in the 195 provincial elections and later in 1999.

Read more about other famous Politicians here.

6. John Baird

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His full name is John Russell Baird born on May 26, 1969, in Nepean, Ontario. He was the Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2011 to 2015 during the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. In addition, he was a member of the federal cabinet holding different positions since 2006 when he was elected as a candidate for the Conservative Party in the federal elections. His party formed the minority government. He was sworn in as the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons taking over from Jay Hill on August 6, 2010. Other government positions he held include Transport Minister from October 30, 2008, Environment Minister from January 2007, Minister for Children, Community and Social Services, Energy and Francophone Affairs, and President of the Treasury Board. He was also a Chief whip. His outstanding political career was when he became the party’s critic for finance, culture, and health while he was the youngest delegate Conservative member in 1985. In addition, he supported an attempt to sell a publicly owned utility firm called hydro One. He also move the Federal Accountability Act which replaced the Gomery Commission investigating the federal sponsorship scandal both in 1990 and year the 2000s respectively. Additionally, he motioned the Canadian government’s opposition to the Kyoto Protocol.

7. Jay Hill

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He was born on December 27, 1952, and became a very vibrant politician who advocated for the Adoption of Expense Tax Credits introduction in the 2005 federal budget. Further, his bill actually called for tax breaks for couples who adopt children. More importantly, he was the Government House Leader in the House of Commons between 2008 to 2010. Later he became the interim leader of Maverick Paty from 2020 to 2022.

8. Stephen Harper

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His full name s Stephen Joseph Harper born on April 30, 1959, in Leaside near Toronto, Ontario. The family has an ancestral background in Yorkshire, England. He is on the record for having stepped down as the Conservative Party Leader after the 2015 federal elections when his party lost power to the Liberal Party under the leadership of the current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He was the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada from February 6, 2006, to November 4, 2015. In his time of leadership, he was instrumental in implementing domestic policy, environmental policy, and foreign policy.  He founded a global consulting firm which took him to the top of the United States and British media with various international business and leadership roles like his election as the leader of the International Democrat union. Before his election as Prime minister in 2015, he was the leader of the Canadian Alliance in the 2002 leadership election and leader of the Conservative Party in the 2004 leadership election.

Read more about other famous Politicians here.

9. Christy Clark

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She was born on October 29, 1965, in Burnaby, British Columbia as Christina Joan Clark. She was the 35th premier of British Columbia from 2011 to 2017. She was the second woman to be premier of British Columbia after Rita Johnson in 1991. She became the first female premier in Canada to lead her party to a plurality of seats in a record time for two general elections. She was a member of the British Columbia Libera Party and also a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) between 1996 to 2005. In addition, she was a deputy premier between 2001 to 2005 in Gordon Campbell’s government. She was on the record for having a child while serving as a cabinet minister. Quebec provincial minister Pauline Marois was the first to give birth while in office in 1985.

10. Pauline Marois

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+She is a retired politician who was born on March 29, 1949, in Limoilou known as a working-class neighborhood of Quebec City. She was the 30th Premier of Quebec between 2012 to 2014. Additionally, she was a member of the National Assembly in various capacities since 1981 and also served as a party leader from 2007 to 2014. Her record as the first premier in Quebec sparked excitement as she worked three pillars of government successfully as the minister for Finance, Education, and Health. She became the most powerful minter in the successive PQ government of Premiers Jacques Parizeau, Lucien Bouchard, and Bernard Landry.

Read more about other famous Politicians here.

11. John Tory

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He was born on May 28, 1954, in Toronto, Ontario to John A. Tory President of Thomson Investments Limited, and Director of Rogers Communications. His mother is Elizabeth.  Between 2014 to February 17, 2023, he served as the 65th mayor of Toronto before which he was the leader of the official opposition in Ontario from 2005 to 2007. He owns a recognition for being a consummate champion for the Greater Toronto Region. This was for being a founding member and chair of CivicAction and chairs various volunteers on fundraising campaigns. He holds Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. In addition, he holds a commission as King’s counsel. It is also important to note that he was awarded a Harry Jerome Award for working as a co-chair of DiverseCity. He was famous for keeping the tax increases below the rate of inflation as the Mayor of Toronto.

12. Kathleen Wynne

She was born on May 21, 1953, in Richmond Hill, Ontario. She was the 25th Premier of Ontario between 2013 to 2018. In addition, she was a leader of the Ontario Liberal Party from 2013 to 2018 and also a member of the provincial parliament (MPP) for Don Valley West from 2003 to 2022. She is known as the first openly-spoken gay premier in Canada. During her premiership, she introduced free prescription drug coverage for children and increased the minimum wage to $14 an hour. She also introduced free post-secondary tuition for families making under $50,000. Further, she also introduced a reformed sex education curriculum and brought in a cap-and-trade pollution pricing regime, and privatized Hydro One. Together with John Sewell, they co-founded the Citizens for Local Democracy, a grassroots group that opposed the 1999 amalgamation of the old city of Toronto including the metropolitan Toronto.

Read more about other famous Politicians here.

13. Gerry Butts

His full name is Gerald Michael Butts. He was born on July 8, 1971, and grow up in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. He was the great mind behind the winning of the 2015 Canadian election for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a position he held as a political advisor of Justin Trudeau since 2012. He became the President and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund Canada in 2008.

14. Janice Charette

She was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario. She was been the clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to the Cabinet since 2021. She was also the Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom between 2016 to 2021. From 2004 to 2006, she served as the deputy minister for Citizenship and Immigration Canada. From 2006 to 2010, she was the deputy minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. She is a member of the board of directors of Royal Ottawa Healthcare Group and on the advisory board of the school of policy studies at Queen’s University. In addition, she chaired the United Way’s Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign that raised CA$136 million for communities and national health charities across Canada.

15. Jenni Byrne

She was born in 1976 in Fenelon Falls, Ontario. She is a political advisor, commenter, and government relations expert.  She was the director of Political Operations for Doug Finley. Conservative Party of Canada in 2009. She was a campaign manager. She was the Prime Minister’s co-deputy chief of staff and director of political operation.

Read more about other famous Politicians here.