During his nine years as prime minister, the Oval Office door was always open to Brian Mulroney, with Ronald Reagan in the White House from 1981-89, and with George H.W. Bush from 1989-1993.

And as he’s often said, that door did indeed open all the other doors in Washington, and many more around the world. In both the bilateral and multilateral contexts, nothing is more important to advancing Canada’s interests, from prosperity to security, than the relationship between the prime minister and the president.

Mulroney recounts many of those stories in our conversation that leads this special issue of Policy on “The Relationship” between Canada and the United States. It’s clearly the main reason that Mulroney and Reagan, along with the first George Bush, are the top ranked PMs and presidents of the last 100 years on Canada-US relations. 

They were selected by our jury of 50 prominent Canadians and Americans who were asked to rank their Top Five tandems of the last century, and made their picks in a secret ballot. More on that in the pages that follow, including the names of the jurors.

Mackenzie King and Franklin Roosevelt also had a special relationship from 1935 until FDR’s death in April 1945, only weeks before the Allied victory in Europe in the Second World War. 

Then a country of only 11.5 million people, Canada and Newfoundland put 1.16 million men and women in uniform. Three quarters of a century later, the French, Dutch and Italians well remember Canada’s role, and the valour of its troops, in securing their freedom. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill were the main architects of the war against the Nazis, but King played an important role as an intermediary between them, beginning with the trans-Atlantic agreement of 1940 that saw the delivery of thousands of aircraft built in Canada that would win the skies of Europe. 

But it was at the Quebec Summits of 1943 and 1944 that King claimed a leadership role for Canada, first in planning the events of D-Day, June 6, 1944, and then the discussions the next year that would prove so important in shaping the post-war world. 

Jean Chrétien and Bill Clinton were ranked third, for leading Canada and the US past the recession to the economic recovery from 1993 to 2001. While they are not generally perceived as transformational leaders, they are well remembered for the prosperity of the 1990s. Chrétien also receives recognition for distancing Canada from the second George Bush and the Second Gulf War in 2003, culminating in the invasion of Iraq.

Louis St-Laurent ranks fourth for his quiet but effective statesmanship with Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower from 1948 to 1957, an era of post-war prosperity and building the security alliance of NATO and NORAD. “Uncle Louis” was a modest man, but on his watch, Canada built the Trans-Canada Highway while the Americans built the Interstate system. He also got the Americans’ attention when Canada announced it would be building the St. Lawrence Seaway on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes. From the White House to Congress, Washington noticed. Construction of the Seaway began in 1954 and it was opened by the young Queen Elizabeth and Eisenhower aboard the Royal Yacht Brittania at St. Lambert in 1959. By then, St-Laurent was retired, but he is remembered as the architect of the Seaway that opened new pathways of international trade.

Finally, Lester B. Pearson is ranked fifth for his adroit management of the relationship with Lyndon B. Johnson from 1963-68, and well-remembered at home, as Chrétien would be later over Iraq, for clearly stating Canada’s dissenting policy to the US conduct of the Vietnam War. But that same year of 1965, Pearson and Johnson also signed the Canada-US Auto Pact, which transformed the North American auto industry.

That’s the Top Five. On the next two pages, we’ve broken out first, second and third place in charts and graphs indicating the vote in both percentage and numbers. Chrétien was clearly in third place, as well being the leading second choice after Mulroney and King.

We thank the jury for their work. The exercise of choosing is meant to be interesting, informative and fun. Who’s on your list?

L. Ian MacDonald

 

FIRST PLACE Prime Minister-President Relationship: Number of Votes

SECOND PLACE Prime Minister-President Relationship: Percentage of votes

SECOND PLACE Prime Minister-President Relationship: Number of Votes

THIRD PLACE Prime Minister-President Relationship: Percentage of Votes

THIRD PLACE Prime Minister-President Relationship: Number of Votes

Our Jury

James Baxter, founding editor and publisher of iPolitics, has been a public affairs journalist for more than three decades, mostly focused on the intricate trade relationship between Canada and the US.

Perrin Beatty served as a Member of Parliament for 21 years, holding seven portfolios in the governments of prime ministers Clark, Mulroney and Campbell. He is currently President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber
of Commerce.

Perry Bellegarde, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations from 2014-21, began his leadership path as Chief of the Little Black Bear Nation in his native Saskatchewan. 

Ed Broadbent, former leader of the New Democratic Party from 1975-89, is the Founding Chair of the Broadbent Institute, a progressive policy think tank in Ottawa.

Charles Bronfman, founder of the Montreal Expos baseball club in 1969, was a principal of Cemp Investments, the Bronfman family holding company. The founder of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, he lives in New York and Palm Beach, Florida.

Derek H. Burney, a career foreign service officer, was chief of staff to Prime Minister Mulroney from 1987-89 and Ambassador to the United States from 1989-93.

Catherine Cano is a senior media executive, former head of RDI, news director at Radio-Canada, and CEO of CPAC. She has covered eight Canadian elections and five US presidents.

Jean Charest, a former federal environment minister and activist on climate change, was Premier of Quebec from 2003-2012. He now has an international practice with the law firm of McCarthy Tétrault in Montreal.

Stéphanie Chouinard is an associate professor of political science at Royal Military College in Kingston, cross-appointed at Queen’s University. She is a regular contributor to Policy Magazine as well as L’Actualité.

Thomas d’Aquino is chair of Thomas d’Aquino Capital and was founding CEO of the Business Council of Canada.

Carlo Dade, a dual Canadian-US citizen, is director of the Trade and Investment Centre of the Canada West Foundation in Calgary.

Paul Deegan is President and CEO of News Media Canada and was deputy executive director of the National Economic Council in the Clinton White House.

Gary Doer, former NDP Premier of Manitoba from 1999-2009, was Canada’s Ambassador to the United States from 2009-16.

Sean Finn is Executive Vice President of Corporate Services and Chief Legal Officer, Canadian National Railway.

Yves Fortier was Ambassador of Canada to the United Nations from 1988-91. He sat as President of the UN Security Council in 1989 during Canada’s term on the Council.

Graham Fraser is a senior fellow at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at University of Ottawa. A former Globe and Mail correspondent in Washington, he has written five books and served as Canada’s Commissioner of Official Languages from 2006-16.

Paul Frazer is a former Canadian diplomat and now Washington-based consultant to governments and private sector clients on Canada-US issues of trade, security, transport, energy, and the environment.

Ann Gladue-Buffalo is CEO of the Assembly of First Nations Alberta Association.

Sarah Goldfeder is a former US diplomat who served at the American Embassy in Ottawa and is now manager of government relations at GM Canada.

Maryscott Greenwood served as a US diplomat in Canada. She is CEO of the Canadian American Business Council in Washington, DC.

David Herle is a pollster and principal of the Gandalf Group. A former Liberal campaign strategist, he is also host of The Herle Burly, a popular weekly political podcast.

Bruce Heyman is a former US Ambassador to Canada from 2014-17 and co-author The Art of Diplomacy: Strengthening the Canada US Relationship in Times of Uncertainty.

Goldy Hyder is President & CEO of The Business Council of Canada, representing over 150 CEOs of Canada’s largest employers.

Janis G. Johnson is a retired senator who co-chaired the Canada-US Association in Parliament for eight years and is President of Janis Johnson & Associates, a public affairs consulting company in Winnipeg.

Michael Kergin, who served as Canada’s Ambassador to the United States from 2000-05 is a now senior advisor to Bennett Jones LLP in their Ottawa office.

Shachi Kurl is President and CEO of the Angus Reid Institute, the public policy and polling firm based in Vancouver.

Kevin Lynch was Clerk of the Privy Council from 2006-09, and later vice chair of BMO Financial Group.

David MacNaughton was Canada’s Ambassador to the United States from 2016-19, and has since resumed his business career in Toronto.

Peter Mansbridge is an award-winning journalist, and a  distinguished fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. He was chief correspondent and anchor of CBC’s The National for 30 years.

Lawrence Martin is a Globe and Mail columnist and author of The Presidents and The Prime Ministers. A graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School, he has served twice as the Globe’s Washington correspondent.

Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands since 2011,  served as leader of the Green Party of Canada from 2006 to 2019.

Elizabeth McIninch is a speechwriter, historian, and editor of eight books. She was archivist to the late John Napier Turner for many years.

Arthur Milnes, a speechwriter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and research assistant on Brian Mulroney’s memoirs, writes “Today in Canada’s Political History” for National Newswatch.

Jack M. Mintz was founding director and is president’s fellow at the School of Public Policy, University of Calgary and senior fellow at Massey College at the University of Toronto.

Don Newman is a journalist who has covered Canada-US relations for nearly 50 years, including tours as bureau chief in Washington for CTV and CBC News.

Kevin Page is President and CEO of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy (IFSD) at University of Ottawa and was Canada’s first Parliamentary Budget Officer.

Steve Paikin is anchor of “The Agenda with Steve Paikin” on TVO, Ontario’s public broadcaster and digital content provider. He is the author of eight books.

John Parisella is a fellow at CÉRIUM and the Global Affairs Institute. He was delegate general of Quebec in New York and Washington from 2009-2012, and previously was chief of staff to Premier Robert Bourassa from 1989-94.

André Pratte was a journalist for 40 years, including 14 years as chief editorial writer of La Presse. Appointed to the Senate in 2016 he resigned in 2019 and is a principal at Navigator Ltd.

Colin Robertson, a former Canadian diplomat who served in Washington, New York and Los Angeles, is vice president and fellow of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute in Ottawa.

Robin Sears, a crisis communications consultant, was an NDP strategist for two decades and served as Ontario’s agent general for Asia for six years.

Brian Stewart, a broadcast journalist and former CBC and NBC foreign correspondent, is a senior fellow of the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto.

J.D.M. Stewart has taught Canadian history for 27 years and is the author of the 2018 book Being Prime Minister, published by Dundurn. His writing appears in many publications across Canada.

Paul M. Tellier is a former Clerk of the Privy Council from 1985-92, who then became President and CEO of CN Rail and later of Bombardier Inc.

Vianne Timmons is the President and Vice Chancellor of Memorial University in Newfoundland, and a former President of the University of Regina.

Lori Turnbull is an associate professor of Political Science and director of the School of Public Administration at Dalhousie University. She is a co-winner of the Donner Prize for political writing.

Lisa Van Dusen, associate editor and deputy publisher of Policy. She was Washington columnist for the Ottawa Citizen and Sun Media, international writer for Peter Jennings at ABC News, and an editor at AP National in New York and UPI in Washington.

Pamela Wallin is a member of the Senate of Canada, and former consul general of Canada in New York from 2002-2006. She was previously a host with CTV and later a national news anchor at CBC.  

Mark Warner, Counsel with MAAW Law in Toronto, is a Canadian and American lawyer who has practised trade, investment and competition law in leading firms in Toronto, New York and Washington, DC.

Anthony Wilson-Smith, President and CEO of Historica Canada, is a former editor-in-chief and Ottawa Bureau Chief of Maclean’s Magazine.