In his new book The Prime Ministers: Canada’s Leaders and the Nation They Shaped — released with Sutherland House Books on September 30, 2025 — historian, teacher, and writer, J.D.M. Stewart, brings fresh insight to the individuals who have held the country’s highest elected office, from John A. Macdonald to Mark Carney. In this adapted excerpt, he argues that remembering and reassessing our leaders is essential to understanding Canada.

A few years ago, I addressed an assembly of Canadian high school students at a Model United Nations event. On the screen behind me was a photograph of Lester B. Pearson, complete with his name underneath. I asked the group who he was.

Not a single student knew.

Afterward, a teacher told me with a tone of resignation: “No one really teaches about prime mi

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