(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many Canadians hold positive views on the tenure of Pierre Trudeau as their head of government, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 42 per cent of respondents think Trudeau has been Canada’s best prime minister since 1968.

Trudeau—a member of the Liberal party—headed the federal administration from 1968 to 1979, and from 1980 to 1984. During his tenure as prime minister, Trudeau envisioned the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Canada patriated the constitution from Britain. The 1982 constitution was signed without Quebec. Two different efforts by the Mulroney government—the Meech Lake Accord in the 1980s and the 1992 Charlottetown referendum—failed to bring the province into the constitution.

Mulroney was selected as the worst prime minister for 21 per cent of respondents, followed by Chrétien with 17 per cent, Harper and Trudeau with 14 per cent each, Campbell and Martin with eight per cent each, Clark with four per cent, and John Turner with two per cent.

Mulroney—a member of the Progressive Conservative party—served as prime minister from 1984 to 1993, winning two majority mandates. His government cancelled the National Energy Program—developed by Trudeau—which proved extremely unpopular in Western Canada, and negotiated two separate free trade agreements.

Mulroney’s second term was marked by an economic recession and the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). In the 1993 Canadian federal election, the governing Progressive Conservatives—led by Campbell—were reduced to just two seats in the House of Commons.

In 2005, the Canadian government and the Liberal party were affected by the public inquiry into the federal sponsorship program initiated during Chrétien’s tenure to promote Canada in Quebec. In February 2004, auditor-general Sheila Fraser concluded that approximately $75 million U.S. of the program’s budget was paid to Liberal-friendly advertising firms for little or no work. The inquiry report exonerated Martin—who acted as finance minister during Chrétien’s tenure—from "any blame for carelessness or misconduct."

Canadians renewed the House of Commons in January 2006. The Conservative party—led by Harper—received 36.3 per cent of the vote, and secured 124 seats in the 308-member lower house. Harper leads a minority administration after more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.

Polling Data

We would like to ask you some questions about the people who have served as prime minister of Canada since 1968. Which of these politicians do you think has been Canada’s best prime minister?

Pierre Trudeau	42%
Brian Mulroney	12%
Stephen Harper	12%
Jean Chrétien	6%
Joe Clark	3%
Paul Martin	2%
Kim Campbell	1%
John Turner	--
Not sure	21%

Which of these politicians do you think has been Canada’s worst prime minister?

Brian Mulroney	21%
Jean Chrétien	17%
Stephen Harper	14%
Pierre Trudeau	14%
Kim Campbell	8%
Paul Martin	8%
Joe Clark	4%
John Turner	2%
Not sure	10%

Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,028 Canadian adults, conducted from Jun. 15 to Jun. 18, 2007. Margin of error is 3.0 per cent.