In their own words: prime ministers in victory and in defeat

When Brian Mulroney won a massive majority in 1984, he thought of his Baie Comeau-paper-mill-working father, his hero; when Jean Chrétien won in 1993, he and Aline, visited his parents graves in Shawinigan, Que., before heading to Ottawa; and when Kim Campbell and the Progressive Conservatives were wiped off the political map in defeat in 1993, she told the crowd, 'I'm glad I didn't sell my car.'

Pictured top left and clockwise: Former prime ministers Liberal Pierre Trudeau, Progressive Conservative Joe Clark, Progressive Conservative Brian Mulroney, Liberal Paul Martin, Conservative Stephen Harper, and Liberal Jean Chrétien. The Hill Times photographs by Jake Wright, Andrew Meade, Sam Garcia, and courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Feature

BY ARTHUR MILNES

April 27, 2025

While politics is the most public of professions, it is also a very personal one for party leaders and their families. As Canada’s 45th general election concludes, I have assembled the words Canada’s prime ministers have used, in defeat and victory, to de...

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