Statecraft
Canadian Prime Ministers and Their Cabinets
Published on 9. September 2025
Book
Hardback
522 pages
978-1-4875-5896-3 (ISBN)
Description
Statecraft delves into the intricate relationships between Canadian prime ministers and their cabinets since Confederation. Through twenty critical essays, leading scholars systematically analyse the challenges and decisions faced by individual prime ministers from Sir John A. Macdonald to Justin Trudeau. The essays explore essential questions: What influenced cabinet appointments? How and why were ministers shuffled or dismissed? How did the drive for re-election shape the leadership styles employed by prime ministers?
At its core, the book examines statecraft - the art of decisive leadership in the face of shifting social, economic, and cultural realities. Statecraft involves the balancing act of maintaining government cohesion, prioritizing urgent issues, and navigating the relentless pursuit of political survival. Even the most seasoned leaders can master statecraft one day and falter the next.
Drawing on extensive research, Statecraft bridges history and political science, offering fresh perspectives on the strategies, decisions, and leadership techniques that have defined twenty prime ministers. This comprehensive volume sheds light on the evolving art of governance and its enduring challenges.
At its core, the book examines statecraft - the art of decisive leadership in the face of shifting social, economic, and cultural realities. Statecraft involves the balancing act of maintaining government cohesion, prioritizing urgent issues, and navigating the relentless pursuit of political survival. Even the most seasoned leaders can master statecraft one day and falter the next.
Drawing on extensive research, Statecraft bridges history and political science, offering fresh perspectives on the strategies, decisions, and leadership techniques that have defined twenty prime ministers. This comprehensive volume sheds light on the evolving art of governance and its enduring challenges.
Reviews / Votes
"In this landmark collection, A-list historians, political scientists, and insiders insightfully examine prime ministers and their cabinets since the days of Sir John A. Using the intriguing concept of 'statecraft,' they chronicle and analyse how prime ministers put cabinets together and assess their cabinet management techniques. The chapters, written with verve and style, offer astute and original analysis. Azzi and Dutil's Statecraft is a certifiable must-read." -- Graham White, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Toronto "This volume is the most comprehensive by far of the various works on prime ministerial leadership in Canada. The analyses of the individual prime ministers range from excellent to superb. Each chapter is extensively documented, using both primary and secondary sources, balanced and insightful in its observations, and often enriched with pithy anecdotes and illustrations." -- Herman Bakvis, Professor Emeritus, School of Public Administration, University of VictoriaMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Toronto
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
22 b&w figures
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
794 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4875-5896-3 (9781487558963)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Stephen Azzi is a professor of political management, history, and political science at Carleton University.
Patrice Dutil is a professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Patrice Dutil is a professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Content
List of Images
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Idea of Cabinet Government
Patrice Dutil and Stephen Azzi
1. Statecraft: Theory and the Thirst for History
Patrice Dutil and Stephen Azzi
2. Sir John A. Macdonald and His Cabinets: The "Autocrat" in Power
Patrice Dutil
3. Alexander Mackenzie's Statecraft: Looking for Stability Ex-Centrically
Ben Forster
4. The Cabinet in Chronic Crisis: The Lessons of Abbott, Thompson, Bowell, and Tupper
Ted Glenn
5. Pillars and Posts: Wilfrid Laurier's Cabinet Management
J.P. Lewis
6. The Outsider: Robert Borden and his Cabinet
John English
7. Arthur Meighen: The Lost Opportunities of Leadership
Mary Janigan and Tom Kierans
8. Cabinet Management after the Collapse of the Two-Party System: Mackenzie King in the 1920s
Robert Wardhaugh
9. R.B. Bennett's "One-Man Government"
Larry Glassford
10. Mackenzie King's Upgrading of Prime Ministerial Power: Management, Luck, and Circumstance
Robert Bothwell
11. Louis St-Laurent: The Cabinet's Centre of Gravity
Stephen Azzi
12. John Diefenbaker: The Chief Stands Alone
Patricia I. McMahon
13. Lester Pearson and Cabinet Government: The Diplomat in Charge
P.E. Bryden
14. Pierre Inter Pares: Cabinet under Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1968-1979
Asa McKercher
15. "Welcome to the 1980s": Pierre Elliott Trudeau's Quasi-Gaullist Style
Frederic Boily
16. Brian Mulroney: Statecraft for Radical Change
Raymond B. Blake
17. Jean Chretien: The "Friendly Dictator"
Lori Turnbull
18. Paul Martin's Cabinet: The Unforgiving Consequences of Flawed Statecraft
Patrice Dutil and Stephen Azzi
19. Stephen Harper: Alone at the Top
R. Paul Wilson
20. Justin Trudeau: "Government by Cabinet is Back"
Jeni Armstrong, Alex Marland, and Dan Arnold
Conclusion: The Mysterious Grammar of Canadian Statecraft
Stephen Azzi and Patrice Dutil
Contributors
Index
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Idea of Cabinet Government
Patrice Dutil and Stephen Azzi
1. Statecraft: Theory and the Thirst for History
Patrice Dutil and Stephen Azzi
2. Sir John A. Macdonald and His Cabinets: The "Autocrat" in Power
Patrice Dutil
3. Alexander Mackenzie's Statecraft: Looking for Stability Ex-Centrically
Ben Forster
4. The Cabinet in Chronic Crisis: The Lessons of Abbott, Thompson, Bowell, and Tupper
Ted Glenn
5. Pillars and Posts: Wilfrid Laurier's Cabinet Management
J.P. Lewis
6. The Outsider: Robert Borden and his Cabinet
John English
7. Arthur Meighen: The Lost Opportunities of Leadership
Mary Janigan and Tom Kierans
8. Cabinet Management after the Collapse of the Two-Party System: Mackenzie King in the 1920s
Robert Wardhaugh
9. R.B. Bennett's "One-Man Government"
Larry Glassford
10. Mackenzie King's Upgrading of Prime Ministerial Power: Management, Luck, and Circumstance
Robert Bothwell
11. Louis St-Laurent: The Cabinet's Centre of Gravity
Stephen Azzi
12. John Diefenbaker: The Chief Stands Alone
Patricia I. McMahon
13. Lester Pearson and Cabinet Government: The Diplomat in Charge
P.E. Bryden
14. Pierre Inter Pares: Cabinet under Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1968-1979
Asa McKercher
15. "Welcome to the 1980s": Pierre Elliott Trudeau's Quasi-Gaullist Style
Frederic Boily
16. Brian Mulroney: Statecraft for Radical Change
Raymond B. Blake
17. Jean Chretien: The "Friendly Dictator"
Lori Turnbull
18. Paul Martin's Cabinet: The Unforgiving Consequences of Flawed Statecraft
Patrice Dutil and Stephen Azzi
19. Stephen Harper: Alone at the Top
R. Paul Wilson
20. Justin Trudeau: "Government by Cabinet is Back"
Jeni Armstrong, Alex Marland, and Dan Arnold
Conclusion: The Mysterious Grammar of Canadian Statecraft
Stephen Azzi and Patrice Dutil
Contributors
Index