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Historical rankings of prime ministers of Canada

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Surveys have been conducted to construct historical rankings of individuals who have served as prime minister of Canada. These ranking systems are usually based on surveys of academic historians, economists and political scientists. The rankings focus on the achievements, leadership qualities, failures and faults in office.

East Block (left) and the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council (right) have housed the office of the prime minister since Canadian Confederation, the former from 1867 to 1977 and the latter since 1977.

Expert survey results

Canadian custom is to count by the individuals who were prime minister, not by terms.[1] Since Confederation, 24 prime ministers have been "called upon" by the governor general to form 30 Canadian ministries.[1]

Legend
Blue backgrounds indicate first quartile.
Green backgrounds indicate second quartile.
Orange backgrounds indicate third quartile.
Red backgrounds indicate fourth quartile.
Pierre Trudeau is often ranked as the best prime minister since 1968.[2][3][4]

Note: Click the "sort" icon at the head of each column to view the rankings for each survey in numerical order.

More information Sequence, Prime Minister ...
Sequence[a]Prime MinisterPolitical partyMaclean's 1997[5]Maclean's 2011[6]Maclean's 2016[7]Aggregate
[b][original research?]		Time in office (rank)
1Sir John A. MacdonaldConservative223032
2Alexander MackenzieLiberal1113131314
3Sir John Abbott[c]Conservative1719202018
4Sir John Thompson[c]Conservative1014161516
5Sir Mackenzie Bowell[c]Conservative1921212219
6Sir Charles Tupper[c]Conservative1618191923
7Sir Wilfrid LaurierLiberal312024
8Sir Robert BordenConservative, Unionist789089
9Arthur Meighen[c]Conservative1416171717
10William Lyon Mackenzie KingLiberal131011
11R. B. BennettConservative1212141412
12Louis St. LaurentLiberal4760610
13John George DiefenbakerProgressive Conservative1310121211
14Lester B. PearsonLiberal6450513
15Pierre Elliott TrudeauLiberal554043
16Joe Clark[c]Progressive Conservative1517181820
17John Turner[c]Liberal1820222122
18Brian MulroneyProgressive Conservative898098
19Kim Campbell[c]Progressive Conservative2022232321
20Jean ChrétienLiberal9[d]67075
21Paul Martin[c]Liberal—15151615
22Stephen HarperConservative—11[d]11116
23Justin TrudeauLiberal——10[d]107
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  1. [a]
    Sequence listed by first term as prime minister.
  2. [b]
    Aggregate of all polls in the table using Copeland's method.
  3. [c]
    Served less than 2 years, 3 months as prime minister, while all others served for more than 4 years, 11 months. There is a strong correlation between time served in office and the poll rankings: the bottom quartile of the aggregate poll rankings are all in the bottom quartile of time served in office. Similarly, the top four prime ministers in terms of aggregate rankings are in the top four of time spent in office.
  4. [d]
    Ranking calculated before the prime minister had left office.

By public approval rating

The following is a list of prime ministers of Canada by their highest and lowest approval rating during their term. The approval rating system came into effect when John Diefenbaker was prime minister (1957–1963).

Highest approval rating

1.   Mark Carney — 70% (September 2026)[8]
2.   Jean Chrétien — 66% (September 1994)[9]
3.   Justin Trudeau — 65% (September 2016)[10]
4.   John Diefenbaker — 64% (June 1958)[9]
5.   Stephen Harper — 64% (March 2006)[9]
6.   Brian Mulroney — 61% (June 1985)[9]
7.   Paul Martin — 56% (September 2004)[9]
8.   Lester B. Pearson — 56% (January 1966)[9]
9.   Pierre Trudeau — 55% (September 1972)[9]
10.   Kim Campbell — 53% (July 1993)[9]
11.   Joe Clark — 32% (November 1979)[9]

Note: Ratings are up to date as of May 05, 2026.
Legend:   Conservative   Liberal   Progressive Conservative

Lowest approval rating

1.   Brian Mulroney — 12% (November 1992)[9]
2.   Justin Trudeau — 21% (January 2025)[11]
3.   Stephen Harper — 23% (May 2013)[9]
4.   Joe Clark — 24% (January 1980)[9]
5.   Pierre Trudeau — 25% (September 1982)[9]
6.   John Diefenbaker — 34% (March 1963)[9]
7.   Jean Chrétien — 36% (June 2000)[9]
8.   Paul Martin — 41% (June 2005)[9]
9.   Lester B. Pearson — 41% (September 1965)[9]
10.   Mark Carney — 41% (March 2025)[12]
11.   Kim Campbell — 48% (October 1993)[9]

Note: Ratings are up to date as of May 05, 2026.
Legend:   Conservative   Liberal   Progressive Conservative

Other surveys

Pre-2003

The Institute for Research on Public Policy undertook a survey to rank the prime ministers who had served in the 50 years preceding 2003.[13] They ranked those nine prime ministers as follows:

  1. Pearson
  2. Mulroney
  3. Pierre Trudeau
  4. St. Laurent
  5. Chrétien
  6. Diefenbaker
  7. Clark ^
  8. Turner ^
  9. Campbell ^

^ Served less than 10 months as prime minister, while all others served for more than 4 years, 11 months.

2016 Maclean's short vs. long-serving prime ministers

In October 2016, Maclean's again ranked the prime ministers, this time splitting them into two lists. The long-serving prime ministers were ranked as follows:

More information Long-serving, Short-term ...
Long-serving Short-term
1. King 1. Martin
2. Laurier 2. Thompson
3. Macdonald 3. Meighen
4. Pierre Trudeau 4. Clark
5. Pearson 5. Tupper
6. St. Laurent 6. Abbott
7. Chrétien 7. Bowell
8. Mulroney 8. Turner
9. Borden 9. Campbell
10. Harper —
11. Diefenbaker —
12. Mackenzie —
13. Bennett —
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Research Co. 2020s Surveys

2023

The highest percentage of respondents (38%) said Justin Trudeau was the worst prime minister since 1968, 14% said Stephen Harper, 7% said Pierre Trudeau, and 6% said Kim Campbell. For best prime minister since 1968, Pierre Trudeau received the highest percentage (18%), Stephen Harper second (16%), Brian Mulroney third (15%), and Justin Trudeau fourth (10%).[14]

2026

Conducted on April 11–13, 2026, respondents were asked to select four individuals they considered the best and worst from a list of all 24 officeholders since Confederation.[15]

Best prime ministers

Six prime ministers were identified by more than 20% of respondents as among the best: Pierre Trudeau (30%), Mark Carney (29%), Stephen Harper (29%), John A. Macdonald (27%), Jean Chrétien (27%), and Brian Mulroney (23%).[15]

Older respondents more frequently selected Pierre Trudeau and Mulroney, while younger cohorts showed higher support for more recent leaders, including Carney and Justin Trudeau. Regional differences were also observed, with Macdonald leading in Ontario, Chrétien in Quebec, and Carney in Atlantic Canada.[15]

Worst prime ministers

Justin Trudeau was selected by 47% of respondents, followed by Harper and Pierre Trudeau (23% each), Carney (21%), and Kim Campbell (20%). Justin Trudeau ranked as the most frequently selected “worst” prime minister across all age groups and regions, with higher proportions in Alberta and Ontario.[15]

See also

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References

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