Statecraft : Canada's prime ministers and their cabinets / edited by Stephen Azzi and Patrice Dutil.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Azzi, Stephen, 1965- editor.

Dutil, Patrice A., 1960- editor.

Standardized Title:

Statecraft (Toronto, Ont.)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cabinet system--Canada.

Cabinet system.

Cabinet officers--Canada.

Cabinet officers.

Prime ministers--Canada.

Prime ministers.

Canada--Politics and government--Decision making.

Canada.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Toronto ; Buffalo ; London : University of Toronto Press, 2025.

Summary:

"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."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction : the idea of cabinet government / Patrice Dutil and Stephen Azzi

Statecraft : theory and the thirst for history / Patrice Dutil and Stephen Azzi

Sir John A. Macdonald and his cabinets : the “autocrat” in power / Patrice Dutil

Alexander Mackenzie’s statecraft : looking for stability ex-centrically / Ben Forster

The cabinet in chronic crisis : the lessons of Abbott, Thompson, Bowell, and Tupper / Ted Glenn

Pillars and posts : Wilfrid Laurier’s cabinet management / J.P. Lewis

The outsider : Robert Borden and his cabinet / John English

Arthur Meighen : the lost opportunities of leadership / Mary Janigan and Tom Kierans

Cabinet management after the collapse of the two-party system : Mackenzie King in the 1920s / Robert Wardhaugh

R.B. Bennett’s “one-man government” / Larry A. Glassford

Mackenzie King’s upgrading of prime ministerial power : cabinet management, luck, and circumstance / Robert Bothwell

Louis St-Laurent : the cabinet’s centre of gravity / Stephen Azzi

John Diefenbaker : the chief stands alone / Patricia I. McMahon

Lester Pearson and cabinet government : the diplomat in charge / P.E. Bryden

Pierre inter pares : cabinet under Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1968–1979 / Asa McKercher

“Welcome to the 1980s” : Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s quasi‑Gaullist style / Frédéric Boily

Brian Mulroney : statecraft for radical change / Raymond B. Blake

Jean Chrétien : the “friendly dictator” / Lori Turnbull

Paul Martin’s cabinet : the unforgiving consequences of flawed statecraft / Patrice Dutil and Stephen Azzi

Stephen Harper : alone at the top / R. Paul Wilson

Justin Trudeau : a cabinet that looks like Canada / Jeni Armstrong, Alex Marland, and Dan Arnold

Conclusion : the mysterious grammar of Canadian statecraft / Stephen Azzi and Patrice Dutil.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Online resource; title from PDF title page (De Gruyter Brill, viewed December 18, 2025).

Other Format:

Print version: Statecraft.

ISBN:

9781487558994

1487558996

9781487558987

1487558988

OCLC:

1493509701

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license