"If you would know the depth of meanness of human nature, you have got to be a Prime Minister running a general election."  -- John A. Macdonald, 1891

In 1967, Pierre Trudeau urged Canadians to heed the philosopher Plato's warning "that men who want very badly to head the country shouldn't be trusted." The fact is, however, that a strong desire for power  -  and all that can be accomplished with it  -  is a requirement for anyone pursuing Canada's highest political office. Although there are many paths to the top, becoming prime minister is no easy matter. Most of our leaders have had to fight both party rivals and opposition parties to obtain and then retain the position.

Backgrounds of the Prime Ministers

• Lawyer-Politicians
• Other Paths to the Top
• An Exceptional Rise
• A Handful of Warriors

Party Leadership

• The First Elected Party Leader
• The Politics of Image
• And the Winner Is …

Electoral Victory

• Majority Rules
• Elusive Victory
• The Element of Luck
• The Paraphernalia of Political Warfare
• The Selling of the Prime Minister
• The Changing Demands of the Hustings