Great Prime Ministers Have Big Ideas

Martin Goldfarb

A former pollster and strategist for the Liberal Party, Martin Goldfarb writes that transforma- tional prime ministers propose big ideas that engage Canadians and change the country. He proposes a short list of four PMs who transformed Canada: Sir John A. Macdonald, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Pierre Trudeau, and Brian Mulroney.

Selon Martin Goldfarb, expert et idées qui galvanisent la popula- sir John A. Macdonald, sir Wilfrid pionnier des études de marché, tion et font évoluer le pays. À ses Laurier, Pierre Trudeau et Brian les premiers ministres transfor- yeux, quatre premiers ministres Mulroney. mateurs proposent de grandes canadiens répondent à ce critère :

ou need big ideas to win elec- Elections give our leaders an oppor- Y tions. These ideas change the di- tunity to demonstrate a path to where rection of a country. they want to take us, because if you Elections are a time of renewal. They al- do not know where you want to end low politicians the time to engage the up you will never get there. The 1988 electorate, and in so doing, create affinity campaign on free trade was such an to themselves and their party. election. They challenge is how we think of our- ecently in the United States, for selves globally, domestically, and locally. R example, the Republican and What is it we want out of life? What do Democratic national conventions of- we expect our country to do for us and fered platitudes and rhetoric. what can we do as individuals for the But no big ideas were advanced that collective? could change the fortunes and direc- Elections challenge the very nature of tions of America. There is clearly an citizenship and what we as voters can do absence of, and a need for, bold new Sir John A. Macdonald to make our country a better place – not thinking as both parties acknowledge just for ourselves, but for our neighbours the monumental tasks the US faces. as well. Deciding who to vote for is complicated, because big ideas Neither US party is offering a big idea or a bold agenda. No engage us in issues that may not be popular but intellectually one is proposing what Donald S. Macdonald called “a leap challenge how we think practically, morally, ethically, and of faith”, in recommending that Canada undertake free talks economically. It is an opportunity for politicians to be brave with the US. And in terms of continuity, it is very much worth and put themselves second and their country first. noting that the Macdonald Commission was appointed by the Trudeau Liberal government, but acted upon by the Mul- roney Conservative government. Elections give our leaders an opportunity to demon- I worked for the Liberal Party of Canada for 20 years as a poll- strate a path to where they want to take us, because ster and election strategist and experienced elections where if you do not know where you want to end up you we won because of big ideas and where we lost because Con- servatives had the big ideas. will never get there. The 1988 campaign on free trade was such an election. During an election, affinity is created for a party that promis- es a new direction for the country; a direction where people see a path to a goal.

34 Inside Policy ~ The Magazine of The Macdonald-Laurier Institute

e in Canada have been fortunate Mulroney believed in a more prosperous W to have had leaders who changed Canada and implemented big ideas to get not only what we thought of ourselves us there. For him, elections were a time but how we conducted our daily busi- to challenge the electorate and he did so ness. Sir John A. Macdonald led the charge brilliantly. For me, it always seemed that for a continental railway and Sir Wilfrid he loved not just campaigning – but debat- Laurier brought his country into the 20th ing ideas. century and sought to inspire his people to greatness. Mulroney believed in a more pros- In the 1970s and 1980s, Pierre Trudeau and Brian Mulroney won elections with perous Canada and implemented big ideas that transformed the country. big ideas to get us there. For him, Trudeau’s big ideas included multicultur- elections were a time to challenge alism, patriation of the Constitution, and Sir Wilfrid Laurier the electorate and he did so bril- the National Energy Program (NEP), which liantly. For me, it always seemed resulted in the creation of Petro-Canada. that he loved not just campaigning Though the NEP was obviously unpopu- – but debating ideas. lar in Alberta and the west, Petro-Canada led to the development of the offshore in Atlantic Canada, and again in terms of Both Trudeau and Mulroney won majority continuity, a development advanced by governments because they promised ma- the Mulroney government’s 1988 Atlantic jor changes in the daily lives of Canadians. Accord. Thanks to which, Newfoundland Canadians bought into those changes. and Labrador is now a “have” rather than Canadians understood the benefits and a “have not” province. Somewhere my voted for them, but neither were loved for friend Joe Smallwood must be dancing. these actions. Both men had convictions. Brian Mulroney won big by taking advice Both believed in their ideas. They were from Don Macdonald. He pursued free respected and in some ways admired. Ca- trade with the US. It was an extremely Pierre Trudeau nadians did not love either of them when brave move and resulted in the restruc- they retired. But both changed our coun- Monteal Gazette archives turing of many manufacturing industries, try. Both made it a better country. Both especially in Ontario. Free trade changed gave Canadians confidence in themselves. our way of thinking and doing business And both, I firmly believe, will go down in and ultimately contributed to enormous history as advocates for a better Canada. wealth generation. Like Macdonald and Laurier, both were great prime ministers who thought in very Free trade changed our way of different ways. thinking and doing business and ultimately contributed to enormous There is no question that Brian wealth generation. Mulroney and Pierre Trudeau were great prime ministers whose big It demonstrated to subsequent prime min- ideas made our country and our isters that it was beneficial to pursue more people more just, more prosperous, Brian Mulroney free trade agreements as Prime Minister and more confident. Harper is currently doing.

Similarly, on the GST, Mulroney proposed it, and the oppo- Both Trudeau and Mulroney had big, bold agendas. Both sition fought against it. While it was not a central campaign leaders had the ability to attract brilliant staff. You can tell a issue in 1988, it was a big issue in the 1993 election, in which great leader by the quality of the people he attracts to work Liberal leader Jean Chrétien famously proposed to “ax the for him. tax”, along with repealing NAFTA. Fortunately for Canada, he did neither. International trade, mainly the Canada-US Free Legacy in politics is vital. It’s the “Vision Thing” that separates Trade Agreement and NAFTA, according to his own Trade the great leaders from good leaders. And there is no question minister, Pierre Pettigrew, created 80 percent of the new jobs that Brian Mulroney and Pierre Trudeau were great prime in Canada between 1993 and 2000. And the GST changed ministers whose big ideas made our country and our people the revenue base for Ottawa. It was the precursor that sub- more just, more prosperous, and more confident. sequently allowed Paul Martin to achieve balanced budgets. This put Canada on a stable financial footing and gave busi- Martin Goldfarb ([email protected]), ness confidence to invest. International trade and the GST who for 20 years was the pollster and a strategist for the are among the main reasons Canada enjoys the strongest fis- Liberal Party of Canada, is principal of Goldfarb Intelli- cal framework in the G7. gence Marketing in Toronto.

Special Issue – October 2012 35