From 1867 to today, Canada has had twenty-three prime ministers, each of whom helped build and improve Canada. An analysis of former prime ministers William Lyon Mackenzie King, Lester Bowles Pearson, and Pierre Elliott Trudeau of Canada during the WWII, the fifties and sixties, and contemporary Canada, respectively, shows that Canadians should be proud of their nation and the people who led and shaped Canada to what it is today.
During WWII, the leader seen as the greatest Canadian prime minister by scholars and academics in Maclean’s surveys guided Canada through the turbulent time. William Lyon Mackenzie King made many accomplishments during his time as the longest-serving prime minister, from 1921-1926, 1926-1930, and 1935-1948, and
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He is remembered for his initiative and creative leadership from 1963-1968, strengthening and improving Canada. During his leadership, Pearson strengthened Canada’s social safety nets and implemented policies which improved the well-being of Canadians. In 1965, Pearson introduced the Canada Pension Plan, a public social plan for retirement. He had also adopted the public health care system, founded by Tommy Douglas in Saskatchewan, in 1968. People would pay a tax and when they needed health care, the costs would be paid by the taxes and government. Pearson established many other policies such as a minimum wage, the eight-hour workday, the forty-hour work week, and a mandatory minimum of two weeks paid vacation to full-time employees. These initiatives improved and strengthened Canada’s social services. Furthermore, Pearson is praised for adopting the Maple Leaf or l’Unifolie flag most Canadians take pride in. The Maple Leaf flag, designed by George Stanley, was introduced in 1965, two years before the one hundred year anniversary of Canada. The Maple Leaf flag replaced the Union flag. A new feeling of pride came along with the flag. About three-quarters of Canadians feel a sense of pride in Canada from displaying the Maple Leaf flag. Lester Pearson’s initiative and creative leadership brought a new flag along with a new sense of pride to Canada. Many Canadians feel united and proud under this