Well it has been a hot minute and in the light of social isolation I thought what better time to get to know the former prime ministers. Really, it’s boredom’s best cure.

It has been over a year since I left this blog without following up on Joe Clark, a short term prime minister who took office in between reigns of Trudeau Sr. He was a young and obscure politician from Alberta and I know it has been mentioned but it deserves an underline - he was the Editor-in-Chief of The Gateway, the student publication of the UofA, making us both student journalism alums and giving me one massive bragging right.

Joe Clark was the first Alberta-bred prime minister elected to office. R.B. Bennett was technically the first PM to be PM while representing an Alberta riding, but he was from Hopewell Hill, New Brunswick, about as far away you can get from Alberta while still being in the same country.

The distance between Bennett’s hometown and his riding in Calgary West.

Being from High River, it was a point of pride for many Western Canadians to vote for one of their own, a small town boy from High River who had become the youngest leader of a political party in Canadian history, and he was from small town Alberta. The only other PM born and bred in Alberta was Stephen Harper.

But his hometown is rather proud of Joe Clark, naming a bilingual elementary school after him. He is the only living PM to have this honour.

Joe Clark’s time as PM also highlights an interesting division between Canadian leaders - short term vs. long term. There are notably long-serving PMs - Mackenzie King, Laurier and Macdonald all come to mind, with each close to or over two decades in power. And there are notably short serving ones - Kim Campbell, John Turner and Joe Clark come to mind. PMs where you hear their name and inadvertently say “who?”

The division seems to be cleanly split at 4 years and 11 months. Any more than that, and you’re a lifer. Any shorter than that and you’re considered short-term and will be remembered and ranked as so. Even our current PM, Trudeau Jr., is considered short-term because he hasn’t been in office over 4 years and 11 months yet - but come this fall, if he is still in office, he will breach that threshold.

Clark and Mulroney before the 1983 PC leadership race. - Montreal Gazette

Clark lost the 1983 leadership bid to Brian Mulroney, ending his opportunities to lead the country after Trudeau Sr.’s final exit and forever putting him in the short-term prime minister category. Being so young - only in his early 40s - Clark did have an illustrious career as a politician and diplomat ahead of him, serving as Secretary of State of External Affairs under Mulroney. He did win the leadership of the party again, from 1998 to 2003, when he was ousted by Peter MacKay - who is currently running, once again, for leadership of the Conservative party. So maybe i’ll have to write about him later.

Sorry to put this on hiatus for awhile. Life got busy for a minute there and while it may be lonely now, it is definitely not busy. Thanks to Joe Clark for keeping me company today.