By Canadian Press

Poll on best prime ministers of the 20th century suggests regional divide

Dec 31, 2019 | 8:26 AM

OTTAWA — There appears to be a regional divide in how fondly Canadians view prime ministers past, according to a poll that might shed light on today’s political climate.

The survey from the non-profit Association for Canadian Studies found respondents were divided on their choices for the best prime minister of the 20th century, with Pierre Trudeau receiving the largest share of votes at 15 per cent.

He and Brian Mulroney were the most popular picks in Quebec — but francophone Quebecers favoured Mulroney while anglophones in the province favoured Trudeau.

And in the West, respondents chose Lester B. Pearson more often from the list of eight prime ministers who served long stints in office between 1900 and 2000.

The Leger online poll conducted the week of Nov. 11 surveyed 2,295 Canadians but cannot be assigned a margin of error because polls from Internet panels are not random samples.

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Association president Jack Jedwab notes Pierre Trudeau was chosen by respondents in parts of the country key to current prime minister Justin Trudeau’s electoral successes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 31, 2019.

The Canadian Press