Leaders lead in many different ways. There are transactional or laissez-faire leaders from Canadian history (Stephen Harper). Populist leaders (John Diefenbaker). Or strategic or situational leaders (William Lyon Mackenzie King.)

Canada has had just six prime ministers who have been transformational leaders. They are Sir John A. Macdonald; Sir Wilfrid Laurier; Louis St. Laurent; Lester Pearson; Pierre Trudeau, and Brian Mulroney. While only 19 months into his mandate, it is easy to believe that Mark Carney will one day join them. 

Keep in mind that transformational doesn’t necessarily imply perfection – it means they have fundamentally altered the nation in significant ways.  

Macdonald and Laurier were literal nation builders. The country didn’t exist in its present form without their work. St. Laurent – curiously forgotten by most – brought Newfoundland into Confederation, oversaw construction of the Trans-Canada Highway, launched the St. Lawrence Seaway, and laid the groundwork for old-age pensions and hospital insurance, among other social policy improvements. 

Pearson managed to be transformative in just five years: Medicare, the Canada Pension Plan, a new flag, and new international alliances through NATO and multilateral diplomacy. 

Trudeau Sr. patriated the Constitution; introduced the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; advanced official bilingualism and multiculturalism; and introduced the National Energy Program.

Brian Mulroney was highly ambitious, negotiating the Canada–U.S. Free Trade Agreement in 1988, and then later the North American Free Trade Agreement. (Mulroney, like all of us, could never have predicted a despot would take power in the U.S.) He also implemented the GST; oversaw massive privatization; led anti-apartheid efforts against South Africa; advanced major Indigenous policy reforms; and was declared the greenest prime minister in Canadian history.

Carney is off to an unprecedented start, catalyzed by the lunatic leader south of the border. His landmark speech at Davos set the tone for a prime ministerial approach that could not have contrasted more with Justin Trudeau’s sophomore misfires.

While it’s axiomatic that his bold plans must bear fruit, Carney has lit a fire that has ignited Canadian resolve. From new pipelines to hydroelectricity expansion, to massive spending (finally) on our military, the PM’s firm response to Trump’s trade war and tariff threats has elevated his domestic and international stature.

As the European Union courts a unique, intimate relationship with us, one gets the sense Carney is just getting started. His ambition bears political fruit, so far. He now holds the highest recorded approval rating in Canadian history, as shown in a study by Spark Insights. The PM’s surge in the polls is coming predominantly from former Conservatives, according to Angus Reid, a moment of unprecedented Canadian unity for all but a narrow fringe who live and breathe party politics.

As I write this, the Build Canada Strong Act has just been introduced. Its 361 sections could test Carney’s sky-high approval ratings, as the bill would reform project approvals, overhaul transportation regulations to attract investment in ports and rail, create national trade corridors, and reduce strike-related disruptions.

As the prime minister told the New York Times recently, Trump’s exploitation of Canadian dependency on American products had taught the country a bitter lesson: “There’s certain things, once you’ve seen them, you can’t unsee them.” 

And so the seventh transformational leader of Canada continues the work he was elected to do.