Lougheed 'best premier' in 40 years

To mark the 40th anniversary of the Montreal-based Institute on Research for Public Policy, Policy Options magazine asked a panel of 30 prominent Canadians to select the best premier of the last 40 years.

The Institute for Research on Public Policy was co-endowed by Ottawa and the provinces. In recognition of the vital role of the provinces in the Canadian federation, the institute's magazine Policy Options decided to consult 30 public policy experts from across the country to determine the best premier of the last four decades.

Working with Tom Axworthy of the Munk School for Global Affairs at the University of Toronto and Arthur Milnes of Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., we designed a questionnaire that measured nine leadership attributes: winnabiliity, communicator, vision, fiscal frameworks, the economy, infrastructure, interprovincial relations, federal-provincial relations and legacy.

We asked the jury to rank each of the nominated former premiers -- premiers still in office were excluded -- on each of the nine leadership attributes on a scale of one to 10. Finally, we asked them to pick a list of their Top 5 premiers from the long list of 18 nominees.

The answer that came back was resounding: Peter Lougheed, by a landslide.

Lougheed was chosen as the best premier by 21 of the 30 members of the jury, and he was picked in the Top 5 by all 30. Moreover, he swept the leadership categories, ranking No. 1 in all nine attributes.

Lougheed was, quite simply, the builder of the modern Alberta, from better roads to higher education. During the four terms and 14 years of his premiership, Alberta played a leadership role in the Canadian federation as it has at no time since.

Not only did he defend the interests of Alberta on the ownership of its resources, he created the Heritage Savings Trust Fund to save for a rainy day. And there would have been no agreement on patriating the Constitution with an entrenched Charter of Rights in 1981 had Ottawa not accepted Lougheed's general "7/50" amending formula requiring the consent of Ottawa and seven provinces representing 50 per cent of the population, as well as the notwithstanding clause providing a legislative override clause to Parliament and the legislatures. Though never invoked by Ottawa, it was a deal-maker at the federal-provincial constitutional table in November 1981.

Finally, he founded a Progressive Conservative political dynasty that remains in office to this day: 41 years and counting. The Alberta PCs, under their new leader, Alison Redford, have just won their 12th consecutive election.

Lougheed finished way out in front in the scoring, tabulated by IRPP research director Jeremy Leonard; 100 per cent of the jurors voted for him and he received 130 points overall. But longtime Ontario Premier William G. Davis (1971-85) was a very respectable second, with 86.7 per cent of the jurors voting for him and 84 points overall. Though he received no votes as best premier, Davis was the consensus choice for second place.

Allan Blakeney, the Prairie socialist who never ran a deficit as Saskatchewan premier from 1971 to 1982, was a strong third with coverage in the Top 5 from 50 per cent of the jurors, and 44 points.

Frank McKenna, who modernized the economy and infrastructure of New Brunswick, was in fourth place with Top 5 coverage by 46.7 per cent of the jury, and 37 points.

Finally, Robert Bourassa edged out Rene Levesque for fifth place, based partly on his remarkable return from the political wilderness, reclaiming the Quebec Liberal leadership in 1983 and the premiership itself in 1985. He was also the father of the James Bay hydroelectric projects, and played a prominent role in support of the free trade agreement in 1987 and the Meech Lake accord from 1987 to 1990.

In selecting the jury we were conscious of the need for balance on two "Gs" -- geography and generations. We also wanted both official language communities, as well as minority language communities, represented. We believe the jury list reflects that.

Every province was represented according to its weight in the federation. Official language and minority language communities were well represented.

It is a remarkable and very diverse group, including three former clerks of the Privy Council and two former senior federal cabinet ministers from the West.

When we started out to find the best premier of the last 40 years, we thought it would be a lot of fun. And it was.

We weren't sure what the results would be, and whether the answers to our questionnaire would be illuminating. The results speak for themselves.

And the answer is Peter Lougheed.

L. Ian MacDonald, Editor of Policy Options, is the author or editor of five books, including Mulroney: The Making of the Prime Minister, and From Bourassa to Bourassa: Wilderness to Restoration. The results and a question-and-answer session with Lougheed will appear in the June-July issue of Policy Options: imacdonald@irpp.org

--Postmedia News

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 5, 2012 A16