Charles Tupper: Warhorse

Not the worst prime minister of Canada, but not by much, Tupper held office for only ten weeks during an election before reluctantly conceding he lost. As a member of Parliament he always kept his doctor's bag under his desk, and Parliament kept two bars open while in session. There's a famous Canadian painting of the Fathers of Confederation, with John A. Macdonald at the centre of the assembly. But who is the man on the right of the painting, at the focus of their attention? That man in his mutton-chop sideburns is Dr Charles Tupper. Queen Victoria granted him a knighthood for his role in bringing together the Confederation of Canada. He kept Confederation together when his home province of Nova Scotia voted to leave and when Red River voted to join as a new province. Sir Charles Tupper became the sixth prime minister of Canada, but only after his party exhausted all alternatives. At 69 days, his term in office is the shortest yet for any Canadian prime minister. Yet his influence was far greater than that brief term, including policies that were disastrous for First Nations peoples in the Western provinces. Doublejoy Books is proud to present the second in a series called Prime Ministers of Canada. This series of biographies brings together details of the lives of Canada's prime ministers from Confederation through to the twenty-first century. Look to books in this series for a focus on elements and details that are glossed over in most commentaries on these political figures. On the book series Prime Ministers of Canada: To know our Prime Ministers is to take some pride in the eclectic collection of individuals and stories that make up our history. Whatever our politics, whatever one may think of individual PMs and their decisions, one recognizes that they are a mirror to their times, a reflection of who we were and where we come from. Those who do not know our history are doomed to believe it boring; those who do know, gain the bragging rights that come from having great and colourful ancestors. – Dr. Robert Runté