Canadians had a new Prime Minister on this date in 1979 with the defeat of Pierre Trudeau at the hands of Tory Joe Clark. After 11 years in power, Canadians had tired of Trudeau and his Liberals. Clark led his party to victory in 136 ridings while the Grits only came first in 114. Ed Broadbent’s NDP rounded out the final numbers with 26 seats. Social Credit won six seats.
Though he would lead a minority government, Prime Minister Clark famously said he would govern as if he had majority backing. Only a few months later, however, his government was defeated on the floor of the Commons in a confidence vote and Canadians went back to the polls in 1980, returning Trudeau to power.
Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.
Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.