List of books about prime ministers of Canada

The prime minister of Canada is the head of government of Canada. This list compiles written and published books concerning Canadian prime ministers from notable authors and publishers. This listing is mainly compiled in 2011 from the Canadiana : the national bibliography with arbitrary additions since then.

Overview Azzi, Stephen and Patrice Dutil. (eds.) (2025) Statecraft: Prime Ministers and their Cabinets. University of Toronto Press. Blake, Raymond B. (2024) Canada's Prime Ministers and the Shaping of National Identity. University of British Columbia Press.

Dutil, Patrice (ed.) (2023) Statesmen, Strategists and Diplomats. Canada's Prime Ministers and the Making of Foreign Policy. University of British Columbia Press.

Lewis, Robert. (2018) Power, Prime Ministers and the Press. Toronto: Dundurn Press.

Schlee, Gary. (2018) Unknown and Unforgettable: A Guide to Canada's Prime Ministers. Toronto: Shorelawn Publishing. Stewart, J.D.M. (2018) Being Prime Minister. Toronto: Dundurn Press. Stewart, J.D.M. (2025) The Prime Ministers. Sutherland House

John A. Macdonald Boyer, M. Raoul. (2022) John A. Macdonald: Canada's First Prime Minister. Yesterday Today Publishing. *Dutil, Patrice. (2025) Ballots and Brawls: The 1867 Canadian General Election. UBC Press. Collins, Joseph Edmund. (1883) Life and times of the Right Honourable Sir John A. Macdonald: Premier of the Dominion of Canada Creighton, Donald (1998) John A. Macdonald: The Young Politician. The Old Chieftain University of Toronto Press Dutil, Patrice. (2024) Sir John A. Macdonald: The Apocalyptic Year of 1885. Sutherland House. Dutil, Patrice, and Roger Hall (2014) John A. Macdonald at 200: New Reflections and Legacies. Dundurn Press Laxer, James (2016) Staking Claims to a Continent: John A. Macdonald, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and the Making of North America. Anansi Press Guillet, Edwin C, (1967) You'll Never Die, John A!. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada. Gwyn, Richard (2008) John A: The Man Who Made Us Vol 1. Vintage Canada. Gwyn, Richard (2011) Nation Maker Sir John A. MacDonald: His Life, Our Times Vol. 2. Random House. Johnson, J.K. and Waite, P.B. (2007) "Sir John Alexander Macdonald," in Canada's Prime Ministers, Macdonald to Trudeau: Portraits from the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Johnson, J.K. (1969) Affectionately Yours: The Letters of Sir John A. Macdonald and His Family. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada. Martin, Ged. (2013) John A. Macdonald: Canada's First Prime Minister. Dundurn Press McSherry, James. (1984) The invisible lady: Sir John A. Macdonald's first wife. In Canadian Bulletin of Medical History, Vol. 1 pp. 91–97. Parkin, George R. (2007) Sir John A. MacDonald: The Makers of Canada (1908) Kessinger Publishing Phenix, Patricia (2007) Private Demons: The Tragic Personal Life of John A. Macdonald McClelland & Stewart Pope, Joseph (1921) Correspondence of Sir John Macdonald: selections from the correspondence of Sir John Alexander Macdonald. Toronto: Oxford University Press. Pope, Joseph. (1915) The Day of Sir John Macdonald: A Chronicle of the First Prime Minister of the Dominion. Toronto: Brook & Co. Pope, Joseph. (1894) Memoirs of the Right Honourable Sir John Alexander Macdonald, G.C.B., First Prime Minister of The Dominion of Canada, Vols. 1&2. Ottawa: J. Durie & Son. Rohmer, Richard (2013) Sir John A.'s Crusade and Seward's Magnificent Folly Dundurn Press Sletcher, Michael. (2004) "Sir John A. Macdonald," in James Eli Adams, and Tom and Sara Pendergast, eds., Encyclopedia of the Victorian Era. 4 vols., Danbury, CT: Grolier Academic Reference. Swainson, Donald. (1989) Sir John A. Macdonald: The Man and the Politician. Kingston, ON: Quarry Press. * Waite, Peter B. (2000) John a MacDonald: Revised Fitzhenry & Whiteside Smith, Cynthia M., and Jack McLeod (1989)Sir John A. : an anecdotal life of John A. Macdonald Oxford University Press Waite, P. B. (1976) + (1999) John A. Macdonald. Don Mills, ON: Fitzhenry and Whiteside Limited. Waite, P. B. (1975) Macdonald: His Life and World. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. . Wallace, W. Stewart. (1924) Sir John Macdonald. Toronto: The Macmillan Company of Canada Limited.

Alexander Mackenzie (2005 reprint)

John Abbott Elisabeth L. Abbott, 1997, The Reluctant P.M.: Notes on the Life of Sir John Abbott, Canada's Third Prime Minister, Sainte Anne de Bellevue, Québec, Abbott Michael Hill, 2022. The Lost Prime Ministers. Toronto: Dundurn Press. Covers Abbott, Thompson, Bowell and Tupper. Pieter L. van Ewijk, 2020, "POWER BROKER; Canada's 3rd Prime Minister, John J.C. Abbott", Coaldale, Alberta: PvE Publishing

John Thompson J. Castell Hopkins, 1895, Life and Work of the Rt. Hon. Sir John Thompson, Toronto: United Publishing Houses. J.P. Heisler, 1955, Sir John Thompson, thesis, University of Toronto. John Saywell (editor), 1960, The Canadian Journal of Lady Aberdeen, 1893–1898, Champlain Society. Bruce Hutchison, 1964, Mr. Prime Minister 1867–1964, Toronto: Longmans Canada. Lovell Clark, 1968, A History of the Conservative Administrations, 1891–1896, PhD thesis, University of Toronto. Peter Busby Waite, 1985, The Man from Halifax: Sir John Thompson, Prime Minister, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, .

Mackenzie Bowell Betsy Boyce, 2001, The accidental Prime Minister: The biography of Sir Mackenzie Bowell, Ameliasburg, ON: Seventh Town Historical Society Ted Glenn, 2022. A Very Canadian Coup. Toronto: Dundurn Press. Barry K. Wilson, 2021. Sir Mackenzie Bowell: A Prime Minister Forgotten by History. Loose Cannon Press.

Charles Tupper Joseph Howe, Hon. Mr. Howe's Speech on Dr. Tupper's Railway Resolution. House of assembly. Monday, 9 April 1860. (1860) Joseph Howe, Speech of the Honorable Provincial Secretary, In reply to Doctor Tupper, On the Subject of Retrenchment. Wednesday, March 25 (1863) Charles Tupper, A Letter to the Right Honourable the Earl of Carnarvon: In Reply to a Pamphlet Entitled "Confederation Considered in Relation to the Interests of the Empire" (1866) Charles Tupper, Letter from the Hon. Dr. Tupper, C.B., to the Hon. James McDonald, M.P.P. (1872) The Pacific Railway: Speeches Delivered by Hon. Sir Charles Tupper, K.C.M.G., Minister of Railways and Canals, Hon. H.L. Langevin, C.B., Minister of Public Works, J.B. Plumbs, Esq., M.P., (Niagara), Thomas White, Esq., M.P., (Cardwell), During the Debate in the House of Commons, Session 1880 (1880) Charles Tupper, Le chemin de fer canadien du Pacifique: discours. Exposé complet de la question. (1880) Charles Tupper, Official Report of the Speech Delivered by Hon. Sir Charles Tupper, K.C.M.G., C.B., Minister of Raillways [sic] and Canals, On the Canadian Pacific Railway (1882) Charles Thibault, Biography of Sir Charles Tupper, Minister of Railway ... High Commissioner of Canada to England (1883) Charles Tupper, Unrestricted Reciprocity; Speech ... Delivered in the House of Commons, on Monday, March 19, 1888 (1888) Charles Tupper, Preferential Trade Relations Between Great Britain and Her Colonies: An Address Delivered before the Montreal Board of Trade, January 20, 1896 (1896) Charles Tupper, Speech on the Remedial Bill, Ottawa, 18 March 1896. (1896) Henry J. Morgan, Ad Multos Annos: A Tribute to Sir Charles Tupper on His Political Birthday, 1900 (1900) E. M. Saunders, Three Premiers of Nova Scotia: The Hon. J. W. Johnstone, The Hon. Joseph Howe, The Hon. Charles Tupper (1909) Charles Tupper, Political Reminiscences of the Right Honourable Sir Charles Tupper, Bart., ed. W. A. Harkin (1914) The Life and Letters of the Rt. Hon. Sir Charles Tupper, Bart., K.C.M.G., ed. E. M. Saunders, 2 vols. (1916) J. W. Longley, Sir Charles Tupper (1916) Supplement to the Life and Letters of the Rt. Hon. Sir Charles Tupper, Bart., G.C.M.G., ed. C. H. Tupper (1926) W. M. Whitelaw, The Maritimes and Canada Before Confederation (1934) H. G. Skilling, Canadian Representation Abroad: From Agency to Embassy (1945) A. W. MacIntosh, "The Career of Sir Charles Tupper in Canada, 1864–1900", Ph.D. thesis, University of Toronto (1960) G. R. Stevens, Canadian National Railways, 2 vols. (1960–62) D. H. Tait, "The Role of Charles Tupper in Nova Scotian Politics, 1855–1870", M.A. thesis, Dalhousie University (1962) J. M. Robinson, "A Canadian at the Court of Queen Victoria: The High Commissionership, 1880–1895", M.A. thesis, University of Calgary (1967) L. C. Clark, "A History of the Conservative Administrations, 1891 to 1896", Ph.D. thesis, University of Toronto (1968) Ian Wilson, "Fleming and Tupper: The Fall of the Siamese Twins, 1880", in Character and Circumstance: Essays in Honour of Donald Grant Creighton, ed. J. S. Moir (1970) P. B. Waite, The Life and Times of Confederation, 1864–1867: Politics, Newspapers, and the Union of British North America (1971) P. B. Waite, Canada, 1874–1896: Arduous Destiny (1971) D. A. Muise, "Elections and Constituencies: Federal Politics in Nova Scotia, 1867–1878", Ph.D. thesis, University of Western Ontario (1971) K. M. McLaughlin, "Race, Religion and Politics: The Election of 1896 in Canada", Ph.D. thesis, University of Toronto (1974) Robert Page, "Tupper's Last Hurrah: The Years as Opposition Leader, 1896–1900" in The West and the Nation: Essays in Honour of W. L. Morton, ed. Carl Berger and Ramsay Cook (1976) H. C. Cameron, "Nova Scotians in the Federal Cabinet, 1867–1878", M.A. thesis, Queen's University (1976) W. K. Lamb, History of the Canadian Pacific Railway (1977) K. G. Pryke, Nova Scotia and Confederation, 1864–74 (1979) R. P. Langhout, "Developing Nova Scotia: Railways and Public Accounts, 1849–1867," Acadiensis 14.2 (1984–85) Vincent Durant, War Horse of Cumberland: The Life and Times of Sir Charles Tupper (1985) Ben Forster, A Conjunction of Interests: Business, Politics, and Tariffs, 1825–1879 (1986) R. P. Langhout, "Public Enterprise: An Analysis of Public Finance in the Maritime Colonies During the Period of Responsible Government", Ph.D. thesis, University of New Brunswick (1989) Ben Forster, "The 1870s: Political Integration" in The Atlantic Provinces in Confederation, ed. E. R. Forbes and D. A. Muise (1993) I. P. A. Buckner, "The 1860s: An End and a Beginning" in The Atlantic Region to Confederation, ed. P. A. Buckner and John Reid (1994) Jock Murray and Janet Murray, Sir Charles Tupper: Fighting Doctor to Father of Confederation (1998) Johanna Bertin, Sir Charles Tupper: The Bully for Any Great Cause (2006)

Wilfrid Laurier Patrice Dutil and David MacKenzie. Canada 1911: The Decisive Election that Shaped the Country (2011) Grace Stewart, Heather. Sir Wilfrid Laurier: the weakling who stood his ground (2006) Laurier LaPierre Sir Wilfrid Laurier and the Romance of Canada – (1996). Patrice Dutil. Devil's Advocate: Godfroy Langlois and the Politics of Liberal Progressivism in Laurier's Quebec (1994) Real Bélanger. Wilfrid Laurier; quand la politique devient passion (Québec et Montréal, 1986, rev.ed. 2007) R. T. Clippingdale, Laurier, his life and world (Toronto, 1979) H. B. Neatby. Laurier and a Liberal Quebec; a study in political management, ed. R. T. Clippingdale (Toronto, 1973) Joseph Schull. Laurier. The First Canadian (1965) Oscar Douglas Skelton, Life and Letters of Sir Wilfrid Laurier 2v (1921; reprinted 1965) H. Blair Neatby. Laurier and a Liberal Quebec: A Study in Political Management (1973) J. W. Dafoe, Laurier: A Study in Canadian Politics (1922) Andre Pratte, Extraordinary Canadians: Wilfrid Laurier. Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2011.

Robert Borden Patrice Dutil and David MacKenzie Canada 1911: The Decisive Election that Shaped the Country (2011) Patrice Dutil and David MacKenzie Embattled Nation: Canada's Wartime Election of 1917 (2017) John English. Borden: his life and world (Toronto, 1977) English, John. The decline of politics: the Conservatives and the party system, 1901–20 (Toronto, 1977)