For its exploration of the "worst Canadians" in its summer 2007 issue, The Beaver asked for a nomination. I wrote:
For his faith in ordinary Canadians, his commitment to a Bill of Rights, and his stirring oratory, John Diefenbaker deserves his place on the list of Great Canadians.
But the damage John Diefenbaker did to our political institutions was enormous. No one did more to fix in place the situation that has plagued Canadian politics ever since: the leader as one-man show. A disgruntled, ineffective loner as an MP, he became the first party leader to seize the leadership against the will of the party’s MPs. Claiming a mystical bond with the Canadian people, he ran his government largely alone, without regard to cabinet or caucus, responsible to no one. In defeat, he shattered his party rather than accept party discipline.
In his long twilight, when he had been repudiated by the voters, his caucus, and his party, he proclaimed himself a House of Commons man. But the essence of parliamentary government is accountability to one’s parliamentary peers. Dief the Chief showed you could go a long way in Canadian politics while accepting accountability to no one. He has had many imitators.
The Beaver has been hiring a lot of new staff, and the published text has some small changes that I would not have endorsed. To see that version and the other nominations, read The Beaver .
