The Would-Be Transformer

If you are more interested in what Brian Mulroney did as prime minister than in what he has to say about himself and his enemies, this may be the book for you. But let me emphasize may because it is written mostly by academics and goes into detail on so many topics it must challenge the stamina of even policy wonks. Nevertheless, it is probably the best attempt we will ever see to analyze what actually happened in the Mulroney years.

I have a problem, however, with the title and the conclusion it implies. Few prime ministers transform the country—that is, “change considerably or radically in form, appearance, function, condition or character,” as the Gage Canadian Dictionary defines the word. Pierre Trudeau, for one, did by inserting into the constitution a charter of rights, thus radically changing the balance of power between Parliament and judiciary. Most are content to make incremental improvements, or at least to prevent...