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It was a week when three former prime ministers made headlines, with Brian Mulroney harshly criticizing Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Paul Martin and Joe Clark joining with aboriginal leaders in a bid to mend problems impacting First Nations. It is an unusual reminder of the inordinate number of retired prime ministers alive today. Historically, there have never been so many former prime ministers watching — or sniping — from the sidelines; they tended to be either dead, vying to regain power or absent from public life, said Norman Hillmer, Carleton University history professor and co-author of Prime Ministers: Ranking Canada’s Leaders. “There are a lot of former prime ministers kicking around,” he said. “It can be particularly odd when the successor is with the same party.” Former prime ministers of Canada have no legislated role. Unlike the U.S. tradition, where former presidents rarely speak out against the incumbent, some former prime ministers have a hard time dropping their politics, partisanship or egos. “The U.S. makes better use of its former presidents than Canada does of its former prime ministers. They are careful to become post-political, senior statesmen, leaving aside any animosity,” said Brian Lee Crowley, managing director of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, an independent public policy think tank. Since Louis St. Laurent left office in 1957, almost all former PMs have written memoirs and worked to manage their reputations and legacy, Stephen Azzi, history professor at Carleton, said in a recent academic paper. They have had few financial concerns, and many “have not been able to resist the temptation to get even with former rivals, especially those within the same party,” he wrote. Many factors impact a former prime minister’s effectiveness, notably health and age, length of time in office and circumstances of their exit. Adrian Humphreys assesses and rates them. (Note: Ratings are based on input from scholars and political observers on former leaders’ effectiveness in pursuing success for their interests):