John Diefenbaker

Diefenbaker grew up on the Saskatchewan prairies, becoming a legendary courtroom defense advocate for the marginalized. In 1957, his thunderous evangelical oratory swept the Progressive Conservatives to power, followed by a landslide majority of 208 seats in 1958.

In 1960, Diefenbaker enacted the landmark Canadian Bill of Rights, embedding fundamental freedoms into federal law, and granted unconditional federal voting rights to Status Indians. His government appointed Canada's first female cabinet minister and first Indigenous senator, while opposing South African apartheid.