Hot or Not? Buzzfeed ranks sex appeal of former Canadian prime ministers

If you think former Canadian prime minister Alexander Mackenzie’s wispy beard is hotter than current Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s icy glare, you have just been proven wrong.

According to a new hotness ranking of Canada’s 22 prime ministers, none of Canada’s former leaders are worse looking than Mackenzie. Nation building aside, the guy was a dog.

A list titled “The 22 Hottest Canadian Prime Ministers (Ranked),” posted to the popular U.S. site Buzzfeed on Thursday has already garnered a great deal of attention, what with the proudly shallow tone it takes with Canada's historical leaders.

There are enough think pieces about the pros and cons of their policies, the post suggests, let's get to what we are all thinking: Are they hot or not?

Hey, if reporters can ask female tennis star Eugenie Bouchard, upon reaching a height never before achieved by a Canadian tennis player, who she would most like to date, one supposes the "wow factor" of various Canadian prime ministers is also fair game.

Before we get too offended by the idea that someone pored over (the pixilated copies of) dusty old photographs dating back to the 1800s to determine whether Sir John A. Macdonald was more bangable than John Diefenbaker, let’s put it in context.

Legitimate news agencies have previously worked to determine which political party is sexier, photo galleries can be found all over the Internet, and the Hill Times, a serious agency focused on news on Parliament Hill, releases a list of the hottest parliamentarians every year. Last year, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau usurped the male title from Conservative MP Peter MacKay, while Conservative MP Michelle Remple was voted the hottest female parliamentarian.

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So is this worse? It’s hard to say. But it is certainly a bit odder, considering most on the list are long dead and buried.

For those dying to know, the winner is (spoiler alert) John Turner, who sat as prime minister for 79 days in 1984. Turner's smooth features and "sportscaster-grade suits" made him a runaway favourite.

"John Turner, Or Turn-on?” the post reads. “John Turner, in purely face-based terms, is the closest thing Canada’s ever had to a movie-star Prime Minister."

Perhaps, but the closest Canada ever had to an actual movie star prime minister was Pierre Trudeau. He had his own "mania," for crying out loud. He dated Barbara Streisand and married “stone-cold fox” Margaret Trudeau. Trudeau placed No. 8 on the list, a ranking credited to his confidence and sharp attire.

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Current Prime Minister Stephen Harper fared poorly, placing 16th on the list of 22. Sadly his "dead robot eyes, his doughy skin, and real hair that looks Playmobil-fake" couldn't get him past "Angry Librarian" Louis St. Laurent or Robert "The Moustache" Borden.

A few other key rankings: Paul Martin placed 11th, Jean Chretien placed ninth and Brian Mulroney placed seventh.

Kim Campbell, Canada's first female prime minister, rang it at third thanks in part to a "pair of devastating baby-blue eyes."And Arthur Meighen, who resembled what Downton Abbey's Cousin Matthew would have probably looked like in reality, placed second.

"Arthur Meighen possibly achieved the least. But is it not an achievement to look this damn good?" the post asks.

To be fair, the listicle was published on Buzzfeed – the same site we people go to learn which character from "Love, Actually" they are most like, or which famous person they should get high with.

All in all, a tongue-in-cheek tone is heavily implied throughout the list. Still, Turner? The guy sat as prime minister for less than three months.

Give me Mulroney's chin with Charles Tupper's sideburns and Harper's lips any day. Yummy.

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