Charles Tupper: Warhorse

Not the worst prime minister of Canada, but not by much, Tupper held office for only ten weeks during an election before reluctantly conceding he lost. As a member of Parliament he always kept his doctor's bag under his desk, and Parliament kept two bars open while in session.

There's a famous Canadian painting of the Fathers of Confederation, with John A. Macdonald at the centre of the assembly. But who is the man on the right of the painting, at the focus of their attention? That man in hi...