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{{Short description|Head of government of Canada}}
The '''[[Prime Minister]] of [[Canada]]''', the head of the [[Canadian government]], is usually the leader of the [[political party]] with the most seats in the [[Canadian House of Commons]]. The Prime Minister has the right to the [[Style (manner of address)|style]] of ''[[Right Honourable]]''. The current prime minister is the Right Honourable [[Paul Martin]].
{{Redirect|Premier of Canada|a list of prime ministers of Canada|List of prime ministers of Canada|provincial and territorial heads of government|Premier (Canada)}}
{{Canadian politics}}
{{pp-pc}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = Prime Minister
| body = Canada
| native_name = {{lang|fr|Premier ministre du Canada}}
| insignia =
| insigniacaption =
| flag =
| flagcaption =
| image = Mark Carney portrait February 2020.jpg <!--Please do not change this image without a consensus on the Talk Page-->
| incumbent = [[Mark Carney]]
| incumbentsince = {{nobold|March 14, 2025}}
| seat = [[Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council|Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council building]]
| department = [[Government of Canada#Executive power|Government of Canada]]<!-- Big-g "Government of Canada" IS the executive branch (King-in-Council); no need to specify. --><br />[[Privy Council Office (Canada)|Privy Council Office]]<!-- PMO is a ministerial office which supports the PM, PCO is the department which the PM heads. -->
| style = {{plainlist|
* [[The Right Honourable]]{{NoteTag|note=This title is granted to holders of the office for life upon taking office.}}<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |last=Heritage |first=Canadian |date=October 16, 2017 |title=Styles of address |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/protocol-guidelines-special-event/styles-address.html |access-date=March 6, 2021 |website=aem}}</ref><br />(formal)
* Prime Minister<ref name="auto" /><br />(informal)
}}
| member_of = {{hlist|[[Parliament of Canada|Parliament]]|[[Privy Council of Canada|Privy Council]]|{{nowrap|[[Cabinet of Canada|Cabinet]]}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Canadian Parliamentary system – Our Procedure – House of Commons |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/About/OurProcedure/ParliamentaryFramework/c_g_parliamentaryframework-e.htm |access-date=April 20, 2020 |website=www.ourcommons.ca}}</ref>}}
| abbreviation = PM
| reports_to = [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]]
| residence = [[24 Sussex Drive]] (''[[de jure]]'') <br/> [[Rideau Cottage]] (''[[de facto]]'')
| appointer = [[Monarchy of Canada|Monarch]] (represented by the [[Governor General of Canada|governor general]])<ref>{{Cite web |title=Constitutional Duties |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/role/responsibilities/constitutional-duties |access-date=April 20, 2020 |website=The Governor General of Canada |archive-date=April 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423211544/https://www.gg.ca/en/role/responsibilities/constitutional-duties |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| termlength = [[At His Majesty's pleasure]]
| formation = July 1, 1867
| deputy = [[Deputy Prime Minister of Canada|Deputy Prime Minister]]
| constituting_instrument = None ([[Constitutional convention (political custom)|constitutional convention]])
| inaugural = [[John A. Macdonald]]
| salary = CA$419,600 (2025)<ref name=salary>{{Cite web| url=https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Salaries|title=Indemnities, Salaries and Allowances| accessdate=July 2, 2025| publisher=Parliament of Canada}}</ref>
| website = {{official URL}}
| appointer_qualified = with the [[Motion of no confidence|confidence]] of the House of Commons<ref>{{Cite web |title=House of Commons Procedure and Practice – 1. Parliamentary Institutions – Canadian Parliamentary Institutions |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure-book-livre/Document.aspx?sbdid=73CC891E-0676-4773-850B-CCDCB472AD8C&sbpid=BE842475-5632-4969-835B-FC015CE50169&Language=E&Mode=1 |access-date=April 20, 2020 |website=www.ourcommons.ca}}</ref>
}}
 
The '''prime minister of Canada'''<!-- "prime minister" is uncapitalized here because it is preceded by modifier "The", per [[MOS:JOBTITLES]] bullet 3 and table column 2 example 1. Any proposal for modification to the guideline should be posted at its talk page, [[WT:MOSBIO]]. --> ({{langx|fr|premier ministre du Canada|link=no}}){{NoteTag|note=When the position is held by a woman, the French title is {{lang|fr|première ministre du Canada}}.}} is the [[head of government]] of [[Canada]]. Under the [[Westminster system]], the prime minister governs with the [[Confidence and supply|confidence]] of a majority of the elected [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]]; as such, the prime minister typically sits as a [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|member of Parliament]] (MP) and leads the largest party or a [[Coalition government|coalition]] of parties. As [[List of current Canadian first ministers|first minister]], the prime minister selects ministers to form the [[Cabinet of Canada|Cabinet]].
==Qualifications and selection==
The Prime Minister may be any Canadian [[Canadian nationality law|citizen]] of [[voting age]] (18 years). It is customary for the prime minister to also be a sitting member of the House of Commons and able to speak [[French language|French]] and [[English language|English]], although two Prime Ministers have governed from the Senate, Sir [[John Joseph Caldwell Abbott]] & Sir [[Mackenzie Bowell]]. If the prime minister should fail to win his or her seat, a junior MP in a safe seat would typically resign to permit a by-election to elect that leader to a seat. However, if the leader of the governing party is changed shortly before an election is due and the new leader is not a Member of Parliament, he or she will normally await the general election before running for a seat. For example, [[John Napier Turner|John Turner]] was briefly Prime Minister in [[1984]] without being a member of the House of Commons; he would ironically win his seat in the general election that swept him from power. The official residence of the Prime Minister is [[24 Sussex Drive]] in [[Ottawa]], [[Ontario]]. All Prime Ministers have lived there since [[Louis St. Laurent]] in 1951.
 
Not outlined in any constitutional document, the prime minister is appointed by [[Monarchy of Canada|the monarch]]'s representative, the [[Governor General of Canada|governor general]], and the office exists per long-established [[Convention (norm)#Government|convention]]. Constitutionally, [[Executive (government)|executive authority]] is vested in the monarch (who is the [[head of state]]), but the powers of the monarch and governor general are nearly always exercised on the [[Advice (constitutional law)|advice]] of the Cabinet,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brooks |first=Stephen |url=https://archive.org/details/canadiandemocrac0006broo/page/233 |title=Canadian Democracy: An Introduction |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-19-543103-2 |edition=5 |___location=Don Mills |pages=[https://archive.org/details/canadiandemocrac0006broo/page/233 233–234]}}</ref> which is collectively [[Responsible government|responsible]] to the House of Commons. Canadian prime ministers are appointed to the [[King's Privy Council for Canada|Privy Council]] and [[Style (manner of address)|styled]] as [[the Right Honourable]] ({{langx|fr|le très honorable|link=no}}),{{NoteTag|note=When the style is held by a woman, the French title is {{lang|fr|la très honorable}}.}} a privilege maintained for life.
[[Image:Paul-martin-1.jpg|frame|left|200px|[[Paul Martin]], Prime Minister of Canada 2003-Present]]
 
The prime minister is supported by the [[Office of the Prime Minister (Canada)|Prime Minister's Office]] and heads the [[Privy Council Office (Canada)|Privy Council Office]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Privy Council Office |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/privy-council-office |website=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |access-date=October 30, 2020}}</ref> The prime minister also selects individuals for appointment as governor general, provincial [[Lieutenant Governor (Canada)|lieutenant governors]], territorial [[Commissioner#Canadian territories|commissioners]], as well as to the [[Senate of Canada]], [[Supreme Court of Canada]], other [[Court system of Canada|federal courts]], and senior members of the [[Canadian Armed Forces|military]] and [[Public Service of Canada|public service]].
In earlier years, it was tradition that the sovereign bestow a [[knighthood]] on each new Canadian Prime Minister. As such, several carry the prefix "Sir" before their name (of the first 8 Prime Ministers, only [[Alexander Mackenzie]] refused knighthood). Since the [[Nickle Resolution]], it is against policy for the sovereign to grant titles to Canadians.
 
[[Mark Carney]] is the current prime minister of Canada, taking office on March 14, 2025. Since the [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation of Canada]] in 1867, [[List of prime ministers of Canada|24 prime ministers]] have formed [[List of Canadian ministries|30 ministries]].<ref name="Library of the Canadian Parliament">{{cite web | title=Prime Ministers of Canada | website=Library of the Canadian Parliament | url=https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/primeMinisters | access-date=2023-02-26}}</ref>
==Term==
A prime minister does not a have a fixed term. A prime minister may resign for personal reasons at any time, but is required to resign only when an opposition party wins a majority of the seats in the House. If his or her party loses a [[motion of no confidence]], a prime minister may resign (allowing another party to form the government), or more often will appeal to the people by having Parliament dissolved and a general election held. If a general election gives an opposition party a [[plurality]] of the seats, the prime minister's party is still given the first opportunity to continue as the government. The incumbent prime minister may attempt to gain the support of another party (a [[coalition government]]), or he/she may resign and allow the party that won the most seats to form the government.
 
==Origin of the office==
[[Image:JohnAM.jpg|frame|left|200px|Sir [[John A. Macdonald]], First Prime Minister of Canada (1867-1873, 1878-1891)]]
The position of prime minister is not outlined in any Canadian constitutional document and is mentioned only in a few sections of the ''[[Constitution Act, 1982]]'',<ref>{{citation| url=http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/aia/index.asp?lang=eng&page=canada&sub=constitution&doc=constitution-eng.htm| url-status=dead| author=Privy Council Office| author-link=Privy Council Office (Canada)| title=Intergovernmental Affairs > About Canada > The Canadian Constitution| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| accessdate=June 7, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227162006/http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/aia/index.asp?lang=eng&page=canada&sub=constitution&doc=constitution-eng.htm| archive-date=February 27, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/page-13.html#h-53|title=Consolidated federal laws of canada, THE CONSTITUTION ACTS, 1867 to 1982|first=Legislative Services|last=Branch|date=August 7, 2020|website=laws-lois.justice.gc.ca}}</ref> and in the ''[[Letters Patent, 1947]]'' issued by King [[George VI]].<ref>{{citation| url=http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/LettersPatent.html| author=George VI| author-link=George VI| title=Letters Patent Constituting the Office of Governor General of Canada| chapter=I| date=October 1, 1947| publisher=King's Printer for Canada| ___location=Ottawa| accessdate=May 29, 2009}}</ref> The office and its functions are instead governed by constitutional conventions and modelled on the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|same office in the United Kingdom]].
 
==Qualifications and selection==
An election for every seat in the Commons (a ''general election'') is called at most 5 years after the previous one; however, the prime minister has the power to call a general election at virtually any time. Customarily, when a [[majority government]] is in power, elections are called 3.5 to 5 years after the previous election or as a ''de facto'' referendum if a major issue is at hand (the last of these being the 1988 election, which revolved around free trade with the [[United States]]). If a [[minority government]] is in power, a vote of [[non confidence]] in the House of Commons may lead to a quick election (nine months in the case of the second-most recent Canadian minority government, the [[Joe Clark|Clark]] government of 1979-1980).
In 2008, a public opinion survey showed that 51 per cent of Canadians believed they voted to directly elect the prime minister.{{refn|<ref>{{citation| url=https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/22.1-Full-Issue.pdf| editor-last1=Lagassé| editor-first1=Philippe| editor-last2=MacDonald| editor-first2=Nicholas A.| title=The Crown in the 21st Century| last1=Cyr| first1=Hugo| series=On the Formation of Government| page=105| volume=22| issue=1| year=2017| publisher=Centre for Constitutional Studies| ___location=Edmonton| accessdate=June 6, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Survey suggests Canadians ignorant of government system |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/survey-suggests-canadians-ignorant-of-government-system-1.751002 |website=[[CBC News]] |date=2008-12-14 |accessdate=June 6, 2023}}</ref>}} In fact, the prime minister, along with the other ministers in Cabinet, is appointed by the governor general on behalf of the monarch.<ref name="GG">{{citation| url=http://www.gg.ca/media/fs-fd/P1_e.asp| url-status=dead| author=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Media > Fact Sheets > The Swearing-In of a New Ministry| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| accessdate=May 18, 2009| archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080616012920/http://www.gg.ca/media/fs-fd/P1_e.asp| archive-date=June 16, 2008}}</ref> By the conventions of [[responsible government]], the foundation of parliamentary democracy, the governor general will call to form a government the individual most likely to receive the support, or confidence, of a majority of the directly elected members of the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]];<ref>{{citation| last=Pothen| first=Phil| title=Disinformation as a Back Door to 'Constitutional Revolution' in Canada| url=http://www.oba.org/En/ccl_en/newsletter_en/v13n1.aspx#Article_3| year=2009| place=Toronto| publisher=Ontario Bar Association| accessdate=September 13, 2010}}</ref> as a practical matter, this is often the leader of the party, or a coalition of parties,<ref name=Brooks235>{{Harvnb| Brooks| 2007| p=235}}</ref><ref>{{citation| url=https://globalnews.ca/news/6054421/experts-scheer-claims-forming-government/| url-status=live| last=Bryden| first=Joan| title='Complete nonsense': Experts dispute Scheer's claims about forming government| date=October 19, 2019| publisher=Global News| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021114342/https://globalnews.ca/news/6054421/experts-scheer-claims-forming-government/| archive-date=October 21, 2019}}</ref> whose members form a [[Majority#Parliamentary rules|majority]], or a very large [[Plurality (voting)|plurality]], of seats in the House of Commons.<ref>{{citation| url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/AboutParliament/Forsey/PDFs/How_Canadians_Govern_Themselves-6ed.pdf| url-status=dead| last=Forsey| first=Eugene| author-link=Eugene Forsey| title=How Canadians Govern Themselves| pages=3–4| edition=6| year=2005| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| place=Ottawa| isbn=0-662-39689-8| accessdate=December 9, 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091229155255/http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/AboutParliament/Forsey/PDFs/How_Canadians_Govern_Themselves-6ed.pdf| archive-date=December 29, 2009}}</ref> No document is needed to begin the appointment; both the invitation and acceptance are usually oral.<ref name=GoC145>{{citation| url=https://jameswjbowden.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/6-governor-general.pdf| author=Government of Canada| title=Governor General| page=147| year=1970| publisher=WordPress| accessdate=14 March 2024}}</ref>
 
A prime minister who has given intention to resign may advise the governor general on whom to appoint as the next prime minister. However, if the prime minister is resigning because he has lost the confidence of the House of Commons, the viceroy is not obligated to follow that advice.<ref name=GoC145/> If the leader of the opposition is unable or unwilling to form a government,{{NoteTag|When Prime Minister [[John A. Macdonald]] died in office in 1891, Governor General [[Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby|the Lord Stanley of Preston]] approached [[John Sparrow David Thompson|John Thompson]] to form a government. But Thompson declined and instead advised Stanley to call on Senator [[John Abbott]]. Ahead of Prime Minister [[Mackenzie Bowell]]'s resignation in 1896, [[Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal|Donald Smith]] turned down the offer to be the next head of government, leading Governor General [[John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair|the Earl of Aberdeen]] to appoint [[Charles Tupper]] as prime minister. [[Robert Borden]] announced his intention to resign as prime minister in 1920. [[William Thomas White|Thomas White]] was summoned by Governor General [[Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy|the Viscount Byng of Vimy]] and rejected the appointment as prime minister. Byng then installed [[Arthur Meighen]] as his chief advisor.<ref>{{harvnb| Government of Canada| 1970| p=146}}</ref>}} the governor general can consult whomever they wish.<ref name=GoC145/>
In contrast to the British government, in which members of Parliament have long tenure but prime ministers have relatively short tenures, the Canadian prime minister typically has a long tenure except in cases where there is a [[minority government]].
 
While there is no legal requirement for the prime minister to be an MP,<ref name=GoC145/> for practical and political reasons the prime minister is expected to win a seat very promptly.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Forsey |first=Eugene |date=March 2012 |title=How Canadians Govern Themselves > The Prime Minister |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/about/parliament/senatoreugeneforsey/book/chapter_6-e.html#6_5 |access-date=November 26, 2015 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada}}</ref> However, in rare circumstances individuals who are not sitting members of the House of Commons have been appointed to the position of prime minister. Two former prime ministers—[[John Abbott|John Joseph Caldwell Abbott]] and [[Mackenzie Bowell]]—served in the 1890s while members of the [[Senate of Canada|Senate]].<ref name="Forsey38">{{Harvnb|Forsey|2005|p=38}}</ref> Both, in their roles as [[Representative of the Government in the Senate|government leader in the Senate]], succeeded prime ministers who had died in office—[[John A. Macdonald]] in 1891 and [[John Sparrow David Thompson]] in 1894.
==Role and authority==
 
[[File:John A Macdonald (ca. 1875).jpg|left|thumb|244x244px|[[John A. Macdonald]], the first prime minister of Canada (1867–1873, 1878–1891)]]
Since the Prime Minister is in practice the most powerful member of the Canadian government, he or she is sometimes erroneously referred to as Canada's [[head of state]]. The Canadian head of state is [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II]], [[Queen of Canada]], who is represented by the [[Governor General of Canada]]. The prime minister is the [[head of government]].
 
Prime ministers who are not MPs upon their appointment (or who lose their seats while in office) have since been expected to seek election to the House of Commons as soon as possible. For example, [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]], after losing his seat in the [[1925 Canadian federal election|1925 federal election]] and again in the [[1945 Canadian federal election]] (despite his party being elected government both times), briefly governed without a seat in the House of Commons on both occasions before winning a by-election a few weeks later. Similarly, [[John Turner]] replaced [[Pierre Trudeau]] as leader of the Liberal Party in 1984 and subsequently was appointed prime minister while not holding a seat in the House of Commons; Turner won a riding in the next election but the Liberal Party was swept from power.
[[Image:WilliamLyonMackenzieKing.jpg|thumb|200px|[[William Lyon Mackenzie King]], 10th Prime Minister (1921-1926; 1926-1930; 1935-1948)]]
 
When a prime minister loses their seat in the legislature, or should a new prime minister be appointed without holding a seat, the typical process that follows is that a member in the governing political party will resign to allow the prime minister to run in the resulting by-election.<ref name=Forsey38/> A [[safe seat]] is usually chosen; while the Liberal and [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative]] parties generally observed a practice of not running a candidate against another party's new leader in the by-election, the [[New Democratic Party]] and smaller political parties typically do not follow the same practice.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grenier |first=Éric |date=July 12, 2018 |title=NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh won't have a free pass if he runs in a byelection |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/grenier-singh-byelection-1.4742487 |website=CBC News}}</ref> However, if the governing party selects a new leader shortly before an election is due, and that new leader is not a member of the legislature, they will normally await the upcoming election before running for a seat in Parliament.
The office of Prime Minister of Canada is not mentioned in the [[Canadian Constitution]], save for a recently added clause mandating meetings with the provincial premiers. In modern-day Canada, however, his/her prerogatives are largely the duties to which the constitution refers to as the job of the Governor General (who is a [[figurehead]]). The function, duties, responsibilities, and powers of the Prime Minister of Canada were established at the time the country was created as self-governing dominion in [[1867]] and were modeled upon those of the existing office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Over time, the role of the Prime Minister of Canada has undergone some modifications but today has, arguably, the most personal and absolute power of any elected leader of any full democracy in the world.
 
== Term of office ==
The Prime Minister plays a prominent role in most [[legislation]] passed by the Canadian Parliament. Most Canadian legislation originates in the [[cabinet]] of Canada, which is a body appointed by the Prime Minister largely from the ranks of his party's MPs. The Cabinet must have "unanimous" consent on all decisions they make, but in practice whether or not unanimity has been achieved is decided by the Prime Minister.
{{Further|List of prime ministers of Canada by time in office#Calculation of terms of office}}
The prime minister serves ''[[at His Majesty's pleasure]]'', meaning the post does not have a fixed term, and once appointed and sworn in by the governor general, the prime minister remains in office until they resign, are dismissed, or die.<ref name="Forsey5">{{Harvnb| Forsey|2005|p=5}}</ref>
 
While the lifespan of a parliament is [[Section 4 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms|constitutionally limited]] to five years, a 2007 amendment to the ''Canada Elections Act'', Section 56.1(2) limited the term of a Parliament to four years, with [[election day]] being set as the third Monday in October of the fourth calendar year after the previous polling date.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Branch |first=Legislative Services |title=Consolidated federal laws of Canada, Canada Elections Act |url=http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/E-2.01/index.html |access-date=November 17, 2017 |website=laws-lois.justice.gc.ca}}</ref> The governor general may still, on the advice of the prime minister, dissolve parliament and issue the [[Writ of election|writs of election]] prior to the date mandated by the constitution or ''Canada Elections Act''; the [[King–Byng affair|King–Byng Affair]] was the only time since [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]] that the governor general refused the prime minister's request for a general vote.
Such legislation is referred to as a "Government Bill" and is designated by a number (such as C-18). The members of the governing party in Parliament, elected to represent their constituents, will usually vote in favour of any government legislation. Once passed by the majority vote of the members of the Prime Minister's party in the [[House of Commons (Canada)|House of Commons]], the legislation will then almost always be passed by the unelected [[Canadian Senate]].
 
Following parliamentary dissolution, should the prime minister's party subsequently win a majority of seats in the House of Commons, it is unnecessary to re-appoint the prime minister or for the prime minister to retake the oath of office.<ref name=Forsey5 /> If, however, an [[Parliamentary opposition|opposition party]] wins a majority of seats, the prime minister may resign or choose to meet Parliament to see if the incumbent government can win a confidence vote. Should the prime minister's party achieve a minority while an opposition party wins a plurality (i.e., more seats than any other party but less than a majority), the prime minister can attempt to maintain the confidence of the House by forming a [[Coalition government|coalition]] with other minority parties, which was last entertained in 1925 or by entering into a [[Confidence and supply|confidence-and-supply agreement]], or by winning support of other parties on a vote-by-vote basis.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}
Although any elected member of the House of Commons may introduce new legislation of their own, referred to as a "''Private Members' Bill''," it is an infrequent occurrence that one is ever enacted. In the 37th Parliament 2nd Session, of the 471 Private Members' bills tabled, only four received royal assent (although some others were passed by the House of Commons). None of these were significant changes to socio/economic matters affecting the country and each of these were dramatically modified in the process. Private Member's Bills require considerable amount of time, energy, research and other resources needed just to prepare a bill for introduction into Parliament. However, few of these receive the time and Government support needed to pass them. Often, though, popular private members' bills are adopted by the government and become part of a government bill.
 
==Role and authority==
[[Image:Johndiefenbaker.jpeg|thumb|150px|[[John Diefenbaker]], 13th Prime Minister (1957-1963)]]
{{Further|King's Privy Council for Canada}}
 
[[File:Prime Ministers of Canada to 1963.jpg|thumb|right|Canada's prime ministers during its first century]]
==Too much power?==
 
Because the prime minister is, in practice, the most politically powerful member of the [[Government of Canada|Canadian government]], they are sometimes erroneously thought to be Canada's [[head of state]],{{NoteTag|A 2008 [[Ipsos-Reid]] poll found 42% of respondents thought the prime minister was head of state.<ref name="IR2008">{{Citation |title=In the Wake of Constitutional Crisis: New Survey Demonstrates that Canadians Lack Basic Understanding of Our Country's Parliamentary System |date=December 15, 2008 |url=http://www.dominion.ca/DominionInstituteDecember15Factum.pdf |page=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216053714/http://www.dominion.ca/DominionInstituteDecember15Factum.pdf |place=Toronto |publisher=Ipsos Reid |access-date=May 18, 2010 |archive-date=2008-12-16 |url-status=dead}}</ref>|name=IRpoll}} when, in fact, that role belongs to the Canadian monarch, represented by the governor general.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Library and Archives Canada |author-link=Library and Archives Canada |title=First Among Equals: The Prime Minister in Canadian Life and Politics > Alone at the Top > Head of State |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/primeministers/h4-2013-e.html |access-date=January 18, 2010 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada}}</ref> The prime minister is, instead, the [[head of government]] and is responsible for [[Advice (constitutional law)|advising]] the Crown on how to exercise much of the [[royal prerogative]] and its executive powers,<ref name=Brooks235/> which are governed by the written constitution and constitutional conventions. However, the function of the prime minister has evolved with increasing power. Today, per the doctrines of [[constitutional monarchy]], the [[Advice (constitutional law)|advice]] given by the prime minister is ordinarily binding, meaning the prime minister effectively carries out those duties ascribed to the sovereign or governor general, leaving the latter to act in predominantly ceremonial fashions.<ref>{{Harvnb| Brooks|2007|pp=233–235}}</ref> As such, the prime minister, supported by the [[Office of the Prime Minister (Canada)|Office of the Prime Minister]] (PMO), controls the appointments of many key figures in Canada's system of governance, including the governor general, the Cabinet, justices of the [[Supreme Court of Canada|Supreme Court]], senators, heads of [[Crown corporations of Canada|Crown corporations]], [[List of ambassadors and high commissioners of Canada|ambassadors and high commissioners]], the [[Lieutenant Governor (Canada)|provincial lieutenant governors]], and approximately 3,100 other positions. Further, the prime minister plays a prominent role in the legislative process—with the majority of bills put before Parliament originating in the Cabinet.
Unlike the Presidential system of government used in countries such as the [[United States]], an elected member of the Canadian House of Commons follows strict [[party discipline]] and has difficulty voting against the party line. If any elected member of the Prime Minister's governing party votes against any new legislation, the party caucus has the exclusive authority to expel that person from the party. A Member of Parliament (MP) who has been expelled from the party will then sit as an independent MP with extremely limited resources to conduct their work and almost no procedural right to ask a question or raise any issue in Parliament. This happened to Liberal MP [[John Nunziata]] who was expelled by Jean Chrétien for voting against the 1995 budget. At the next election, the expelled member will usually not be allowed to run for the party again. They may run as an independent candidate but they will not receive money from the party to fund their re-election campaign. Members who vote against less important legislation jeopardize their chances of joining/remaining in the [[Cabinet of Canada|Cabinet]], or chairing committees. A far more common form of protest, that rarely has serious repercussions is abstaining from a vote. Members of the governing party almost always &#8220;''toe the party line'',&#8221; guaranteeing that the will of the Prime Minister of Canada is carried out.
[[File:WilliamLyonMackenzieKing.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[William Lyon Mackenzie King]], the 10th prime minister of Canada (1921–1926; 1926–1930; 1935–1948)]]
 
Pierre Trudeau is often credited with, throughout his tenure as prime minister (1968–79, 1980–84), consolidating power in the PMO,<ref name="Macleans">{{Cite news |last=Geddes |first=John |date=January 25, 2009 |title=Will the prorogation of Parliament set off a populist revolt? |work=Maclean's |publisher=Kenneth Whyte |___location=Toronto |url=http://www.macleans.ca/2010/01/25/the-people-speak/ |access-date=January 27, 2010 |issn=0024-9262}}</ref> which is itself filled by political and administrative staff selected at the prime minister's discretion and unaccountable to Parliament. At the end of the 20th century and into the 21st, analysts—such as [[Jeffrey Simpson]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Simpson |first=Jeffrey |url=https://archive.org/details/friendlydictator0000simp/page/248 |title=The Friendly Dictatorship |publisher=McClelland & Stewart |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-7710-8079-1 |___location=Toronto |page=[https://archive.org/details/friendlydictator0000simp/page/248 248] |author-link=Jeffrey Simpson |url-access=registration}}</ref> [[Donald J. Savoie|Donald Savoie]], [[Andrew Coyne]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Liberals' idea for gender quota in Cabinet leaves out the principle of merit |url=http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/andrew-coyne-liberals-idea-for-gender-quota-in-cabinet-leaves-out-the-principle-of-merit |date=2015-06-30 |work=[[National Post]] |last1=Coyne |first1=Andrew |access-date=June 30, 2015}}</ref> and [[John Gomery]]—argued that both Parliament and the Cabinet had become eclipsed by prime ministerial power;{{NoteTag|See [[Cabinet of Canada#cite note-BNA-34|note 2]] at [[Cabinet of Canada]].|name=BNA}}<ref>{{Harvnb| Brooks|2007|p=258}}</ref> Savoie wrote: "The Canadian prime minister has little in the way of institutional check, at least inside government, to inhibit his ability to have his way."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Savoie |first=Donald |title=Governing from the Centre: The Concentration of Power in Canadian Politics |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-8020-8252-7 |___location=Toronto |page=362}}</ref> Indeed, the position has been described as undergoing a "presidentialization",<ref name=Macleans/><ref>{{cite news |title=Time to address democratic deficit |url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/756262--time-to-address-democratic-deficit |date=2010-01-27 |work=[[Toronto Star]] |access-date=January 27, 2010}}</ref> to the point that its incumbents publicly outshine the actual head of state (and [[Spouse of the prime minister of Canada|prime minister's spouses]] are sometimes referred to as ''First Lady of Canada''<ref>{{cite web |title=The Prime Minister's Wife: What Is Her Title, Exactly? |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/11/04/prime-minister-wife-sophie-gregoire_n_8464096.html |date=2015-11-04 |last1=Zamon |first1=Rebecca |access-date=June 3, 2017 |newspaper=[[The Huffington Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Alberici |first=Emma |title='I need help': Why did Canada's first lady spark such a backlash? |date=May 18, 2016 |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-19/alberici-why-did-canadas-first-lady-spark-such-a-backlash/7428228 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=June 3, 2017}}</ref>).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jackson |first=Michael D. |year=2009 |title=The Senior Realms of the Queen |volume=Autumn 2009 |page=10 |work=Canadian Monarchist News |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |issue=30 |___location=Toronto |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2009/Autumn_2009_CMN.pdf |url-status=dead |access-date=January 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091229100400/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2009/Autumn_2009_CMN.pdf |archive-date=December 29, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Blair |first=Louisa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xyNlYxdpdfcC |title=Vive Quebec!: new thinking and new approaches to the Quebec nation |publisher=James Lorimer & Company |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-55028-734-9 |editor-last=Venne |editor-first=Michel |___location=Toronto |page=91}}</ref> Former governor general [[Adrienne Clarkson]] alluded to what she saw as "an unspoken rivalry" that had developed between the prime minister and the Crown.<ref>{{cite news |title=Keep the Queen and choose another head of state |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/keep-the-queen-and-choose-another-head-of-state/article1529705/singlepage/ |date=2010-04-09 |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |last1=Franks |first1=C.E.S. |access-date=January 23, 2011}}</ref> It has been theorized that such is the case in Canada as its Parliament is less influential on the executive than in other countries with [[Westminster system|Westminster parliamentary systems]]; particularly, Canada has fewer MPs, a higher turnover rate of MPs after each election, and a US-style system for selecting political party leaders, leaving them accountable to the party membership rather than [[Caucus#In Commonwealth nations|caucus]] (as is the case in the UK).<ref>{{cite news |title=Only in Canada: Harper's prorogation is a Canadian thing |url=https://nationalpost.com/story.html?id=2446705 |date=2010-01-15 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100118165801/http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=2446705 |archive-date=2010-01-18 |url-status=dead |work=[[National Post]] |last1=Foot |first1=Richard |access-date=January 16, 2010}}</ref>
[[Image:Ptrudeau.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Pierre Trudeau]], 15th Prime Minister (1968-1979, 1980-1984)]]
 
There do exist checks on the prime minister's power: the House of Commons may revoke its confidence in an incumbent prime minister and Cabinet or [[caucus revolt]]s can quickly bring down a serving premier and even mere threats of such action can persuade or compel a prime minister to resign their post, as happened with [[Jean Chrétien]]. The ''Reform Act, 2014'',<ref>{{Citation |last=Parliament of Canada |title=Bill C-586 |date=June 23, 2015 |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&DocId=8058690 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=June 2, 2015}}</ref> codifies the process by which a caucus may trigger a party leadership review and, if necessary, chose an interim leader, thereby making a prime minister more accountable to the MPs in one's party. Caucuses may choose to follow these rules, though the decision would be made by recorded vote, thereby subjecting the party's choice to public scrutiny.<ref>{{cite news |title=Thanks to the Senate, I've finally come around to liking the Reform Act |url=http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/chris-selley-thanks-to-the-senate-ive-finally-come-around-to-liking-the-reform-act |date=2015-05-28 |work=[[National Post]] |last1=Selley |first1=Chris |access-date=June 2, 2015}}</ref>
Former Prime Minister, [[Pierre Trudeau]], who more than any previous Prime Minister consolidated power in the PMO (Prime Minister's Office), once derisively referred to federal backbenchers in the Liberal party as "''trained seals''." As well he once referred to opposition backbenchers as "''nobodies when they are 50 yards away from the House of Commons''." It should be noted that he made the "trained seals" comment prior to joining the Liberal Party. In 1998, during a break at a [[G7]] summit meeting, the microphone of Canadian Prime Minister [[Jean Chrétien]] was left open and he was heard to complain that President [[Bill Clinton]] of the United States was basically powerless to solve international problems (in this case a Pacific coast salmon fishing dispute between Canada and the U.S.) because the [[President of the United States|American President]] had no authority and had to answer to [[Congress of the United States|Congress]]. One of the main benefits of the Canadian system is thus that things can be done quickly, and it is easy to see who is accountable for government actions. However, critics likewise allege that such power is far too concentrated, and that the Canadian system lacks the [[checks and balances]] present in mixed systems like the US.
 
The Senate may delay or impede legislation put forward by the Cabinet, such as when [[Brian Mulroney]]'s bill creating the [[Goods and services tax (Canada)|Goods and Services Tax]] (GST) came before the Senate, and given [[Canadian federalism|Canada's federal nature]], the jurisdiction of the federal government is limited to areas prescribed by the constitution. Further, as executive power is constitutionally vested in the monarch, meaning the royal prerogative belongs to the Crown and not to any of its ministers,<ref>{{Citation |last=MacLeod |first=Kevin S. |title=A Crown of Maples |url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/fr-rf/crnCdn/crn_mpls-eng.pdf |page=16 |year=2008 |edition=1 |place=Ottawa |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |isbn=978-0-662-46012-1 |access-date=June 21, 2009 |author-link=Kevin S. MacLeod}}</ref><ref name="Murdoch">{{Cite journal |last=Cox |first=Noel |date=September 2002 |title=Black v Chrétien: Suing a Minister of the Crown for Abuse of Power, Misfeasance in Public Office and Negligence |url=http://www.murdoch.edu.au/elaw/issues/v9n3/cox93.html |journal=Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law |___location=Perth |publisher=Murdoch University |volume=9 |issue=3 |page=12 |access-date=May 17, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Neitsch |first=Alfred Thomas |year=2008 |title=A Tradition of Vigilance: The Role of Lieutenant Governor in Alberta |url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/Infoparl/30/4/30n4_07e_Neitsch.pdf |url-status=dead |magazine=Canadian Parliamentary Review |___location=Ottawa |publisher=Commonwealth Parliamentary Association |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025113652/http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/Infoparl/30/4/30n4_07e_Neitsch.pdf |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |access-date=May 22, 2009}}</ref> the sovereign's supremacy over the prime minister in the constitutional order is thus seen as a "rebuff to the pretensions of the elected: As it has been said, when the prime minister bows before the queen, he bows before us [the Canadian people]."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Coyne |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Coyne |date=November 13, 2009 |title=Defending the royals |work=Maclean's |publisher=Rogers Communications |___location=Toronto |url=https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/defending-the-royals/ |access-date=April 9, 2020 |issn=0024-9262}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=A lightning rod for patriotic love |url=http://andrewcoyne.com/columns/NationalPost/2002/20020410.html |website=[[National Post]] |date=2002-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060523040653/http://andrewcoyne.com/columns/NationalPost/2002/20020410.html |archive-date=2006-05-23 |url-status=dead |last1=Coyne |first1=Andrew |access-date=May 22, 2006 |author-link=Andrew Coyne}}</ref> Either the sovereign or the governor general may therefore oppose the prime minister's will in extreme, crisis situations.{{NoteTag|See "[[Cabinet of Canada#Responsibilities|Responsibilities]]" and [[Cabinet of Canada#cite note-RP-20|note 1]] at [[Cabinet of Canada]].|name=RP}} Near the end of her time as governor general, Adrienne Clarkson stated: "My constitutional role has lain in what are called 'reserve powers': making sure that there is a prime minister and a government in place, and exercising the right 'to encourage, to advise, and to warn'[...] Without really revealing any secrets, I can tell you that I have done all three."<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 14, 2005 |title=GG reflects on mandate during farewell address |publisher=CTV |url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1126719024327_33?hub=TopStories |url-status=dead |access-date=August 8, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013001953/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1126719024327_33?hub=TopStories |archive-date=October 13, 2007}}</ref>
In addition, the Prime Minister of Canada has virtual control over the appointment of the people to fill the following positions:
* all members of the [[Cabinet of Canada|Cabinet]], and may replace them at any time;
* vacant seats on the [[Supreme Court of Canada]];
* vacant seats in the [[Canadian Senate|Senate]];
* all heads of [[Canadian Crown Corporation]]s whom the Prime Minister may replace at any time;
* all executive positions such as the head of the [[Transportation Safety Board of Canada|Transportation Safety Board]], the president of the [[Business Development Bank of Canada|Business Development Bank]];
* all [[Ambassador]]s to Foreign Countries;
* the [[Governor General of Canada]];
* plus approximately 3,100 other powerful government positions, the bulk of which the Prime Minister usually designates a member of his staff to appoint with his concurrence.
 
==Privileges==
As well, the Prime Minister appoints the head of the Office of the Ethics Counsellor whose job is to monitor, and when necessary to investigate, the ethical conduct of the members of Parliament, including the Prime Minister to whom the Ethics Counsellor reports.
[[File:Residence of the Prime Minister of Canada.jpg|thumb|right|[[24 Sussex Drive]], the official residence of the prime minister of Canada]]
 
Two [[official residence]]s are provided to the prime minister—[[24 Sussex Drive]] in Ottawa and [[Harrington Lake]], a country retreat in [[Gatineau Park]]—as well an office in the [[Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council|Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council building]] (formerly known as Langevin Block), across from [[Parliament Hill]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Privy Council Office |author-link=Privy Council Office (Canada) |title=Did You Know > The Langevin Block from Yesterday to Today |url=http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/index.asp?lang=eng&page=dyk-svq&doc=archive%2Flangevin%2Fdyk-svq-eng.htm |access-date=January 17, 2010 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |archive-date=May 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522200854/http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/index.asp?lang=eng&page=dyk-svq&doc=archive%2Flangevin%2Fdyk-svq-eng.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[Image:Mulroney.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Brian Mulroney]], 18th Prime Minister (1984-1993)]]
 
For transportation, the prime minister is afforded an armoured car (a car allowance of $2,000 per year) and shared use of two [[Royal Canadian Air Force VIP aircraft|official aircraft]]—a [[Airbus CC-330 Husky]] for international flights and a [[Bombardier Challenger 600 series|Bombardier CC-144 Challenger]] for domestic trips. The [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] also furnish constant [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police Protective Policing|personal security]] for the prime minister and their family. All of the aforementioned is provided through budgets approved by Parliament.
In recent times, a few Canadians and some members of [[Parliament of Canada|Parliament]] have begun to question the powers the Canadian Constitution confers on the Prime Minister. In particular, their goal is to find ways to change the insignificant and ineffectual role of elected members of the [[Canadian House of Commons|House of Commons]], to create a Parliamentary committee to review appointments to the [[Supreme Court of Canada|Supreme Court]], and the need to abolish or radically restructure the appointed [[Canadian Senate|Senate]].
 
As of April 2024, the prime minister's annual salary is $406,200<ref>{{Cite web |date= June 15, 2022|title=Political Salaries – What the world pays its politicians – Leaders |url=https://politicalsalaries.com/leaders/ |access-date=2024-11-19 |language=en-US}}</ref> (consisting of an MP's salary of $203,100 and the prime minister's additional salary of $203,100).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Indemnities, Salaries and Allowances |url=https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Salaries |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=lop.parl.ca}}</ref>
A 2001 book titled ''The Friendly Dictatorship'' by ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' newspaper's respected national affairs columnist, [[Jeffrey Simpson]], pointed out the potential dangers by detailing what he argues to be near absolute power vested in the Prime Minister of Canada.
There are still, however some checks on the Prime Minister's power. [[Cabinet of Canada|Cabinet]] or caucus revolts will bring down a sitting Prime Minister quickly, and even the threat of caucus revolts can force a Prime Minister out of office as happened to Chrétien in [[2003]].
 
Serving or former prime ministers are accorded a [[State funerals in Canada|state funeral]], wherein their casket lies in state in the [[Centre Block]] of Parliament Hill.<ref>{{Cite web |last=State Funerals in Canada |title=Frequently Asked Questions on State Funerals in Canada |url=http://www.commemoration.gc.ca/cntct/index-eng.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091227080756/http://www.commemoration.gc.ca/cntct/index-eng.cfm |archive-date=December 27, 2009 |access-date=December 10, 2009 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada}}</ref> Only Bowell and the [[R. B. Bennett|Viscount Bennett]] were given private funerals, Bennett also being the only former prime minister of Canada to die and be buried outside the country and Bowell the only whose funeral was not attended by politicians. John Thompson also died outside Canada, at [[Windsor Castle]], where [[Queen Victoria]] permitted his lying-in-state before his body was returned to Canada for a state funeral in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]].<ref>{{cite DCB |last=Waite |first=P.B. |title=Thompson, Sir John Sparrow David |volume=XII |url = http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/thompson_john_sparrow_david_12E.html }}</ref>
[[Image:jchretien.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Jean Chrétien]], 20th Prime Minister (1993-2003)]]
The Prime Minister is also restricted by the usually powerless Senate. The Senate can delay and impede legislation, as occurred when [[Brian Mulroney]] attempted to introduce the [[Goods and Services Tax (Canada)|Goods and Services Tax]] (GST), and when Chrétien tried to cancel the privatization of [[Toronto Pearson International Airport]]. In both cases, the conflicts arose primarily because the Senate was dominated by members appointed by previous governments. Both PMs ended up "stacking" the Senate in their favour with a flurry of senate appointments in order to pass their legislation. Mulroney's government used a constitutional provision to receive approval from the Governor General for the creation of eight new Senate seats in 1991.
 
[[File:Heraldic mark of the Prime Minister of Canada.svg|thumb|left|[[Heraldic mark of the prime minister of Canada|The mark of the prime ministership of Canada]], applied to the arms of prime ministers]]
Canada is one of the most decentralized of the world's federations, and provincial premiers have a great deal of power. Constitutional changes must be approved by the provincial premiers, and they must be consulted for any new initiatives in their areas of responsibility, which include many important sectors such as health care and education.
 
Prior to 1919, it was traditional for the monarch to bestow a [[knighthood]] on newly appointed Canadian prime ministers. Accordingly, several carried the prefix ''Sir'' before their name; of the first eight prime ministers of Canada, only [[Alexander Mackenzie (politician)|Alexander Mackenzie]] refused the honour of a knighthood from Queen Victoria. Following the 1919 [[Nickle Resolution]], however, the House of Commons declared that it should be against the policy of the Canadian Sovereign (and the Canadian government advising the Monarch when such honours are not within the Monarch's personal gift) to bestow [[British nobility|aristocratic]] or [[Chivalry|chivalric]] titles to Canadians. The Crown in right of Canada (but not the Crown in right of the United Kingdom, which has periodically bestowed such Imperial honours on such citizens) has since adopted this policy generally, such that the last prime minister to be knighted near appointment was [[Robert Borden]], who was the prime minister at the time the Nickle Resolution was debated in the House of Commons (and was knighted before the resolution). Still, Bennett was, in 1941, six years after he stepped down as prime minister, elevated to the [[peerage of the United Kingdom]] by King George VI as Viscount Bennett, of [[Mickleham, Surrey|Mickleham]] in the County of Surrey and of [[Calgary]] and [[Hopewell Hill, New Brunswick|Hopewell]] in Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Library of Parliament |author-link=Library of Parliament |title=Federal Government > Prime Ministers of Canada > Biographical Informarion > BENNETT, The Right Hon. Richard Bedford, P.C., K.C., K.G.St.J., LL.B. |url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Files/Parliamentarian.aspx?Item=b9296f13-96f7-4c62-a577-63a5fc91ac2f&Language=E&Section=ALL |access-date=December 10, 2009 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada}}</ref><ref>[http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/35225/pages/4213/page.pdf] ''The London Gazette'', July 22, 1941.</ref> No prime minister has since been titled.
==Graphical timeline==
{{Canadian Prime Ministers timeline}}
 
The [[Canadian Heraldic Authority]] (CHA) grants former prime ministers an [[augmentation of honour]] on the [[coat of arms]] of those who apply for them. The heraldic badge, referred to by the CHA as the ''mark of the Prime Ministership of Canada'',<ref name="JClarkArms">{{Cite web |title=Clark, Rt. Hon. Charles Joseph |url=http://www.heraldry.ca/arms/c/clark.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613183301/http://www.heraldry.ca/arms/c/clark.htm |archive-date=June 13, 2011 |access-date=May 27, 2011 |publisher=Royal Heraldry Society of Canada}}</ref> consists of four red maple leaves joined at the stem on a white field (''Argent four maple leaves conjoined in cross at the stem Gules''); the augmentation is usually a [[Canton (heraldry)|canton]] or centred in the [[Chief (heraldry)|chief]].<ref name=JClarkArms /><ref name="PTrudeauArms">{{Cite web |title=Trudeau, Rt. Hon. Pierre Elliot |url=http://www.heraldry.ca/arms/t/trudeau.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515194632/http://www.heraldry.ca/arms/t/trudeau.htm |archive-date=May 15, 2011 |access-date=May 27, 2011 |publisher=Royal Heraldry Society of Canada}}</ref><ref name="JTurnerArms">{{Cite web |title=Turner, Rt. Hon. John Napier |url=http://www.heraldry.ca/arms/t/turner_j.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613184219/http://www.heraldry.ca/arms/t/turner_j.htm |archive-date=June 13, 2011 |access-date=May 27, 2011 |publisher=Royal Heraldry Society of Canada}}</ref><ref name="BMulroneyArms">{{Cite web |title=Mulroney, Rt. Hon. Martin Brian |url=http://www.heraldry.ca/arms/m/mulroney.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706182717/http://heraldry.ca/arms/m/mulroney.htm |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |access-date=May 27, 2011 |publisher=Royal Heraldry Society of Canada}}</ref><ref name="KCampbellArms">{{Cite web |title=Campbell, Rt. Hon. Kim, PC |url=http://www.heraldry.ca/arms/c/campbell_k.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613154100/http://www.heraldry.ca/arms/c/campbell_k.htm |archive-date=June 13, 2011 |access-date=May 27, 2011 |publisher=Royal Heraldry Society of Canada}}</ref> [[Joe Clark]],<ref name=JClarkArms /> Pierre Trudeau,<ref name=PTrudeauArms /> John Turner,<ref name=JTurnerArms /> Brian Mulroney,<ref name=BMulroneyArms /> [[Kim Campbell]],<ref name=KCampbellArms /> Jean Chrétien<ref>{{Cite web |last=General |first=The Office of the Secretary to the Governor |date=November 12, 2020 |title=Chrétien, Joseph Jacques Jean [Individual] |url=https://reg.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project-pic.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=2930&ProjectElementID=10301 |website=reg.gg.ca}}</ref> and Paul Martin<ref>{{cite web |title=Paul Edgar Phillippe Martin |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/heraldry/public-register/project/2449 |website=The Governor General of Canada |publisher=[[Canadian Heraldic Authority]] |accessdate=29 November 2022 |date=August 15, 2013}}</ref> were granted arms with the augmentation.
==Living former prime ministers==
 
==Style of address==
There are five living former Prime Ministers of Canada. In order from most recent they are:
[[File:Kim Campbell.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Kim Campbell]], the 19th prime minister of Canada (1993) and only female and British Columbia–born person to hold the office]]
*[[Jean Chrétien]]
Canada continues the Westminster tradition of using the title ''Prime Minister'' when one is speaking to the federal head of government directly; the [[Department of Canadian Heritage]] advises that the term ''Mr. Prime Minister'' should not be used in official contexts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Department of Canadian Heritage |date=October 16, 2017 |title=Styles of address |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/protocol-guidelines-special-event/styles-address.html |access-date=April 10, 2020 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada}}</ref> The written form of address for the prime minister should use their full parliamentary title: ''The Right Honourable [name], <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[post-nominal letters]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>, Prime Minister of Canada''. However, while in the House of Commons during [[Question Period]], other members of parliament may address the prime minister as ''the Right Honourable Member for [prime minister's [[Electoral district (Canada)|riding]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>'' or simply ''the Right Honourable Prime Minister''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Department of Canadian Heritage |author-link=Department of Canadian Heritage |title=Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > Styles of address&nbsp;— Federal dignitaries |url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/prtcl/address2-eng.cfm |access-date=January 24, 2010 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada}}</ref> Former prime ministers retain the prefix ''the Right Honourable'' for the remainder of their lives; should they remain sitting MPs, they may be referred as ''the Right Honourable Member for [member's riding]'', by their [[Ministry (government department)|portfolio]] title (if appointed to one), as in ''the Right Honourable Minister of National Defence'', or should they become opposition leader, as ''the Right Honourable Leader of the Opposition''.
*[[Kim Campbell]]
*[[Brian Mulroney]]
*[[John Turner]]
*[[Joe Clark]]
 
In the decades following Confederation, it was common practice to refer to the prime minister as ''Premier of Canada'',<ref>{{Cite news |date=1893-03-12 |title=Canada's Premier Talks; Attitude of the Dominion on the Seal Question |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D05E1DB1731E033A25751C1A9659C94629ED7CF |url-access=subscription |access-date=January 25, 2010 |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Grand Lodge of Canada |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FqwqAAAAMAAJ&q=%22premier+of+canada%22&pg=RA2-PA15 |title=Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free, & Accepted Masons of Canada |publisher=Spectator Printing Co. |year=1884 |___location=Hamilton |page=15 |access-date=January 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Hopkins |first=J. Castell |year=1901 |title=The Proposed Union of Canada with Newfoundland |url=http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/nfldhistory/1901proposedunion.htm |magazine=The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs |___location=Toronto |publisher=The Annual Review Publishing Company |volume=1902 |pages=449–453 |access-date=January 25, 2010}}</ref> a custom that continued during the [[World War I|First World War]], around the time of Robert Borden's premiership.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1916-11-21 |title=Premier Pledges Canada to Fight Until War is Won |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9902EEDB1F3FE233A25752C2A9679D946796D6CF |url-access=subscription |access-date=January 25, 2010 |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |year=1914 |title=The Santa Fe magazine, Volume 9 |volume=9 |page=44 |work=The Santa Fe |publisher=Santa Fe Magazine |___location=Santa Fe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HfHNAAAAMAAJ&q=%22premier+of+canada%22 |access-date=January 25, 2010 |issn=0036-4541}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Freshfield |first=A. C. Haddon |date=May 1913 |title=The Distribution of Human and Animal Life in Western Arctic America |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1449288 |journal=The Geographical Journal |___location=Oxford |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |volume=41 |issue=5 |pages=459–460 |doi=10.2307/1778163 |issn=0016-7398 |jstor=1778163}}</ref> While contemporary sources will still speak of early prime ministers of Canada as ''premier'',<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2010 |title=Sir John Sparrow David Thompson |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/592993/SIr-John-Thompson |access-date=January 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Library and Archives Canada |author-link=Library and Archives Canada |date=June 25, 2008 |title=Politics and Government > Sir John A. Macdonald > The Opponents |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/sir-john-a-macdonald/023013-4000-e.html |access-date=January 25, 2010 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland |title=John Alexander MacDonald |url=http://www.scran.ac.uk/database/record.php?usi=000-000-202-908-C |access-date=January 25, 2010 |publisher=Queen's Printer}}</ref> the modern practice is such that the federal head of government is known almost exclusively as the ''prime minister'', while the [[Premier (Canada)|provincial and territorial heads of government]] are termed ''premiers'' (in French, premiers are addressed as {{lang|fr|premier ministre du [province]}}, literally translated as ''prime minister of [province]'').
None currently hold a seat in parliament. Jean Chrétien left the House in [[2003]] and Joe Clark left in [[2004]].
 
==Activities post-premiership==
[[File:Lester Pearson at Constellation Hotel (50540638176).jpg|thumb|[[Lester B. Pearson|Lester Pearson]] ]]
After exiting office, former prime ministers of Canada have engaged in various pursuits. Some remained in politics: Bowell continued as a senator, and Bennett moved to the United Kingdom after being elevated to the [[House of Lords]].<ref>{{cite DCB |last=Waite |first=P.B. |title=Bennett, Richard Bedford, 1st Viscount Bennett |volume=17 |url = http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/bennett_richard_bedford_17E.html }}</ref> A number were leaders of the [[Official Opposition (Canada)|Official Opposition]]: John A. Macdonald, [[Arthur Meighen]], Mackenzie King,<ref>{{cite DCB|authorlink1=H. Blair Neatby |last=Neatby |first=H. Blair |title=King, William Lyon Mackenzie |volume=17 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/king_william_lyon_mackenzie_17E.html}}</ref> and Pierre Trudeau, all before being re-appointed as prime minister (Mackenzie King twice); Alexander Mackenzie and [[John Diefenbaker]], both prior to sitting as regular Members of Parliament until their deaths;<ref name="Dief">{{cite DCB |last=Smith |first=Dennis |title=Diefenbaker, John George |volume=20 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/diefenbaker_john_george_20E.html}}</ref> [[Wilfrid Laurier]] dying while still in the post;<ref>{{cite DCB |last=Bélanger |first=Réal |title=Laurier, Sir Wilfrid |volume=14 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/laurier_wilfrid_14E.html}}</ref> and [[Charles Tupper]],<ref name="Tupper">{{cite DCB |last=Buckner |first=Phillip |title=Tupper, Sir Charles |volume=14|url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/tupper_charles_14E.html}}</ref> [[Louis St. Laurent]],<ref name="StLaurent">{{cite DCB |last=Bothwell |first=Robert |title=St. Laurent, Louis |volume=20 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/st_laurent_louis_stephen_20E.html}}</ref> and John Turner, each before they returned to private business. Meighen was also appointed to the Senate following his second period as prime minister, but resigned his seat to seek re-election and moved to private enterprise after failing to win a riding.<ref name="Meighen">{{cite DCB |last=Glassford |first=Larry A. |title=Meighen, Arthur |volume=18 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/meighen_arthur_18E.html }}</ref> Also returning to civilian life were: Robert Borden, who was Chancellor of [[Queen's University at Kingston|Queen's]] and [[McGill University|McGill Universities]], as well as working in the financial sector; [[Lester B. Pearson]], who was Chancellor of [[Carleton University]];<ref>{{cite DCB |last=English |first=John |title=Pearson, Lester Bowles |volume=20 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/pearson_lester_bowles_20E.html }}</ref> Joe Clark and Kim Campbell, who were university lecturers, Clark also consultant and Campbell working in international diplomacy and as the director of private companies and chairperson of interest groups; while Pierre Trudeau and Jean Chrétien returned to legal practice.<ref>{{cite DCB |last=English |first=John |title=Trudeau, Pierre Elliott |volume=22 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/trudeau_pierre_elliott_22E.html}}</ref> Former prime ministers also commonly penned autobiographies—Tupper,<ref name=Tupper /> for example—or published their memoirs—such as Diefenbaker and [[Paul Martin]].<ref name=Dief />
 
==See also==
{{portal|border=no|Canada|Politics}}
*[[List of Canadian Prime Ministers]]
* [[List of JointHistorical Premiersrankings of theprime Provinceministers of Canada]]
* [[List of Canadianprime Primeministers Ministers by religiousof affiliationCanada]]
* [[List of Canadianprime Primeministers Ministersof Canada by residencetime in office]]
* [[List of Canadianprime Primeministers Ministersof Canada by place ofreligious birthaffiliation]]
* [[List of Canadianbooks Primeabout Ministersprime byministers time inof officeCanada]]
* [[Prime ministers of Canada in popular culture]]
*[[List of Canadian Prime Ministers by military service]]
* [[SpousesSpouse of the Primeprime Ministersminister of Canada]]
 
*[[Children of the Prime Ministers of Canada]]
== Notes ==
{{NoteFoot}}
{{notelist}}
 
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
 
== Further reading ==
{{further|List of books about prime ministers of Canada}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book | last=Brodie | first=I. | title=At the Centre of Government: The Prime Minister and the Limits on Political Power | publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press | year=2018 | isbn=978-0-7735-5378-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_NNZDwAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book | last=Coucill | first=I. | title=Canada's Prime Ministers, Governors General and Fathers of Confederation | publisher=Pembroke Publishers | year=2005 | isbn=978-1-55138-185-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wlFJPQHUY5UC}}
* {{cite book | last=Dutil | first=P. | title=Prime Ministerial Power in Canada: Its Origins under Macdonald, Laurier, and Borden | publisher=UBC Press | series=The C.D. Howe Series in Canadian Political History | year=2017 | isbn=978-0-7748-3476-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z3AlDwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1 }}
* {{cite book | last=Donaldson | first=G. | title=The Prime Ministers of Canada | publisher=Doubleday Canada | year=1994 | isbn=978-0-385-25454-0}}
* {{cite book | last1=English | first1=J.R. | last2=Dutil | first2=P. | title=Statesmen, Strategists and Diplomats: Canada's Prime Ministers and the Making of Foreign Policy | publisher=University of British Columbia Press | series=The C. D. Howe Series in Canadian Political History Series | year=2023 | isbn=978-0-7748-6855-6 }}
* {{cite book | last=Schlee | first=Gary | title=Unknown and unforgettable : a guide to Canada's Prime Ministers | publication-place=Toronto, Ontario, Canada | date=2018 | isbn=978-1-7753780-0-6 | oclc=1108336247 |publisher=Shorelawn Publishing }}
* {{cite book | last=Stewart | first=J.D.M. | title=Being Prime Minister | publisher=Dundurn | year=2018 | isbn=978-1-4597-3849-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r5MwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1}}
{{refend}}
 
== External links ==
{{Commons}}
* {{official website}}
* {{YouTube|h=CanadianPM|title=Prime Minister of Canada}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050901031658/http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/pm/index.asp?lang=E Library of Parliament of Canada]
* [http://www.macleans.ca/2011/06/10/canadas-best-prime-ministers Canada's Best Prime Ministers]: 2011 ''[[Maclean's]]'' article
 
{{s-start}}
==External links==
{{s-prec}}
*[http://www.pm.gc.ca/ Official government Web site of the Office of the Prime Minister]
{{s-bef
*[http://www.primeministers.ca/ primeministers.ca, Prime Ministers Online]
| before = [[Mary Simon]]
| as = [[Governor General of Canada]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = Prime Minister of Canada<br />[[Canadian order of precedence]] (ceremonial)
| years =
}}
{{s-aft
| after = [[Richard Wagner (judge)|Richard Wagner]]
| as = [[Chief Justice of Canada]]
}}
{{S-end}}
 
{{Prime ministers of Canada}}
{{CanPM}}
{{Lists of prime ministers of Canada}}
{{Canadian First Ministers}}
{{Cabinet of Canada}}
{{Canada topics}}
{{Heads of state and government of North America}}
{{Prime ministers}}
{{Authority control}}
 
[[Category:Prime ministers of Canada| ]]
[[Category:1867 establishments in Canada]]
[[Category:Government of Canada]]
[[Category:Canadian Prime Ministers|*]]
[[Category:Politics of Canada]]
[[es:Primer Ministro de Canadá]]
[[fr:Premier ministre du Canada]]
[[ko:캐나다의 총리]]
[[pt:Primeiro-ministro do Canadá]]
[[zh:加拿大總理]]
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