Prime Minister of Canada

Prime Minister of Canada
Premier ministre du Canada
Incumbent
Justin Trudeau
since November 4, 2015
Government of Canada
Privy Council Office
Style
AbbreviationPM
Member of
Reports toHouse of Commons
Residence24 Sussex Drive[b]
SeatOffice of the Prime Minister and Privy Council building
AppointerGovernor General[3]
with the confidence of the House of Commons[4]
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
Constituting instrumentNone (constitutional convention)
Inaugural holderJohn A. Macdonald
FormationJuly 1, 1867
DeputyDeputy Prime Minister
SalaryCA$379,000 (2023)[5][c]
Websitepm.gc.ca

The prime minister of Canada (French: premier ministre du Canada)[note 1] is the head of government of Canada. Not outlined in any constitutional document, the office exists only per long-established convention. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons; as such, the prime minister typically sits as a member of Parliament (MP) and leads the largest party or a coalition of parties. The prime minister is appointed by the monarch's representative, the governor general, and, as first minister, selects other ministers to form the Cabinet and chairs it. Constitutionally, executive authority is vested in the monarch (who is the head of state), but, in practice, the powers of the monarch and governor general are nearly always exercised on the advice of the Cabinet,[6] which is collectively responsible to the House of Commons. Canadian prime ministers are appointed to the Privy Council and styled as the Right Honourable (French: Le très honorable),[note 2] a privilege maintained for life.

The prime minister is supported by the Prime Minister's Office and heads the Privy Council Office.[7] The prime minister also selects individuals for appointment as governor general (in the federal jurisdiction) and lieutenant governor (in the provinces), as well as to the Senate of Canada, Supreme Court of Canada, and other federal courts, and, as required under law, the chairs and boards of various Crown corporations.

Since Confederation in 1867, 23 prime ministers (twenty-two men and one woman) have formed 29 Canadian ministries.[8] Justin Trudeau is the current prime minister, who took office on November 4, 2015, following the 2015 federal election, wherein his Liberal Party won a majority of seats. Trudeau's Liberals subsequently won a minority of seats in the 2019 and 2021 elections, leaving Trudeau with minority governments.


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  1. ^ a b Heritage, Canadian (October 16, 2017). "Styles of address". aem. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  2. ^ "The Canadian Parliamentary system - Our Procedure - House of Commons". www.ourcommons.ca. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  3. ^ "Constitutional Duties". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  4. ^ "House of Commons Procedure and Practice - 1. Parliamentary Institutions - Canadian Parliamentary Institutions". www.ourcommons.ca. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Parliament of Canada. "Indemnities, Salaries, and Allowances". Library of Parliament. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  6. ^ Brooks, Stephen (2007). Canadian Democracy: An Introduction (5 ed.). Don Mills: Oxford University Press. pp. 233–234. ISBN 978-0-19-543103-2.
  7. ^ "Privy Council Office | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  8. ^ "Prime Ministers of Canada". Library of the Canadian Parliament. Retrieved February 26, 2023.


Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).


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