Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada)

The leader of the Official Opposition (French: chef de l'Opposition officielle), sometimes known as the leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition (French: chef de la loyale opposition de Sa Majesté), is the politician who leads the Official Opposition in Canada. This is typically the leader of the party possessing the most seats in the House of Commons that is neither the governing party nor part of a governing coalition.

Leader of the Official Opposition
Chef de l'Opposition officielle
Incumbent Pierre Poilievre since September 10, 2022
Official Opposition Parliament of Canada
Style	The Honourable
Member of	House of Commons
Residence	Stornoway
Term length	While leader of the largest party not in government
Inaugural holder	Alexander Mackenzie
Formation	March 6, 1873
Salary	$299,900 (2024)[1]

Pierre Poilievre has been the leader of the Opposition since September 10, 2022, when he was elected leader of the Conservative Party of Canada in the party's leadership election.^[2]

The office should not be confused with Opposition House leader, who is a frontbencher charged with managing the business of the Opposition in the House of Commons and is formally titled Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons. There is also a leader of the Opposition in the Senate, who is usually of the same party as the leader of the Opposition in the house.

Name

The term leader of the opposition is used in the Parliament of Canada Act^[3] and the Standing Orders of the House of Commons,^[4] as is the term official opposition.^[5] The terms leader of the loyal opposition, his majesty's opposition,^[6] and loyal opposition are sometimes used,^[7] but are not in either the act or the standing orders. The word loyal is used to communicate the party's loyalty to monarch of Canada – as the nonpartisan personification of the nation and the state's authority – even as its members oppose the governing party.^[6]

Privileges

The leader of the Opposition is entitled to the same levels of pay and protection as a Cabinet minister and is often made a member of the King's Privy Council, generally the only non-government member of the House of Commons afforded that privilege. The leader of the Opposition is entitled to reside at the official residence of Stornoway and ranks thirteenth on the Order of Precedence, after Cabinet ministers and before lieutenant governors of the provinces. In the House of Commons seating plan, the leader of the Opposition sits directly across from the prime minister.

History

During the 1st Canadian Parliament, the position of the leader of the opposition was not clearly established. The Liberal Party sat on the opposition benches, but it remained a loose coalition of various interests and chose not to name a leader until becoming a more united group.^[8] Several historians note that John Sandfield Macdonald was granted the seat reserved for the Opposition leader, though he was an ally of John A. Macdonald^[a] and the two had campaigned together in the preceding election.^[9][10][11] As Sandfield Macdonald was concurrently Premier of Ontario,^[b] he did not play a major role in holding the government to account. Instead, Alexander Mackenzie emerged as a prominent opponent of the government, with some historians describing him as the de facto leader of the Opposition from 1869.^[12][13] Mackenzie was recognized as Leader of the Opposition in 1873, after formally assuming the leadership of the Liberal Party.

Despite its importance in the Westminster system, the role was not enshrined in law until 1905. In proposing the measure, Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier said "the leader of the opposition under our system is just as much a part of the constitutional system of government as the Prime Minister himself."^[14] The leader was also granted a $7,000 allowance, per session, in addition to his salary as MP. According to Dean E. Henry, this "made Canada the first entity in the British Empire, probably the first in the world, to pay a state salary to an opposition leader."^[15]

Two leaders of the Opposition have died in office: Wilfrid Laurier in 1919 and Jack Layton in 2011.^[16]

Leaders of the Official Opposition

  Liberal Party of Canada

  Liberal-Conservative Party, Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942), Progressive Conservative Party of Canada

  Bloc Québécois

  Reform Party of Canada

  Canadian Alliance

  Conservative Party of Canada

  New Democratic Party

Portrait	Name Electoral district (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Party		Prime minister Party
		Term start[17]	Term end[17]
	Alexander Mackenzie MP for Lambton (1822–1892)	March 6, 1873	November 5, 1873		Liberal		Sir John A. Macdonald Liberal-Conservative
	Sir John A. Macdonald MP for Kingston (1815–1891)	November 6, 1873	October 16, 1878		Liberal-Conservative		Alexander Mackenzie Liberal
	Alexander Mackenzie MP for Lambton (1822–1892)	October 17, 1878	April 27, 1880		Liberal		Sir John A. Macdonald Liberal-Conservative
Vacant April 27 – May 3, 1880
	Edward Blake MP for Durham West (1833–1912)	May 4, 1880	June 2, 1887		Liberal
Vacant June 3 – 22, 1887
	Wilfrid Laurier MP for Quebec East (1841–1919)	June 23, 1887	July 10, 1896		Liberal
							Sir John Abbott Liberal-Conservative
							Sir John Thompson Liberal-Conservative
							Sir Mackenzie Bowell Conservative
							Sir Charles Tupper Conservative
	Sir Charles Tupper[c] MP for Cape Breton (1821–1915)	July 11, 1896	February 5, 1901		Conservative		Sir Wilfrid Laurier Liberal
	Robert Borden MP for Halifax (until 1904, from 1908) MP for Carleton (1905–1908) (1854–1937)	February 6, 1901	October 9, 1911
	Sir Wilfrid Laurier MP for Quebec East (1841–1919)	October 10, 1911	February 17, 1919[d]		Liberal		Sir Robert Borden Conservative Unionist
	Daniel Duncan McKenzie[e] MP for Cape Breton North and Victoria (1859–1927)	February 17, 1919	October 20, 1919
	William Lyon Mackenzie King MP for Prince (1874–1950)	October 20, 1919	December 28, 1921
							Arthur Meighen Conservative
	Arthur Meighen[f] MP for Grenville (1922–1925) MP for Portage la Prairie (from 1925) (1874–1960)	December 29, 1921	June 28, 1926		Conservative		William Lyon Mackenzie King Liberal
	William Lyon Mackenzie King MP for Prince Albert (1874–1950)	June 29, 1926	September 24, 1926		Liberal		Arthur Meighen Conservative
Vacant[g] September 25 – October 10, 1926							William Lyon Mackenzie King Liberal
	Hugh Guthrie[h] MP for Wellington South (1866–1939)	October 11, 1926	October 11, 1927		Conservative
	R. B. Bennett MP for Calgary West (1870–1947)	October 12, 1927	August 6, 1930
	William Lyon Mackenzie King MP for Prince Albert (1874–1950)	August 7, 1930	October 22, 1935		Liberal		R. B. Bennett Conservative
	R. B. Bennett MP for Calgary West (1870–1947)	October 23, 1935	July 6, 1938		Conservative		William Lyon Mackenzie King Liberal
	Robert James Manion MP for London (1881–1943)	July 7, 1938	May 13, 1940
	Richard Hanson[i] MP for Fredericton (1879–1948)	May 14, 1940	January 1, 1943
					Progressive Conservative[j]
	Gordon Graydon[k] MP for Peel (1896–1953)	January 1, 1943	June 10, 1945		Progressive Conservative
	John Bracken MP for Neepawa (1883–1969)	June 11, 1945	July 20, 1948
Vacant[l] July 21 – December 20, 1948
	George A. Drew MP for Carleton (1894–1973)	December 20, 1948	November 1, 1954		Progressive Conservative
							Louis St. Laurent Liberal
	William Earl Rowe[m] MP for Dufferin—Simcoe (1894–1984)	November 1, 1954	February 1, 1955
	George A. Drew MP for Carleton (1894–1973)	February 1, 1955	August 1, 1956
	William Earl Rowe[n] MP for Dufferin—Simcoe (1894–1984)	August 1, 1956	December 13, 1956
	John Diefenbaker MP for Prince Albert (1895–1979)	December 14, 1956	June 20, 1957
	Louis St. Laurent MP for Quebec East (1882–1973)	June 21, 1957	January 16, 1958		Liberal		John Diefenbaker Progressive Conservative
	Lester B. Pearson MP for Algoma East (1897–1972)	January 16, 1958	April 22, 1963
	John Diefenbaker MP for Prince Albert (1895–1979)	April 22, 1963	September 9, 1967		Progressive Conservative		Lester B. Pearson Liberal
	Michael Starr[o] MP for Ontario (1910–2000)	September 9, 1967	November 6, 1967
	Robert Stanfield MP for Colchester—Hants (1967–1968) MP for Halifax (from 1968) (1914–2003)	November 6, 1967	February 22, 1976
							Pierre Trudeau Liberal
	Joe Clark MP for Rocky Mountain (born 1939)	February 22, 1976	June 4, 1979
	Pierre Trudeau MP for Mount Royal (1919–2000)	June 4, 1979	March 3, 1980		Liberal		Joe Clark Progressive Conservative
	Joe Clark MP for Yellowhead (born 1939)	March 3, 1980	February 2, 1983		Progressive Conservative		Pierre Trudeau Liberal
	Erik Nielsen[p] MP for Yukon (1924–2008)	February 2, 1983	August 29, 1983
	Brian Mulroney MP for Central Nova (1939–2024)	August 29, 1983	September 16, 1984
							John Turner Liberal
	John Turner MP for Vancouver Quadra (1929–2020)	September 17, 1984	February 8, 1990		Liberal		Brian Mulroney Progressive Conservative
	Herb Gray[q] MP for Windsor West (1931–2014)	February 8, 1990	December 10, 1990
	Jean Chrétien MP for Beauséjour (born 1934)	December 10, 1990	November 4, 1993
							Kim Campbell Progressive Conservative
	Lucien Bouchard MP for Lac-Saint-Jean (born 1938)	November 4, 1993	January 15, 1996		Bloc Québécois		Jean Chrétien Liberal
	Gilles Duceppe[r] MP for Laurier—Sainte-Marie (born 1947)	January 15, 1996	February 17, 1996
	Michel Gauthier MP for Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean (1950–2020)	February 17, 1996	March 15, 1997
	Gilles Duceppe MP for Laurier—Sainte-Marie (born 1947)	March 15, 1997	June 2, 1997
	Preston Manning MP for Calgary Southwest (born 1942)	June 2, 1997	March 27, 2000		Reform
	Deborah Grey[s] MP for Edmonton North (born 1952)	March 27, 2000	September 11, 2000		Canadian Alliance
	Stockwell Day MP for Okanagan—Coquihalla (born 1950)	September 11, 2000	December 12, 2001
	John Reynolds MP for West Vancouver– Sunshine Coast (born 1942)	December 12, 2001	May 21, 2002
	Stephen Harper MP for Calgary Southwest (born 1959)	May 21, 2002	January 9, 2004
							Paul Martin Liberal
	Grant Hill[t] MP for Macleod (born 1943)	January 9, 2004	March 20, 2004
					Conservative[u]
	Stephen Harper MP for Calgary Southwest (born 1959)	March 20, 2004	February 6, 2006		Conservative
	Bill Graham[v] MP for Toronto Centre (1939–2022)	February 6, 2006	December 2, 2006		Liberal		Stephen Harper Conservative
	Stéphane Dion MP for Saint-Laurent–Cartierville (born 1955)	December 2, 2006	December 10, 2008
	Michael Ignatieff[w] MP for Etobicoke–Lakeshore (born 1947)	December 10, 2008	May 2, 2011
	Jack Layton MP for Toronto–Danforth (1950–2011)	May 2, 2011	August 22, 2011[d]		New Democratic
	Nycole Turmel[x] MP for Hull—Aylmer (born 1942)	August 22, 2011	March 24, 2012
	Tom Mulcair MP for Outremont (born 1954)	March 24, 2012	November 5, 2015
	Rona Ambrose[y] MP for Sturgeon River—Parkland (born 1969)	November 5, 2015	May 27, 2017		Conservative		Justin Trudeau Liberal
	Andrew Scheer MP for Regina—Qu'Appelle (born 1979)	May 27, 2017	August 24, 2020
	Erin O'Toole MP for Durham (born 1973)	August 24, 2020	February 2, 2022
	Candice Bergen[z] MP for Portage—Lisgar (born 1964)	February 2, 2022	September 10, 2022
	Pierre Poilievre MP for Carleton (born 1979)	September 10, 2022	Incumbent
							Mark Carney Liberal

Timeline

Deputy leaders of the Opposition

Portrait	Name Electoral district (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Party		Leader of the Opposition
		Term start	Term end
	Denis Lebel[18] MP for Lac-Saint-Jean (born 1954)	November 19, 2015	July 24, 2017		Conservative	Rona Ambrose
						Andrew Scheer
	Lisa Raitt[19] MP for Milton (born 1968)	July 24, 2017	October 21, 2019
	Leona Alleslev[20] MP for Aurora–Oak Ridges–Richmond Hill (born 1968)	November 28, 2019	July 12, 2020
	Candice Bergen[21][22] MP for Portage–Lisgar (born 1964)	September 2, 2020	February 2, 2022			Erin O'Toole
	Luc Berthold[23] MP for Mégantic—L'Érable (born 1965 or 1966)	February 6, 2022	September 13, 2022			Candice Bergen
	Melissa Lantsman MP for Thornhill (born 1984)	September 13, 2022	Incumbent			Pierre Poilievre
	Tim Uppal MP for Edmonton Mill Woods (born 1974)	September 13, 2022	Incumbent

Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet

The Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet in Canada is composed of members of the main opposition party and is responsible for holding the government to account and for developing and disseminating the party's policy positions. Members of the Official Opposition are generally referred to as opposition critics, but the term Shadow Minister (which is generally used in other Westminster systems) is also used.

See also

• Canada portal
• Politics portal

• Opposition House Leader
• Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Canada)

Notes

1. The two Macdonalds were of no relation.
2. Sandfield Macdonald was a member of both the House of Commons of Canada and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario; dual mandates had not yet been abolished.
3. Tupper lost his seat in the 1900 election and resigned as party leader and Leader of the Opposition three months later.
4. Died in office.
5. McKenzie served as Leader of the Opposition and interim leader of the Liberal Party from Laurier's death until King's election, and then remained as opposition leader for a further two months until King was able to enter Parliament via a by-election.
6. Arthur Meighen's Conservatives formed the Official Opposition, although the Progressive Party had more seats.
7. Meighen failed to win his seat and immediately resigned as leader of the Conservative Party.
8. Guthrie served as Leader of the Opposition from shortly after Meighen's resignation until Bennett's election as leader of the Conservative Party.
9. Hanson served as Leader of the Opposition from Manion's resignation until Meighen's election as leader of the Conservative Party. He continued as acting Leader of the Opposition throughout Meighen's term as Conservative leader, as Meighen failed in his attempts to win election to the House of Commons, and continued as acting Leader of the Opposition from Bracken's election as PC leader until his own resignation.
10. The Conservative Party was renamed the Progressive Conservative Party in 1942.
11. Graydon served as Leader of the Opposition from Hanson's resignation until Bracken entered Parliament in the 20th general election.
12. Bracken immediately vacated his position as Leader of the Official Opposition when he resigned. Because Parliament did not sit in the second half of 1948, it never became necessary for the Progressive Conservatives to name an interim parliamentary leader to cover the gap until Drew could enter parliament via by-election.
13. Rowe served as acting Leader of the Opposition in winter 1954–55 due to Drew's poor health.
14. Rowe initially served as acting Leader of the Opposition for six weeks when Drew was ill, then became interim leader of the Progressive Conservative Party until Diefenbaker was elected as PC leader.
15. Starr served as Leader of the Opposition from Stanfield's election as PC leader until Stanfield entered Parliament via by-election.
16. Nielsen served as acting Leader of the Opposition for the two weeks preceding Clark's resignation from the post of leader of the PC Party. He continued as Leader of the Opposition during the 1983 Progressive Conservative leadership campaign in which Clark unsuccessfully ran to succeed himself. Nielsen continued as Leader of the Opposition from Mulroney's election as PC leader until Mulroney entered Parliament via by-election.
17. Gray became acting Leader of the Opposition after Turner announced his intention to step down as party leader. Gray continued as Leader of the Opposition from Chrétien's election as Liberal leader until Chrétien entered Parliament via a by-election.
18. Duceppe served as Leader of the Opposition during the 1996 Bloc Québécois leadership election initiated by Bouchard's sudden resignation from federal politics to become Premier of Quebec.
19. Grey served as Leader of the Opposition during the 2000 Canadian Alliance leadership campaign in which Manning unsuccessfully ran to succeed himself. She continued as Leader of the Opposition from Day's election as Alliance leader until Day entered Parliament via byelection.
20. Hill served as Leader of the Opposition during the 2004 Conservative leadership election in which Harper successfully ran to be leader of the new party.
21. Although the PC Party and Canadian Alliance were recognized as merged on December 7, 2003, by Elections Canada for the purposes of elections law, they did not merge their parliamentary caucuses until February 2, 2004.
22. Graham served as interim parliamentary leader, interim Leader of the Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition until the 2006 Liberal leadership convention.
23. Ignatieff served as interim Leader of Liberal Party until being elected Leader in the 2009 Liberal leadership convention.
24. Turmel became interim leader of the NDP on July 28, 2011, when Layton began his leave of absence, but she did not become the Leader of the Opposition until Layton's death.
25. Ambrose was elected interim party leader by the Conservative caucus to serve until a permanent leader was elected at the 2017 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election.
26. Bergen was elected interim party leader by the Conservative caucus to serve until a permanent leader was elected at the 2022 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election.