Prime Minister of Canada
The head of Canada’s federal government and the leading member of the party able to command the confidence of the House of Commons.
Responsible government: A system in which ministers remain in office only while they retain the legislature’s confidence. This principle makes the prime minister and cabinet politically answerable to the House of Commons.
Westminster system: A parliamentary system of government modeled on the institutions and practices of the United Kingdom. Canada’s prime ministerial office developed within this model of cabinet and parliamentary government.
Confederation of Canada: The 1867 union that created the Dominion of Canada from the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Confederation established the federal government whose head is the prime minister.
William Lyon Mackenzie King: Canada’s longest-serving prime minister, who held office from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. His long tenure helped define federal leadership through depression and war.
Monarch of Canada: Canada’s constitutional head of state, represented federally by the governor general. The monarch is head of state, while the prime minister leads the elected government.
Confidence convention: The convention that a government must resign or seek an election after losing the elected chamber’s confidence. A lost confidence vote can end a prime minister’s government.
House of Commons of Canada: The elected chamber of Canada’s Parliament, where members debate legislation and sustain or defeat governments. A prime minister’s government must retain this chamber’s confidence.
John A. Macdonald: The first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and again from 1878 to 1891. Macdonald established the office’s early practices in the new federal government.
Pierre Trudeau: Canada’s prime minister from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984, known for patriating the Constitution. His governments transformed the constitutional framework within which the office operates.
President of the United States: The elected head of state and government of the United States, serving as chief executive under a presidential constitution. Unlike a U.S. president, Canada’s prime minister depends on parliamentary confidence.