The leader of the Official Opposition (French: chef de l'Opposition officielle) is the member of Parliament (MP) 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.
Pierre Poilievre, MP for Battle River—Crowfoot, has been the leader of the Official Opposition since August 2025. Poilievre previously served in the role from September 2022 to April 2025, when he lost his seat in Carleton in the 2025 federal election. He was elected to his current seat in an August by-election, once again becoming leader of the Opposition.
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[2] and the Standing Orders of the House of Commons,[3] as is the term official opposition.[4] The terms leader of the loyal opposition, his majesty's opposition,[5] and loyal opposition are sometimes used,[6] 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.[5]
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.[7] 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.[8][9][10] 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.[11][12] 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."[13] 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."[14]
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.
↑ McKenzie served as Leader of the Opposition and interim leader of the Liberal Party from Laurier's death until King's election in the party's 1919 leadership election, and then remained as opposition leader for a further two months until King was able to enter Parliament via a by-election.
↑ In the 1921 election, the Progressive Party came in second place but declined to form the Opposition, with the role then passing to the third-place Conservatives. However, as Conservative leader Arthur Meighen lost his seat in the election, the post of Opposition leader remained vacant until Meighen returned to the House via a by-election.
↑ Meighen failed to win his seat in the 1925 election and immediately resigned as leader of the Conservative Party.
↑ Bennett vacated his position as Leader of the Opposition when Manion was elected as party leader, and no interim leader was named to cover the period until Manion was able to enter Parliament via a by-election, as Parliament did not sit in the second half of 1938. However, Bennett remained leader of the Conservative parliamentary caucus in this period, and thereby de facto opposition leader.
↑ 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.
↑ The Conservative Party was renamed the Progressive Conservative Party in 1942.
↑ Graydon served as Leader of the Opposition from Hanson's resignation until Bracken entered Parliament in the 1945 election.
↑ Bracken immediately vacated his positions as Leader of the Official Opposition and as leader of the Progressive Conservative parliamentary caucus 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.
↑ Rowe served as acting leader of the Opposition in winter 1954–55 due to Drew's poor health.
↑ 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.
↑ Starr served as Leader of the Opposition from Stanfield's election as PC leader until Stanfield entered Parliament via by-election.
↑ 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.
↑ 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.
↑ 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.
↑ 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.
↑ 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.
↑ Following the defeat of party leader Pierre Poilievre in the 2025 election, the Conservative caucus selected Scheer to serve as the interim parliamentary leader, and thus leader of the Opposition.
1 2 Boyko, John (November 10, 2022), "Opposition Party in Canada", The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Canada, archived from the original on March 9, 2023, retrieved March 9, 2023
↑ Dale C., Thomson (1960). Alexander Mackenzie: Clear Grit. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada. p.103.
↑ Dale C., Thomson (1960). Alexander Mackenzie: Clear Grit. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada. p.113.
↑ Buckingham, William; Ross, George William (1892). The Hon. Alexander Mackenzie: His Life and Times (5thed.). Toronto: Rose Publishing Company. pp.242, 329.
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