The prime minister of Canada is the head of government of Canada. 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. As first minister,the prime minister selects ministers to form the Cabinet.
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin,also known as Paul Martin Jr.,is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006.
The Liberal Party of Canada is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,and generally sits at the centre to centre-left of the Canadian political spectrum,with their main rival,the Conservative Party,positioned to their right and the New Democratic Party positioned to their left. The party is described as "big tent",practising "brokerage politics",attracting support from a broad spectrum of voters. The Liberal Party is the longest-serving and oldest active federal political party in the country,and has dominated federal politics of Canada for much of its history,holding power for almost 70 years of the 20th century. As a result,it has sometimes been referred to as Canada's "natural governing party".
Stephen Joseph Harper is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada,serving as the party's first leader from 2004 to 2015.
The Conservative Party of Canada,colloquially known as the Tories or simply the Conservatives,is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties,the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance,the latter being the successor of the Western Canadian–based Reform Party. The party sits at the centre-right to the right of the Canadian political spectrum,with their federal rival,the centre-left Liberal Party of Canada,positioned to their left. The Conservatives are defined as a "big tent" party,practising "brokerage politics" and welcoming a broad variety of members,including "Red Tories" and "Blue Tories".
The 2004 Canadian federal election was held on June 28,2004,to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority but was able to continue in office as a minority government after the election. This was the first election contested by the newly amalgamated Conservative Party of Canada,after it was formed by the two right-of-centre parties,the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance.
The Meech Lake Accord was a series of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated in 1987 by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and all 10 Canadian provincial premiers. It was intended to persuade the government of Quebec to symbolically endorse the 1982 constitutional amendments by providing for some decentralization of the Canadian federation.
Claude Wagner was a Canadian judge and politician in the province of Quebec,Canada. Throughout his career,he was a Crown prosecutor,professor of criminal law and judge.
During the history of Canadian politics,thirteen minority governments have been elected at the federal level. There have also been two minority governments resulting from governments being replaced between elections,for a total of fifteen federal minority governments in thirteen separate minority parliaments. There have been historical cases where the governing party had fewer than half of the seats but had the support of independents who called themselves members of the party;these cases are not included,as there was never any serious chance of the government falling.
Canada holds elections for legislatures or governments in several jurisdictions:for the federal (national) government,provincial and territorial governments,and municipal governments. Elections are also held for self-governing First Nations and for many other public and private organizations including corporations and trade unions. Municipal elections can also be held for both upper-tier and lower-tier governments.
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23,2006,to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 39th Parliament of Canada.
The 2005 Canadian federal budget was the budget of the Government of Canada under prime minister Paul Martin's 38th Canadian Parliament for the 2005–06 fiscal year. It was presented on February 23,2005,by Finance Minister Ralph Goodale. It was the first Canadian federal budget presented by a minority government since the budget of the Joe Clark Progressive Conservative government in 1979,which was defeated by the opposition parties.
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on October 14,2008,to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by Governor General Michaëlle Jean on September 7,2008.
The history of Canada (1982–present) refers to the period immediately following the Canada Act until the present.
Alberta is the only Canadian province to hold elections for nominees to be appointed to the Senate of Canada. These elections are non-binding,as the appointment of senators is solely the responsibility of the Governor General of Canada according to the Constitution of Canada,on the advice of the Prime Minister.
The 2011 Canadian federal election was held on May 2,2011,to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 41st Canadian Parliament.
This article covers the history of the Liberal Party of Canada.
This article covers the history of the Conservative Party of Canada.
This article is the Electoral history of Justin Trudeau,the twenty-third and current Prime Minister of Canada. Trudeau has served as prime minister since November 5,2015,having won three general elections.
