List of Canadian ministries
Encyclopedia
This is a list of Canadian ministries and their Prime Ministers
since Confederation
(1 July 1867).
By convention, each Canadian ministry is formed when the chairing Prime Minister is appointed and dissolved when that Prime Minister leaves office. The one exception occurred during the Prime Ministership of Robert Borden
whose wartime
Unionist
government is considered a separate ministry from the ministry he chaired as head of a Conservative
government. Elections
do not cause dissolution of the ministry unless they result in the government's defeat – this is in contrast to other Commonwealth realm
s such as Australia and the United Kingdom where a "new" ministry is considered to have been formed after every election regardless of the winner. Therefore, the twenty-eight ministries that have served Canada represent twenty-six occasions since Canadian Confederation
that the prime ministership has changed hands and one occasion when a coalition government
was formed by the sitting Prime Minister.
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
since Confederation
Confederation
A confederation in modern political terms is a permanent union of political units for common action in relation to other units. Usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution, confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues such as defense, foreign...
(1 July 1867).
By convention, each Canadian ministry is formed when the chairing Prime Minister is appointed and dissolved when that Prime Minister leaves office. The one exception occurred during the Prime Ministership of Robert Borden
Robert Borden
Sir Robert Laird Borden, PC, GCMG, KC was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the eighth Prime Minister of Canada from October 10, 1911 to July 10, 1920, and was the third Nova Scotian to hold this office...
whose wartime
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Unionist
Unionist Party (Canada)
The Unionist Party was formed in 1917 by Members of Parliament in Canada who supported the "Union government" formed by Sir Robert Borden during the First World War....
government is considered a separate ministry from the ministry he chaired as head of a Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...
government. Elections
Elections in Canada
Canada holds elections for several levels of government: nationally , provincially and territorially, and municipally. Elections are also held for self governing First Nations and for many other public and private organizations including corporations and trade unions...
do not cause dissolution of the ministry unless they result in the government's defeat – this is in contrast to other Commonwealth realm
Commonwealth Realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...
s such as Australia and the United Kingdom where a "new" ministry is considered to have been formed after every election regardless of the winner. Therefore, the twenty-eight ministries that have served Canada represent twenty-six occasions since Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
that the prime ministership has changed hands and one occasion when a coalition government
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
was formed by the sitting Prime Minister.
Ministries
- First Canadian MinistryFirst Canadian MinistryThe First Canadian Ministry was the first cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald. It governed Canada from 1 July 1867 to 5 November 1873, including all of the 1st Canadian Parliament as well as the first eight months of the 2nd. The government was formed by the...
, John Alexander Macdonald (1867–1873) - Second Canadian MinistrySecond Canadian MinistryThe Second Canadian Ministry was the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie. It governed Canada from 7 November 1873 to 8 October 1878, including the last two months of the 2nd Canadian Parliament as well as all of the 3rd...
, Alexander MackenzieAlexander MackenzieAlexander Mackenzie, PC , a building contractor and newspaper editor, was the second Prime Minister of Canada from November 7, 1873 to October 8, 1878.-Biography:...
(1873–1878) - Third Canadian MinistryThird Canadian MinistryThe Third Canadian Ministry was the second cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald. It governed Canada from 17 October 1878 to 6 June 1891, including the 4th, 5th, and 6th Canadian Parliaments, as well as the first three months of the 7th. The government was formed by the...
, John Alexander Macdonald (1878–1891) - Fourth Canadian MinistryFourth Canadian MinistryThe Fourth Canadian Ministry was the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Sir John Abbott. It governed Canada from 16 June 1891 to 24 November 1892, including only a year and a half in the middle of the 7th Canadian Parliament...
, John Joseph Caldwell Abbott (1891–1892) - Fifth Canadian Ministry, John Sparrow David Thompson (1892–1894)
- Sixth Canadian Ministry, Mackenzie BowellMackenzie BowellSir Mackenzie Bowell, PC, KCMG was a Canadian politician who served as the fifth Prime Minister of Canada from December 21, 1894 to April 27, 1896.-Early life:Bowell was born in Rickinghall, Suffolk, England to John Bowell and Elizabeth Marshall...
(1894–1896) - Seventh Canadian Ministry, Charles TupperCharles TupperSir Charles Tupper, 1st Baronet, GCMG, CB, PC was a Canadian father of Confederation: as the Premier of Nova Scotia from 1864 to 1867, he led Nova Scotia into Confederation. He later went on to serve as the sixth Prime Minister of Canada, sworn in to office on May 1, 1896, seven days after...
(1896) - Eighth Canadian Ministry, Wilfrid LaurierWilfrid LaurierSir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911....
(1896–1911) - Ninth Canadian Ministry, Robert Laird Borden (1911–1917)
- Tenth Canadian Ministry, Robert Laird Borden (1917–1920)
- Eleventh Canadian Ministry, Arthur MeighenArthur MeighenArthur Meighen, PC, QC was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served two terms as the ninth Prime Minister of Canada: from July 10, 1920 to December 29, 1921; and from June 29 to September 25, 1926. He was the first Prime Minister born after Confederation, and the only one to represent a riding...
(1920–1921) - Twelfth Canadian Ministry, William Lyon Mackenzie KingWilliam Lyon Mackenzie KingWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
(1921–1926) - Thirteenth Canadian Ministry, Arthur MeighenArthur MeighenArthur Meighen, PC, QC was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served two terms as the ninth Prime Minister of Canada: from July 10, 1920 to December 29, 1921; and from June 29 to September 25, 1926. He was the first Prime Minister born after Confederation, and the only one to represent a riding...
(1926) - Fourteenth Canadian Ministry, William Lyon Mackenzie KingWilliam Lyon Mackenzie KingWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
(1926–1930) - Fifteenth Canadian Ministry, Richard Bedford Bennett (1930–1935)
- Sixteenth Canadian Ministry, William Lyon Mackenzie KingWilliam Lyon Mackenzie KingWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
(1935–1948) - Seventeenth Canadian Ministry, Louis Stephen St-Laurent (1948–1957)
- Eighteenth Canadian Ministry, John George Diefenbaker (1957–1963)
- Nineteenth Canadian Ministry, Lester Bowles Pearson (1963–1968)
- Twentieth Canadian Ministry, Pierre Elliott Trudeau (1968–1979)
- Twenty-First Canadian Ministry, Charles Joseph Clark (1979–1980)
- Twenty-Second Canadian Ministry, Pierre Elliott Trudeau (1980–1984)
- Twenty-Third Canadian Ministry, John Napier Turner (1984)
- Twenty-Fourth Canadian Ministry, Martin Brian Mulroney (1984–1993)
- Twenty-Fifth Canadian Ministry, Kim CampbellKim CampbellAvril Phædra Douglas "Kim" Campbell, is a Canadian politician, lawyer, university professor, diplomat, and writer. She served as the 19th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 25, 1993, to November 4, 1993...
(1993) - Twenty-Sixth Canadian MinistryTwenty-Sixth Canadian MinistryThe Twenty-Sixth Canadian Ministry was the combined cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, and the contemporary secretaries of state. It governed Canada from 4 November 1993 to 12 December 2003, including the 35th Canadian Parliament, the 36th, and the first half of the 37th. The...
, Jean ChrétienJean ChrétienJoseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
(1993–2003) - Twenty-Seventh Canadian MinistryTwenty-Seventh Canadian MinistryThe Twenty-Seventh Canadian Ministry was the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Paul Martin. It governed Canada from 12 December 2003 to 6 February 2006, including the last five months of the 37th Canadian Parliament and all of the 38th...
, Paul MartinPaul MartinPaul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
(2003–2006) - Twenty-Eighth Canadian Ministry, Stephen HarperStephen HarperStephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
(2006–Present)