A total of nine women have served, or are serving, as the first minister

First Minister

A First Minister is the leader of a government cabinet.-Canada:In Canada, "First Ministers" is a collective term that refers to all Canadian first ministers of the Crown, otherwise known as heads of government, including the Prime Minister of Canada and the provincial and territorial premiers...

 of a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 government. Of these, one was 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...

 of the country, five were premiers

Premier (Canada)

In Canada, a premier is the head of government of a province or territory. There are currently ten provincial premiers and three territorial premiers in Canada....

 of a province

Provinces and territories of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...

 and three were premiers of a territory

Provinces and territories of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...

. Only four of the nine became a first minister as a result of a general election; the rest earned the position by winning a leadership race of their political party while it was already in power. The first female first minister in Canadian history, Rita Johnston

Rita Johnston

Rita Margaret Johnston was a politician in British Columbia, Canada. Johnston became the first female premier in Canadian history when she succeeded William Vander Zalm in 1991 to become the 29th Premier of British Columbia.Much of her early life was spent running a successful trailer park in the...

, served as the 29th Premier of British Columbia

Premier of British Columbia

The Premier of British Columbia is the first minister, head of government, and de facto chief executive for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s the title Prime Minister of British Columbia was often used...

 for seven months in 1991 after she won the leadership of the governing party. , the four current women first ministers in Canada are Eva Aariak (2nd Premier of Nunavut

Premier of Nunavut

The Premier of Nunavut is the first minister for the Canadian territory of Nunavut. They are the territory's head of government and de facto chief executive, although their powers are considerably smaller than that of a provincial premier....

), Kathy Dunderdale

Kathy Dunderdale

Kathleen Mary Margaret "Kathy" Dunderdale MHA is a Canadian politician and the tenth and current Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, having served in this capacity since December 3, 2010...

 (10th Premier of Newfoundland & Labrador

Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador

The Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador is the first minister, head of government and de facto chief executive for the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Before 1964, the position's official title was Premier of Newfoundland...

), Christy Clark

Christy Clark

Christina Joan "Christy" Clark, MLA is a Canadian politician, the 35th and current Premier of British Columbia, Canada...

 (34th Premier of British Columbia

Premier of British Columbia

The Premier of British Columbia is the first minister, head of government, and de facto chief executive for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s the title Prime Minister of British Columbia was often used...

) and Alison Redford

Alison Redford

Alison Merrilla Redford Q.C., MLA, is a Canadian politician, and the 14th and current Premier of Alberta, Canada. Upon winning the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta, in October 2011, she became the first female premier in Alberta...

 (14th Premier of Alberta

Premier of Alberta

The Premier of Alberta is the first minister for the Canadian province of Alberta. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. The current Premier of Alberta is Alison Redford. She became Premier by winning the Progressive Conservative leadership elections on...

). The tenure of incumbents is accurate as of .

Portrait	Name of Premier	Province/Territory	Date Assumed Office	Date Departed Office	Duration	Political Party	Leadership history	Electoral Mandates Mandate (politics) In politics, a mandate is the authority granted by a constituency to act as its representative.The concept of a government having a legitimate mandate to govern via the fair winning of a democratic election is a central idea of democracy...
		British Columbia British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...					1991 interim leader 1991 party leadership election	none
		Northwest Territories Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...					1991 selection	1991 general election Northwest Territories general election, 1991 The Northwest Territories general election, 1991 was the 17th general election in the Northwest Territories history. The election took place on October 15, 1991.Twenty four members were elected to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly....
		Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...					1993 party leadership election	1993 general election Prince Edward Island general election, 1993 The 1993 Prince Edward Island General Election was the last to use the dual-member ridings. The election was won by the PEI Liberal party, led by new Premier Catherine Callbeck. The PC party took only a single seat, one of three times in the province's history that the Official Opposition consisted...
		Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...  (federal)					1993 party leadership election	none
		Yukon Yukon Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....					1998 party leadership election	2000 general election Yukon general election, 2000 The Yukon general election of 2000 was held on April 17, 2000 to elect members of the Yukon Legislative Assembly in the Yukon Territory in Canada...
		Nunavut Nunavut Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...					2008 selection	2008 general election Nunavut general election, 2008 The Third Nunavut General Election took place on October 27, 2008 to return members to the 3rd Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. The election was contested across 15 of Nunavut's 19 electoral districts under the first past the post system of voting...
		Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...					2010 interim leader 2011 party leadership election Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership election, 2011 The 2011 Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership election was prompted by Danny Williams' announcement that he was resigning as premier and party leader on December 3, 2010. Premier Kathy Dunderdale, who was sworn in after Williams' resignation, was the only eligible...	2011 general election Newfoundland and Labrador general election, 2011 The 48th Newfoundland and Labrador general election occurred on October 11, 2011, to elect members of the 47th General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, the 19th election for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada...
		British Columbia British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...					2011 party leadership election British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election, 2011 The British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election of 2011 was prompted by Gordon Campbell's announcement on November 3, 2010 that he would be resigning as Premier of British Columbia and had asked the BC Liberal Party to hold a leadership convention "at the earliest possible date." The...	none
		Alberta Alberta Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...					2011 party leadership election Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta leadership election, 2011 The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta leadership election, 2011 was prompted by Ed Stelmach's announcement that he would not be seeking re-election in the 28th general election and therefore would be resigning as leader of the Progressive Conservatives...	none