Appendix 6: Government Ministries and Prime Ministers of Canada Since 1867
The selection of a Ministry is the Prime Minister’s responsibility, and the Governor General follows the Prime Minister’s advice in formalizing the appointments. The formal initiative in selecting a new Prime Minister rests with the Governor General. The duration of a Ministry is measured by the tenure of its Prime Minister. It is calculated from the day the Prime Minister takes the oath of office to the day the Prime Minister resigns, dies or is dismissed. The resignation of a Prime Minister brings about the resignation of the Ministry as a whole. A Prime Minister who resigns but later returns to form another Ministry is said to be forming a new Ministry. Since Confederation, there have been 28 Ministries.
Ministry | Prime Minister (party) | Term of Office | Parliamentary Period (Years) | Reasons for Forming Ministry | Reasons for Ending Ministry |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
First
|
Sir John A. Macdonald
(Liberal-Conservative) |
01-07-1867
to 05-11-1873 |
1st Parliament to 2nd Session,
2nd Parliament (1867–73) |
On May 24, 1867, Sir John A. Macdonald was formally commissioned by the Governor General to form the first government under Confederation.
|
Resignation
|
Second
|
Alexander Mackenzie
(Liberal) |
567
2nd Session, 2nd Parliament to 3rd Parliament (1873–78) |
Called upon by the Governor General to form a Ministry following the resignation of Sir John A. Macdonald and his government
|
Results of general election held on September 17, 1878
|
|
Third
|
Sir John A. Macdonald
(Liberal-Conservative) |
17-10-1878
to 06-06-1891 |
4th Parliament to
1st Session, 7th Parliament (1878–91) |
Results of general election held on September 17, 1878
|
Death of Macdonald on June 6, 1891
|
Fourth
|
Sir John Abbott2
(Liberal-Conservative) |
16-06-1891
to 24-11-1892 |
1st Session,
7th Parliament to 2nd Session, 7th Parliament (1891–92) |
Called upon by the Governor General to form a Ministry following the death of Sir John A. Macdonald
|
Resignation
|
Fifth
|
Sir John Thompson
(Liberal-Conservative)
|
05-12-1892
to 12-12-1894 |
3rd Session,
7th Parliament to 4th Session, 7th Parliament (1892–94) |
Called upon by the Governor General to form a Ministry following the resignation of Sir John Abbott
|
Death of Thompson on December 12, 1894
|
Sixth
|
Sir Mackenzie Bowell3
(Conservative)
|
21-12-1894
to 27-04-1896 |
5th Session,
7th Parliament to 6th Session, 7th Parliament (1894–96) |
Called upon by the Governor General to form a Ministry following the death of Sir John Thompson
|
Resignation
|
Seventh
|
Sir Charles Tupper
(Liberal-Conservative) |
01-05-1896
to 08-07-1896 |
During a dissolution4
|
Called upon by the Governor General to form a Ministry following the resignation of Sir Mackenzie Bowell
|
Results of general election held on June 23, 1896
|
Eighth
|
Sir Wilfrid Laurier
(Liberal) |
11-07-1896
to 06-10-1911 |
8th Parliament to 11th Parliament (1896–1911)
|
Results of general election held on June 23, 1896
|
Results of general election held on September 21, 1911
|
Ninth
|
Sir Robert Borden
(Conservative) |
10-10-1911
to 12-10-1917 |
12th Parliament (1911–17)
|
Results of general election held on September 21, 1911
|
Formation of a new Ministry5
|
Tenth
|
Sir Robert Borden6
(Unionist) |
12-10-1917
to 10-07-1920 |
1st Session,
13th Parliament to 4th Session, 13th Parliament (1917–20) |
Reorganization
|
Resignation
|
Eleventh
|
Arthur Meighen7
(Unionist; Liberal-Conservative) |
10-07-1920
to 29-12-1921 |
5th Session,
13th Parliament (1921) |
Prime Minister Borden recommended that the Governor General call upon Arthur Meighen to succeed him as Prime Minister.
|
Results of general election held on December 6, 1921
|
Twelfth
|
W.L. Mackenzie King
(Liberal) |
29-12-1921
to 28-06-1926 |
14th Parliament
to 1st Session, 15th Parliament (1921–26) |
Results of general election held on December 6, 1921
|
Resignation8
|
Thirteenth
|
Arthur Meighen
(Conservative) |
29-06-1926
to 25-09-1926 |
1st Session,
15th Parliament (1926) |
With the resignation of W.L. Mackenzie King, the Governor General called upon Arthur Meighen, the Leader of the Opposition, to form a Ministry.
|
Results of general election held on September 14, 1926
|
Fourteenth
|
W.L. Mackenzie King
(Liberal) |
25-09-1926
to 07-08-1930 |
16th Parliament (1926–30)
|
Results of general election held on September 14, 1926
|
Results of general election held on July 28, 1930
|
Fifteenth
|
R.B. Bennett
(Conservative) |
07-08-1930
to 23-10-1935 |
17th Parliament (1930–35)
|
Results of general election held on July 28, 1930
|
Results of general election held on October 14, 1935
|
Sixteenth
|
W.L. Mackenzie King
(Liberal) |
23-10-1935
to 15-11-1948 |
18th Parliament to 4th Session,
20th Parliament (1935–48) |
Results of general election held on October 14, 1935
|
Resignation
|
Seventeenth
|
Louis St-Laurent
(Liberal) |
15-11-1948
to 21-06-1957 |
5th Session,
20th Parliament to 22nd Parliament (1948–57) |
On August 7, 1948, Louis St-Laurent was chosen leader of the Liberal Party of Canada at a party leadership convention. On November 15, 1948, upon the resignation of Prime Minister W.L. Mackenzie King, he was sworn in as Prime Minister.
|
Results of general election held on June 10, 1957
|
Eighteenth
|
John Diefenbaker
(Progressive Conservative) |
21-06-1957
to 22-04-1963 |
23rd Parliament to 25th Parliament (1957–63)
|
Results of general election held on June 10, 1957
|
Results of general election held on April 8, 1963
|
Nineteenth
|
Lester B. Pearson
(Liberal) |
22-04-1963
to 20-04-1968 |
26th Parliament to 2nd Session,
27th Parliament (1963–68) |
Results of general election held on April 8, 1963
|
Resignation
|
Twentieth
|
Pierre E. Trudeau
(Liberal) |
20-04-1968
to 03-06-1979 |
2nd Session,
27th Parliament to 30th Parliament (1968–79) |
On April 6, 1968, Pierre E. Trudeau was chosen leader of the Liberal Party of Canada at a party leadership convention. On April 20, 1968, upon the resignation of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, he was sworn in as Prime Minister.
|
Results of general election held on May 22, 1979
|
Twenty-First
|
Joseph Clark
(Progressive Conservative) |
04-06-1979
to 02-03-1980 |
31st Parliament (1979)
|
Results of general election held on May 22, 1979
|
Results of general election held on February 18, 1980
|
Twenty-Second
|
Pierre E. Trudeau
(Liberal) |
03-03-1980
to 29-06-1984 |
1st Session,
32nd Parliament to 2nd Session, 32nd Parliament (1980–84) |
Results of general election held on February 18, 1980
|
Resignation
|
Twenty-Third
|
John Turner9
(Liberal) |
30-06-1984
to 16-09-1984 |
2nd Session,
32nd Parliament (1984) |
On June 16, 1984, John Turner was chosen leader of the Liberal Party of Canada at a party leadership convention. On June 30, 1984, upon the resignation of Prime Minister Pierre E. Trudeau, he was sworn in as Prime Minister.
|
Results of general election held on September 4, 1984
|
Twenty-Fourth
|
Brian Mulroney
(Progressive Conservative) |
17-09-1984
to 24-06-1993 |
33rd Parliament to 3rd Session,
34th Parliament (1984–93) |
Results of general election held on September 4, 1984
|
Resignation
|
Twenty-Fifth
|
Kim Campbell
(Progressive Conservative) |
25-06-1993
to 03-11-1993 |
3rd Session,
34th Parliament (1993)10 |
On June 13, 1993, Kim Campbell was chosen leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada at a party leadership convention. On June 25, 1993, upon the resignation of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, she was sworn in as Prime Minister.
|
Results of general election held on October 25, 1993
|
Twenty-Sixth
|
Jean Chrétien
(Liberal) |
04-11-1993
to 11-12-2003 |
35th Parliament to 2nd Session,
37th Parliament (1993–2003) |
Results of general election held on October 25, 1993
|
Resignation
|
Twenty-Seventh
|
Paul Martin
(Liberal) |
12-12-2003
to 05-02-2006 |
3rd Session,
37th Parliament to 38th Parliament (2003–06) |
On November 14, 2003, Paul Martin was chosen leader of the Liberal Party of Canada at a party leadership convention. On December 12, 2003, upon the resignation of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, he was sworn in as Prime Minister.
|
Results of general election held on January 23, 2006
|
Twenty-Eighth
|
Stephen Harper
(Conservative) |
06-02-2006
to 03-11-2015 |
1st Session, 39th Parliament to
41st Parliament (2006–15) |
Results of general election held on January 23, 2006
|
Results of general election held on October 19, 2015
|
Twenty-Ninth
|
Justin Trudeau
(Liberal) |
04-11-2015
to Present |
1st session, 42nd Parliament to Present
(2015– ) |
Results of general election held on October 19, 2015
|