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)	07-11-1873¹ to 08-10-1878	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

1.: The government of Sir John A. Macdonald resigned on November 5, 1873, as a result of the Canadian Pacific Railway scandal. On November 7, 1873, the Liberals under Alexander Mackenzie formed a government.
2.: Sir John Abbott served as Prime Minister from the Senate.
3.: Sir Mackenzie Bowell served as Prime Minister from the Senate.
4.: Sir Charles Tupper served as Prime Minister during the dissolution period following the end of the Sixth Session of the Seventh Parliament and before the beginning of the First Session of the Eighth Parliament.
5.: The Tenth Ministry was a reorganization of the Ninth Ministry, with the addition of certain Liberal Ministers. All Ministers continuing from the Ninth Ministry and changing office resigned by Order in Council, were reappointed by Order in Council and were sworn to their new offices; those continuing in their old offices were not required to be either reappointed or resworn. Sir Robert Borden continued throughout as Prime Minister from his original appointment in 1911.
6.: On October 12, 1917, Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden formed a Ministry, known as the Unionist government, which brought together Liberal-Conservative and Liberal Members of Parliament who supported conscription during World War I. See Robert Craig Brown, Robert Laird Borden: A Biography, vol. 2 (Toronto: Macmillan, 1980), pp. 84–90, 101–10, 123–5.
7.: According to some sources like Wayne D. Madden, ed. Canadian Guide of Leadership and Electoral History, 1867–1997 (Fort McMurray: Madden, 1998), Arthur Meighen succeeded Sir Robert Borden as the leader of the Unionist Party. Shortly thereafter, the party was officially renamed the National Liberal and Conservative Party and then, in 1922, it again became the Liberal-Conservative Party.
8.: On June 26, 1926, Prime Minister W.L. Mackenzie King requested that the Governor General dissolve Parliament and order a general election. The Governor General declined to do so and, following the resignation of Prime Minister Mackenzie King, on June 28, 1926, called upon the Leader of the Opposition, Arthur Meighen, to form a government. On June 29, 1926, Arthur Meighen formed a government. However, his government faced Parliament for only three days before being defeated in the House on July 1, 1926. The Fifteenth Parliament was dissolved the next day and a general election was called for September 14, 1926.
9.: During his tenure as Prime Minister, John Turner did not sit in the House as a Member of Parliament.
10.: The House did not meet during Kim Campbell’s tenure as Prime Minister.

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