Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
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The Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (French: Vice-premier ministre du Canada) is an honorary position in the Canadian government, conferred at the discretion of the Prime Minister on a member of the cabinet. There is currently no deputy prime minister.
The deputy prime minister should not be confused with the position of deputy minister of the Prime Minister, which like other deputy minister positions is a civil servant, not a member of cabinet.
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[edit] History
The position of deputy prime minister was created by Pierre Trudeau in 1977, largely to recognize the long years of service of Allan J. MacEachen. Trudeau had previously given the title of senior minister to one member of his cabinet. Paul Hellyer served as senior minister prior to his resignation from Trudeau's cabinet.
The official duties of the deputy prime minister are to answer on behalf of overall government policy during Question Period and chair the cabinet in the absence of the prime minister. In fact, one deputy prime minister, Sheila Copps, attracted controversy in 1993 by simply asserting that she was "in charge" of government business while the prime minister, Jean Chrétien, was out of the country on a state visit.
Current Prime Minister Stephen Harper has not appointed a deputy prime minister. There was also no such position in the brief-lived government of Joe Clark. Canada's last deputy prime minister was Anne McLellan.
[edit] Duties
Sheila Copps has written that although the position of deputy prime minister is only ceremonial, "very often, the DPM's job was to protect the prime minister from the political damage that Question Period can inflict on a leader," further citing the experience of Erik Nielsen during the Sinclair Stevens scandal. [1]
The office has no standing in law and does not carry any formal duties or tasks; that is, it is without a portfolio, though the Prime Minister may negotiate or assign specific tasks in conjunction with the title. With the exception of Herb Gray, all deputy prime ministers have held a portfolio alongside this title.
[edit] Succession
Unlike the Vice President of the United States, the deputy prime minister does not automatically assume the office of prime minister if the prime minister dies or resigns. In the event of the sudden resignation or death of a prime minister, constitutional convention requires the Governor General of Canada to consult the governing party and call on a member to form a government. No policy or convention precludes the deputy prime minister from being chosen as the new prime minister in such a scenario, but none assures it, either — the party caucus would be free to recommend any new leader of its choice to the Governor General, who would retain the authority to make the final decision.
Since the creation of the deputy prime minister's position, no Canadian federal government has faced the sudden death or resignation of the sitting prime minister. If a government ever does face such a scenario in the future, however, it is likely that the Governor General's actions in that case — whether the deputy prime minister is chosen or not — will be deemed to have established an unwritten constitutional precedent.
In the provinces of Canada, the governing party will usually recommend the deputy premier to serve as premier on an interim basis until a permanent successor is chosen.
Extended notice is usually given when a sitting prime minister does not plan to seek re-election. Leadership contests to determine the successor to a prime minister are usually held during the final days of the incumbent's term, and are traditionally a lengthy and competitive process.
When Stephen Harper became prime minister, though he did not name a deputy prime minister, he did give two of his ministers special status in the line of authority. Under an order-in-council dated February 6, 2006 — the day Harper took office — when "the Prime Minister is unable to perform the functions of his office" Lawrence Cannon, then Jim Prentice then the balance of the cabinet by order of precedence, "is authorized to act for the Prime Minister". [2] Previous Prime Ministers have had similar orders-in-council under which the deputy prime minister and then the balance of the cabinet in order of precedence have been authorized to act for the Prime Minister.
[edit] Trivia
- Only one deputy prime minister, Jean Chrétien, has become prime minister. Chrétien was deputy prime minister in 1984, and was elected prime minister in 1993.
[edit] See also
List of Canadian Deputy Prime Ministers
