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 cabinet, conferred at the discretion of the prime minister. There is currently, as of 2008, no deputy prime minister.
The deputy prime minister should not be confused with the position of deputy minister to the prime minister, officially known as the Clerk of the Privy Council, which, like other deputy minister positions, is one of a civil servant and not a minister of the Crown.
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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 a 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 questions pertaining to overall government policy during Question Period, and to chair the cabinet in the absence of the prime minister. One deputy prime minister, Sheila Copps, attracted controversy in 1993 after asserting that she was "in charge" of government business while the then Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, was out of the country.
Current Prime Minister Stephen Harper has not designated a deputy prime minister. There was also no such position in the brief-lived government of Joe Clark. Canada's most recent deputy prime minister was Anne McLellan.
Only one deputy prime minister, Jean Chrétien, has become prime minister. Chrétien was deputy prime minister in the short-lived government of John Turner in 1984, and was appointed prime minister in 1993.
The 2003 Liberal leadership convention saw the then former and then current deputy prime ministers, Sheila Copps and John Manley, respectively, as candidates, but neither were successful in their bids. Though Paul Martin did not hold the title of deputy prime minister during his tenure in cabinet, he was considered to be more powerful than Copps while she was deputy prime minister. When Martin became prime minister, however, Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan generally had precedence over Finance Minister Ralph Goodale.
[edit] Duties
After she left politics Sheila Copps wrote 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
The deputy prime minister does not automatically assume the office of prime minister if the incumbent of the latter office dies or resigns. In the event of the sudden resignation or death of a prime minister, constitutional convention requires the governor general 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. Barring extraordinary circumstances, the governor general is expected to follow the wishes of the party, although officially he or she retains the authority to make the final decision. Since the creation of the position of deputy prime minister, no Canadian federal government has faced the sudden death or resignation of the sitting prime minister.
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 other ministers special status in the line of authority. Under an order-in-council issued by Governor General Michaëlle Jean on February 6, 2006 — the day Harper was appointed prime minister — 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] Deputy Prime Ministers
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/oic-ddc/OIC-DDC.asp?LANG=EN&TXTOICID=&TXTFROMDATE=2006-02-06&TXTTODATE=&TXTPRECIS=&TXTDEPARTMENT=&CBODEPARTMENT=&TXTACT=&TXTCHAPTERNO=&TXTCHAPTERYEAR=&TXTBILLNO=&RDOCOMINGINTOFORCE=&DOSEARCH=SEARCH+/+LIST&page=14&OICKey=65923&viewattach=13915
- ^ The office was briefly vacant in 1996 when Copps, after being challenged on her 1993 campaign promise to resign if the government did not repeal the GST, resigned from Parliament and recontested her seat in a byelection. Chrétien did not name a replacement during Copps' absence from Parliament. After winning the byelection and returning to Parliament, Copps was reappointed to the position.
- ^ Harper did not formally name a deputy prime minister, although in practice Lawrence Cannon (Member of Parliament for the district of Pontiac, Quebec) was named second below Harper in the order of precedence.
- Further information: Lists of incumbents
[edit] External links
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