froth, but deep swells move beneath them, and
holding the recognized position of leader of the
they set the course of the ship.
Opposition. The leader of the Opposition gets
The Prime Minister
As we have already noted, the prime
Area Seats
ministership (premiership), like the parties,
is not created by law, though it is recognized
Ontario ................................................
by the law. The prime minister is normally a
Quebec ...................................................
member of the House of Commons (there have
British Columbia .................................
been two from the Senate, from 1891 to 1892 and
from 1894 to 1896). A non-member can hold
Alberta ....................................................
the offi
ce but, by custom, must seek election
Manitoba ................................................
to a seat very soon. A prime minister may lose
Saskatchewan .......................................
his or her seat in an election, but can remain in
offi
ce as long as the party has suffi
cient support
Nova Scotia ............................................
in the House of Commons to be able to govern,
New Brunswick ....................................
though again, he or she must, by custom, win
Newfoundland and Labrador .............
a seat very promptly. The traditional way of
arranging this is to have a member of the party
Prince Edward Island ...........................
resign, thereby creating a vacancy, which gives
Northwest Territories ...........................
the defeated prime minister the opportunity
Nunavut ....................................................
to run in a by-election. (This arrangement
Yukon Territory ......................................
is also generally followed when the leader of
the Opposition or other party leader is not
Total
a member.)
36
The Institutions of Our Federal Government
CN
C/C
o: ŠNC
Phot
The Prime Minister lives at 24 Sussex Drive, a home originally named Gorff wysfa, Welsh for ?a place of peace.?
The prime minister is appointed by the
opinion, may simply announce that his or her
Governor General. Ordinarily, the appointment
view is the policy of the government, even if
is straightforward. If the Opposition wins
most, or all, the other ministers are opposed.
more than half the seats in an election, or if
Unless the dissenting ministers are prepared to
the government is defeated in the House of
resign, they must bow to the decision.
Commons and resigns, the Governor General
must call on the leader of the Opposition to
The Cabinet
form a new government.
As mentioned, the prime minister chooses
The prime minister used to be described as
the members of the cabinet. All of them must
?the fi rst among equals? in the cabinet, or as ?a
be or become members of the Queen?s Privy
moon among minor stars.? This is no longer so.
Council for Canada. Privy Councillors are
