Opposition House Leader Explained
The Opposition House Leader (French: Leader à la Chambre de l'opposition|link=no), officially known as Leader of the Official Opposition in the House of Commons of Canada, is a member of the Official Opposition, not to be confused with the Leader of the Official Opposition, but is generally a senior member of the frontbench. The House Leader is responsible for questioning the Government House Leader on the forthcoming business of the House of Commons, negotiating with the Government House Leader and other parties' house leaders on the progress of business in the House, and managing the Official Opposition's business in the House of Commons.
The position of Opposition House Leader evolved in the 1950s as each Opposition party began to designate a particular MP to question the Government House Leader on upcoming House business. The title of Opposition House Leader became official in 1963, and in 1974, a special annual indemnity was attached to the position of House Leader in each of the opposition parties. The House Leader also coordinates the Official Opposition's floor strategy, often with the House leaders of smaller opposition parties. The position is particularly important when there is a minority government, or a government with a slim majority, which may be defeated by a vote of no confidence if all opposition parties work together.
Notable Opposition House leaders include Herb Gray of the Liberal Party (also a Government House Leader) and Erik Nielsen of the Progressive Conservative Party.
Notable House leaders of other recognized parties include New Democratic Party MPs Stanley Knowles, who was the House Leader for the NDP from 1962 to 1981, and Bill Blaikie, who held the same position from 1996 until 2003.
List of Official Opposition House leaders
| Portrait | Name[1]
Electoral district
(Birth–Death) | Term of office | Party | Leader of the opposition |
|---|
| Term start | Term end |
|---|
| Lionel Chevrier
MP for Laurier
(1903–1987) | October 14,
1957 | February 5,
1963 | | Liberal | Louis St. Laurent |
| Lester B. Pearson |
| Gordon Churchill
MP for Winnipeg South Centre
(1898–1985) | May 16,
1963 | April 21,
1965 | | Progressive Conservative | John Diefenbaker |
| Michael Starr
MP for Ontario
(1910–2000) | April 22,
1965 | April 23,
1968 | | Progressive Conservative | Robert Stanfield |
| Ged Baldwin
MP for Peace River
(1907–1991) | July 27,
1968 | September 20,
1973 | | Progressive Conservative |
| Thomas Miller Bell
MP for Saint John—Lancaster
(1923–1996) | September 21,
1973 | May 9,
1974 | | Progressive Conservative |
| Ged Baldwin
MP for Peace River
(1907–1991) | August 14,
1974 | February 24,
1976 | | Progressive Conservative |
| Walter Baker
MP for Grenville—Carleton
(1930–1983) | February 25,
1976 | March 26,
1979 | | Progressive Conservative | Joe Clark |
| Allan MacEachen
MP for Cape Breton Highlands—Canso
(1921–2017) | October 9,
1979 | December 14,
1979 | | Liberal | Pierre Trudeau |
| Walter Baker
MP for Nepean—Carleton
(1930–1983) | April 14,
1980 | September 8,
1981 | | Progressive Conservative | Joe Clark |
| Erik Nielsen
MP for Yukon
(1924–2008) | September 9,
1981 | February 8,
1983 | | Progressive Conservative |
| Doug Lewis
MP for Simcoe North
(born 1938) | February 10,
1983 | September 6,
1983 | | Progressive Conservative | Erik Nielsen |
| Erik Nielsen
MP for Yukon
(1924–2008) | September 7,
1983 | April 5,
1984 | | Progressive Conservative | Brian Mulroney |
| Ray Hnatyshyn
MP for Saskatoon West
(1934–2002) | April 6,
1984 | July 9,
1984 | | Progressive Conservative |
| Herb Gray
MP for Windsor West
(1931–2014) | September 18,
1984 | February 7,
1990 | | Liberal | John Turner |
| Jean-Robert Gauthier
MP for Ottawa—Vanier
(1929–2009) | February 7,
1990 | January 29,
1991 | | Liberal | Herb Gray |
| David Dingwall
MP for Cape Breton—East Richmond
(born 1952) | January 30,
1991 | May 8,
1993 | | Liberal | Jean Chrétien |
| Michel Gauthier
MP for Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean
(1950–2020) | November 10,
1993 | February 17,
1996 | | Bloc Québécois | Lucien Bouchard |
| Gilles Duceppe |
| Gilles Duceppe
MP for Laurier—Sainte-Marie
(born 1947) | February 17,
1996 | March 15,
1997 | | Bloc Québécois | Michel Gauthier |
| Suzanne Tremblay
MP for Rimouski—Témiscouata
(1937–2020) | March 17,
1997 | April 25,
1997 | | Bloc Québécois | Gilles Duceppe |
| Randy White
MP for Langley—Abbotsford
(born 1948) | June 20,
1997 | January 30,
2000 | | Reform | Preston Manning |
| Chuck Strahl
MP for Fraser Valley
(born 1957) | January 31,
2000 | April 24,
2001 | | Reform |
| Canadian Alliance |
| Deborah Grey |
| John Reynolds
MP for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast
(born 1942) | April 24,
2001 | December 17,
2001 | | Canadian Alliance | Stockwell Day |
| Randy White
MP for Langley—Abbotsford
(born 1948) | December 18,
2001 | April 3,
2002 | | Canadian Alliance | John Reynolds |
| John Reynolds
MP for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast
(born 1942) | April 4,
2002 | December 22,
2003 | | Canadian Alliance | Stephen Harper |
| Loyola Hearn
MP for St. John's West
(born 1943) | January 8,
2004 | March 21,
2004 | | Conservative | Grant Hill |
| John Reynolds
MP for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast
(born 1942) | March 22,
2004 | January 27,
2005 | | Conservative | Stephen Harper |
| Jay Hill
MP for Prince George—Peace River
(born 1952) | January 28,
2005 | February 5,
2006 | | Conservative |
| Ralph Goodale
MP for Wascana
(born 1949) | February 10,
2006 | September 6,
2010 | | Liberal | Bill Graham |
| Stéphane Dion |
| Michael Ignatieff |
| David McGuinty
MP for Ottawa South
(born 1960) | September 7,
2010 | March 26,
2011 | | Liberal |
| Tom Mulcair
MP for Outremont
(born 1954) | May 26,
2011 | October 12,
2011 | | New Democratic | Jack Layton |
| Nycole Turmel |
| Joe Comartin
MP for Windsor—Tecumseh
(born 1947) | October 13,
2011 | April 19,
2012 | | New Democratic |
| Tom Mulcair |
| Nathan Cullen
MP for Skeena—Bulkley Valley
(born 1972) | April 20,
2012 | March 20,
2014 | | New Democratic |
| Peter Julian
MP for Burnaby—New Westminster
(born 1962) | March 24,
2014 | October 20,
2015 | | New Democratic |
| Andrew Scheer
MP for Regina—Qu'Appelle
(born 1979) | November 18,
2015 | September 13,
2016 | | Conservative | Rona Ambrose |
| Candice Bergen
MP for Portage—Lisgar
(born 1964) | September 15,
2016 | September 2,
2020 | | Conservative |
| Andrew Scheer |
| Erin O'Toole |
| Gérard Deltell
MP for Louis-Saint-Laurent
(born 1964) | September 2,
2020 | February 4,
2022 | | Conservative |
| John Brassard
MP for Barrie—Innisfil
(born 1964) | February 5,
2022 | September 12,
2022 | | Conservative | Candice Bergen |
| Andrew Scheer
MP for Regina—Qu'Appelle
(born 1979) | September 13,
2022 | Incumbent | | Conservative | Pierre Poilievre | |
List of House leaders of other recognized parties
New Democratic Party
Reform Party
Progressive Conservative Party
Bloc Quebecois
Liberal Party
See also
External link
Notes and References
- http://www.parl.gc.ca/parlinfo/Compilations/OfficersAndOfficials/PoliticalOfficers/HouseOfCommons/ParliamentaryLeaders/Opposition.aspx Officers and Officials of Parliament: Opposition House Leaders
- Web site: Profile: Garneau, Marc . 2024-03-04 . Parlinfo . Parliament of Canada.
- Web site: Profile: LeBlanc, Dominic . 2024-03-04 . Parlinfo . Parliament of Canada.
