Leader of the Official Opposition

Canada

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Canada

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The Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition (French: Chef de l'Opposition), or simply the Leader of the Opposition, in Canada is the Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons who leads Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, the party in Parliament that has the most seats in opposition to the ruling party.

He or she is entitled to the same levels of pay and protection as a Cabinet Minister. The leader of the Opposition is entitled to reside at the official residence of Stornoway. The Leader of the Opposition ranks sixteenth on the Order of Precedence, after Ministers of the Crown in the Cabinet, and before Lieutenant-Governors of the provinces. In the House of Commons seating plan, the Opposition Leader directly faces the Prime Minister.

The current Opposition Leader is Liberal Party of Canada leader Michael Ignatieff.

Senate

There is also a Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, who is usually of the same party as the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons. The exception is the period between 1993 and 2003 when two successive Official Opposition parties in the House of Commons had no counterpart in the Senate. Since the Leader of the Opposition in the House is usually also a party leader, he or she would appoint his or her counterpart in the Senate. From 1993 to 2003, the official opposition in the Senate was the Progressive Conservative Party, therefore the leader of the Progressive Conservatives in the House of Commons chose the leader of the opposition in the Senate.

The current Leader of the Opposition in the Senate is Senator Jim Cowan.

See also

• List of Canadian Leaders of the Opposition
• List of Canadian Leaders of the Opposition in the Senate
• Official Opposition (Canada)

References

External links

• Library of Parliament: The Role of the Opposition