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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 . 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, the governing party or coalition would choose an Interim Leader , or in the case in which extended notice is given, hold a Leadership Convention . Once in place, the new leader would be called upon by the Governor General Of Canada to form a government. This has never happened in Canada, which has also never had an interim prime minister, and no deputy prime minister has ever directly succeeded a sitting prime minister. Only one deputy prime minister, Jean Chrétien , has subsequently become prime minister, but he became prime minister almost a decade after his term as deputy prime minister had ended. 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. If the prime minister dies or suddenly resigns without warning however, this lack of direct succession can create some unusual situations. For example, following the death of Sir John A. Macdonald , Canada had no prime minister for nine days, while the Governor General consulted with government and opposition members on possible replacements (the tradition of selection by the government Caucus having not yet been established). In the Provinces Of Canada deaths and sudden resignations are more common, and in such cases it appears a Constitutional Convention has emerged in which an emergency party caucus will usually appoint the deputy Premier to serve as premier on an interim basis until a permanent successor is chosen. 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. 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 topmost of the balance of the cabinet by Order Of Precedence , "is authorized to act for the Prime Minister". {Link without Title} Shortly after Harper opted to not name a deputy prime minister, Sheila Copps, now working as a journalist for the Sun Media Group , wrote a column about his cabinet selection. She pointed out 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." {Link without Title} Copps gave the example, "Who can forget the dilemma facing deputy prime minister Erik Nielsen , who spent two weeks defending Sinclair Stevens in the House of Commons while Prime Minister Brian Mulroney was travelling abroad only to be sacked, along with the minister when the PM returned? The firing made the prime minister look decisive." The deputy prime minister should not be confused with the position of Deputy Minister . The deputy prime minister is a politician and member of cabinet where deputy ministers are senior civil servants. The deputy minister to the prime minister is the Clerk Of The Privy Council . See Also: List of Canadian Deputy Prime Ministers EXTERNAL LINK |
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