Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada)


The Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition is the leader of Canada's Official Opposition, the party possessing the most seats in the House of Commons that is not the governing party or part of the governing coalition. The current Leader of the Opposition is Andrew Scheer, M.P., who was elected Leader of the Conservative Party on May 27, 2017.
Though the Leader of the Opposition must be a member of the House of Commons, the office should not be confused with the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons, which is the formal title of the opposition house leader. 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. If the leader of the opposition party is not a Member of Parliament, then a sitting MP takes the role of acting Leader of the Opposition until the party leader can obtain a seat. Nine of officeholders have only served as an acting Leader of the Opposition, including Deborah Grey.
The Leader of the Opposition is entitled to the same levels of pay and protection as a Cabinet minister and is often made a member of the Canadian Privy Council, generally the only non-government member of the House of Commons afforded that privilege. He or she is entitled to reside at the official residence of Stornoway and ranks fourteenth on the Order of Precedence, after Cabinet ministers and before lieutenant governors of the provinces. In the House of Commons seating plan, the Leader of the Opposition sits directly across from the Prime Minister.
Two leaders of the opposition have died in office: Wilfrid Laurier in 1919 and Jack Layton in 2011.

Leaders of the Official Opposition

Deputy Leaders of the Opposition

Deputy Leader of the OppositionTook officeLeft officeLeaderNotes
Denis LebelNovember 19, 2015July 23, 2017Rona Ambrose
Lisa RaittJuly 24, 2017October 21, 2019Andrew Scheer
Leona AlleslevNovember 28, 2019July 12, 2020Andrew Scheer