After he or she is put into office, they remain in office until their resignation, dismissal, death, or another election. The requirements to become a part of the house of commons and to run for a position such as the canadian prime minister are to being at least 18 years of age, a citizen of canada, and gaining enough political support to win an election into the house of commons.

The “head of state” as the prime minister is often referred to as, is the most powerful and influential individual in office at the time of their term. The role was adapted from the prime minister’s role in the UK, and has been altered as canadian prime ministers have been given more extensive power in decision making than their British counterparts.  Like the American president, the canadian prime ministers play a role similar to the “Commander in Chief” designation, and they are given oversight of the canadian military as a whole.

The primary appointer for the cabinet members is the governor general, who closely follows the guidance given by ministers and the prime minister when making decisions, forming the cabinet, and filling vacant seats of the supreme court of canada.  Empty seats in the senate, presidents of canadian crown corporations, executive positions of establishments such as the Transportation Safety Board, Ambassadors to foreign countries, and the Lieutenant Governor are also appointed by the prime minister.

He was soon introduced into the growing political world of Canada, and became involved with the provincial political movement, acting on behalf of the conservative party. With the title of receiver general, Sir John A MacDonald was quickly gaining notoriety throughout the Canadian provinces as a dedicated activist for the conservative movement. Sir John A MacDonald became the co-founder of the liberal conservative party (now known as just the conservative party) and soon after gained the title of attorney general, his first large political role.

With the backbone of the Canadian government in its baby stages, Sir John A MacDonald was destined to fill the most pivotal role in Canada’s political establishment. With the parties forming and the government coming into being, the position of canadian prime minister was filled by Sir John A MacDonald. The major issues faced as the first prime minister were matters of building up the nation. He was given the power to add new provinces to the Canadian territory, and added Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, and British Columbia as some of his first actions in office. He also began work on the transcontinental railway which was eventually completed in his second term in office.

His first term as canadian prime minister ended, and soon after was followed by an economic depression. This coincidence led to his second win and entrance back as the head of state in 1878. There he served for close to the remainder of his life, and before his death was able to elect his son into the house of commons to proceed with his political legacy.

This very substantial position gave Stephen Harper the responsibility of advising canada’s finance and national unity policy. In 1997 he chose to take a five year break from politics, and then returned to claim the title of the leader of the canadian alliance party in 2002. The same year he was elected to the house of commons in Calgary. In December of 2003, he unified the alliance and the progressive conservative parties to become known as the conservative party.

Stephen Harper resigned as the leader of the canadian alliance, and took on the task of running for the leader of the new conservative party of canada the following year. In February of 2006, he was sworn in as the canadian prime minister. He is striving to maintain an independent and united country, and has proven himself to be a canadian prime minister for the people, and has been named as an honorary member of the International Raoul Wallenberg foundation. Stephen Harper’s goals in office are to lower taxes for the middle working class, and to reform the judicial system.

As a Toronto native, Stephen Harper is a canadian prime minister who understands the needs of the people, as he was once a working class citizen in the petroleum industry. He is a doctorate alumni student at the University of Calgary, and this hard-earned education supports his extensive political experience. He was named the president of the National Citizens Coalition, and he holds the hopes and aspirations of the Canadian nation in the highest regard.

This position holds no power when it comes to canadian law, but the deputy prime minister is given certain executive, decision making, and political tasks as decided by the prime minister. This is a varying role as the current prime minister may or may not choose to even have a deputy prime minister.

Since 1977, when the position of deputy prime minister was created by former canadian prime minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, there has only been one canadian prime minister to deny the use of a deputy prime minister. The current prime minister, Stephen Harper, does not currently have a deputy, but has designated other positions to fill the needs of this position.

Becoming the deputy prime minister does not mean that that person will automatically become the prime minister upon the resignation or death of the prime minister. This process is determined through a combination of decisions made by the governor general, the cabinet, and the rest of the governing party. They may choose to place the deputy prime minister directly in the position, or choose from other members of the current leading political party.

Though the deputy prime minister is not a position that holds authority in canadian law, the title is an impressive item to hold on one’s resume, and can serve as a stepping stone to other positions of power in the political cabinet. The governing party and the canadian prime minister unanimously decide on the chain of command for the political positions, and the deputy prime minister of canada can be given as little, or as much power as seen fit by the governing forces.

This unbelievable position as advisor to the highest position in the nation, took the teachers and students from the school that Brian Mulroney was attending by surprise, and they could not believe such an accomplishment was possible for a student. Brian Mulroney arranged for canadian prime minister John Diefenbaker to visit the school and prove to the students and teachers that this indeed was true.

Soon after his graduation, his career took off with the position of as a member of the Cliché Commission of Inquiry. This organization helped end the corruption and violence that was being hidden in the construction industry, and Brian Mulroney was noted for his leadership role in this event. He was noticed by the political party, and this feat helped pave the way towards becoming the canadian prime minister.

His next position was as the Vice President of the Iron Ore Company, which within one year’s time turned into a position as the President of the Iron Ore Company. He began running for the conservative party leadership in 1983, and won the vote by a landslide. Brian Mulroney was sworn in as the canadian prime minister in 1984, and was then responsible for positively influencing the trade relationship between canada and the United States. He instigated the North American Free Trade Agreement which allowed canada and America to have a more efficient trade process. Brian Mulroney’s influence in office gave canada a smoother and more profitable import and export system.

The Prime Minister and structure of the Canadian government was originally modeled after the British system.  Generally there are two or three political parties in Canada.  The Conservative party of Canada tends to be more right wing, the Liberal Party of Canada which is more left-wing, and the New Democratic Party or NDP which has a stronger social and unionist following.

In recent years there have been several other parties including the Green Party which have gained a significant amount of traction.  Also in Québec the Bloc Québecois has gained substantial support from the French population.

The canadian prime minister is elected is by achieving the highest number of parliamentary seats in the country.  Each area of the country has a number of seats and one Minister of Parliament (MP) is elected for each parliamentary seat.  For example in a city of one million people there may be 5 to 10 different parliamentary seats, and each will have an MP elected.

The political party that acquires the most seats during the election forms the government.  This can be a majority government if one party acquires more seats than all of the other parties combined, or if one party gets the most seats but it does not equal more than the total number of seats from all the other parties then they can form a minority government.

There have been 22 different individuals who have become Canadian Prime Minister, and several of them have held the office multiple times.  Sir John A. Macdonald was the 1st Canadian Prime Minister in 1867, and Stephen Harper is the current Canadian Prime Minister, and he was first elected in February 2006.