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.
# |
House Leader[1] |
Party |
Party Leader |
Tenure |
1 |
Lionel Chevrier |
Liberal |
Louis St. Laurent
Lester B. Pearson |
October 14, 1957 – February 5, 1963 |
2 |
Gordon Churchill |
Progressive Conservative |
John Diefenbaker |
May 16, 1963 – April 21, 1965 |
3 |
Michael Starr |
Progressive Conservative |
John Diefenbaker
Robert Stanfield |
April 22, 1965 – April 23, 1968 |
4 |
Ged Baldwin |
Progressive Conservative |
Robert Stanfield |
July 27, 1968 – September 20, 1973 |
5 |
Thomas Bell |
Progressive Conservative |
Robert Stanfield |
September 21, 1973 – May 9, 1974 |
|
Ged Baldwin (second time) |
Progressive Conservative |
Robert Stanfield
Joe Clark |
August 14, 1974 – February 24, 1976 |
6 |
Walter Baker |
Progressive Conservative |
Joe Clark |
February 25, 1976 – March 26, 1979 |
7 |
Allan MacEachen |
Liberal |
Pierre Trudeau |
October 9, 1979 – December 14, 1979 |
|
Walter Baker (second time) |
Progressive Conservative |
Joe Clark |
April 14, 1980 – September 8, 1981 |
8 |
Erik Nielsen |
Progressive Conservative |
Joe Clark |
September 9, 1981 – February 8, 1983 |
9 |
Doug Lewis |
Progressive Conservative |
Erik Nielsen (interim) |
February 10, 1983 – September 6, 1983 |
|
Erik Nielsen (second time) |
Liberal |
Brian Mulroney |
September 7, 1983 – April 5, 1984 |
10 |
Ray Hnatyshyn |
Progressive Conservative |
Brian Mulroney |
April 6, 1984 – July 9, 1984 |
11 |
Herb Gray |
Liberal |
John Turner |
September 18, 1984 – February 7, 1990 |
12 |
Jean-Robert Gauthier |
Liberal |
Herb Gray (interim) |
February 7, 1990 – January 29, 1991 |
13 |
David Dingwall |
Liberal |
Jean Chrétien |
January 30, 1991 – May 8, 1993 |
14 |
Michel Gauthier |
Bloc Québécois |
Lucien Bouchard
Gilles Duceppe (interim) |
November 10, 1993 – February 17, 1996 |
15 |
Gilles Duceppe |
Bloc Québécois |
Michel Gauthier |
February 17, 1996 – March 15, 1997 |
16 |
Suzanne Tremblay |
Bloc Québécois |
Gilles Duceppe |
March 17, 1997 – April 25, 1997 |
17 |
Randy White |
Reform |
Preston Manning |
June 20, 1997 – January 30, 2000 |
18 |
Chuck Strahl |
Reform
Canadian Alliance |
Preston Manning
Deborah Grey (interim)
Stockwell Day |
January 31, 2000 – April 24, 2001 |
19 |
John Reynolds |
Canadian Alliance |
Stockwell Day |
April 24, 2001 – December 17, 2001 |
|
Randy White (second time) |
Canadian Alliance |
John Reynolds (interim) |
December 18, 2001 – April 3, 2002 |
|
John Reynolds (second time) |
Canadian Alliance |
John Reynolds (interim)
Stephen Harper |
April 4, 2002 – December 22, 2003 |
20 |
Loyola Hearn |
Conservative |
Grant Hill (interim) |
January 8, 2004 – March 21, 2004 |
|
John Reynolds (third time) |
Conservative |
Stephen Harper |
March 22, 2004 – January 27, 2005 |
21 |
Jay Hill |
Conservative |
Stephen Harper |
January 28, 2005 – February 5, 2006 |
22 |
Ralph Goodale |
Liberal |
Bill Graham
Stéphane Dion
Michael Ignatieff |
February 10, 2006 – September 6, 2010 |
23 |
David McGuinty |
Liberal |
Michael Ignatieff |
September 7, 2010 – March 26, 2011 |
24 |
Thomas Mulcair |
New Democratic Party |
Jack Layton
Nycole Turmel (interim) |
May 26, 2011 – October 12, 2011 |
25 |
Joe Comartin |
New Democratic Party |
Nycole Turmel (interim) |
October 13, 2011 – |