Past Leaders of Canadian Political Parties
Leaders of Canadian political parties since Confederation (1867).
Leaders of the Old Conservative Parties
The “old” Conservative (or “Tory”) Party that existed in Canada prior its dissolution in 2003 went through three phases, during which it used three different names.
Leaders of the Liberal-Conservative Party
Jul 1, 1867 - Jun 6, 1891
Jun 16, 1891 - Nov 24, 1892
Dec 5, 1892 - Dec 12, 1894
Leaders of the Conservative Party
Successor to the Liberal-Conservative Party (1894-1941).
Dec 21, 1894 - Apr 27, 1896
May 1, 1896 - Feb 5, 1901
Feb 6, 1901 - Jul 9, 1920
Jul 10, 1920 - Sep 24, 1926
Oct 11, 1926 - Oct 11, 1927
Oct 12, 1927 - Jul 6, 1938
Jul 7, 1938 - May 13, 1940
Richard Burpee Hanson (acting)
May 14, 1940 - Nov 11, 1941
Nov 12, 1941 - Dec 9, 1942
Leaders of the Progressive Conservative Party
Successor to the Conservative Party (1942-2003).
Dec 11, 1942 - Jul 20, 1948
Oct 2, 1948 - Nov 29, 1956
Dec 14, 1956 - Sep 8, 1967
Sep 9, 1967 - Feb 21, 1976
Feb 22, 1976 - Jun 10, 1983
Jun 11, 1983 - Jun 12, 1993
Jun 12, 1993 - Dec 14, 1993
Dec 14, 1993 - Apr 2, 1998
Apr 2, 1998 - Nov 13, 1998
Nov 14, 1998 - May 30, 2003
May 31, 2003 - Feb 1, 2004
Leaders of the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance
Known as the Reform Party of Canada from 1987 to 2000.
Nov 1, 1987 - Mar 26, 2000
Mar 27, 2000 - Jul 7, 2000
Jul 8, 2000 - Dec 11, 2001
Dec 12, 2001 - Mar 19, 2002
Mar 20, 2002 - Jan 21, 2004
Leaders of the Conservative Party of Canada
Created in 2003 through a merger of Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative parties.
John Lynch-Staunton (acting)
Dec 8, 2003 - Mar 19, 2004
Mar 20, 2004 - Nov 5, 2015
Nov 5, 2015 - May 27, 2017
May 27, 2017 - Aug 24, 2020
Aug 24, 2020 - Feb 2, 2022
Feb 2, 2022 - Sep 10, 2022
Leaders of the Liberal Party of Canada
Jul 1, 1867 - Mar 6, 1873
Mar 6, 1873 - Apr 27, 1880
May 4, 1880 - Jun 2, 1887
Jun 23, 1887 - Feb 17, 1919
Daniel Duncan McKenzie (acting)
Feb 17, 1919 - Aug 7, 1919
Aug 7, 1919 - Aug 6, 1948
Aug 7, 1948 - Jan 15, 1958
Jan 16, 1958 - Apr 5, 1968
Apr 6, 1968 - Jun 15, 1984
Jun 15, 1984 - Jun 22, 1990
Jun 23, 1990 - Nov 13, 2003
Nov 14, 2003 - Mar 19, 2006
Mar 20, 2006 - Dec 1, 2006
Dec 2, 2006 - Dec 10, 2008
Dec 10, 2008 - May 19, 2011
May 19, 2011 - April 14, 2013
Note: Officially, there was no formal, organized Liberal party between 1867 and 1873, just a broad coalition of politicians opposed to the government and party of John A. Macdonald.
Leaders of the National Progressive Party
Leaders of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF)
Aug 1, 1932 - Mar 21, 1942
Aug 11, 1960 - Aug 2, 1961
Leaders of the New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP)
Successor to the CCF.
Aug 3, 1961 - Mar 23, 1971
Mar 24, 1971 - Jul 6, 1975
Jul 7, 1975 - Dec 4, 1989
Dec 4, 1989 - Oct 13, 1995
Oct 14, 1995 - Jan 24, 2003
Jan 25, 2003 - Jul 28, 2011
Jul 28, 2011 - Mar 24, 2012
Mar 24, 2012 - Oct 1, 2017
Leaders of the Bloc Quebecois
Jul 25, 1990 - Jan 15, 1996
Jan 15, 1996 - Feb 16, 1996
Feb 17, 1996 - Mar 14, 1997
Mar 15, 1997 - Jun 2, 2011
Jun 2, 2011 - Dec 11, 2011
Dec 11, 2011 - Dec 16, 2013
André Bellavance (acting)
Dec 16, 2013 - Feb 26, 2014
Jean-François Fortin (acting)
Feb 26, 2014 - Jun 14, 2014
Jun 14, 2014 - Jun 10, 2015
Jun 10, 2015 - Oct 22, 2015
Oct 22, 2015 - Mar 18, 2017
Mar 18, 2017 - Jun 11, 2018
Xavier Barsalou-Duval (acting)
Jun 11, 2018 - Aug 18, 2018
Mario Beaulieu (2nd time, acting)
Aug 18, 2018 - Jan 17, 2019
Note: The Bloc Quebecois’ leadership system isn’t like that of other parties; when a leader abruptly resigns there is no official person serving as full-time, “acting leader.” The list above considers the floor leaders in the House of Commons to be the interim leaders, other lists sometimes consider the party president in this role.
Leaders of the Social Credit Party
Alexander Patterson (acting)
Party briefly collapsed. As leader of the rebel "Ralliement des Creditistes" faction, Real Caouette was recognized as de facto leader from around 1963 to 1971.
Gauthier (2nd time, acting)
Mar 30, 1979 - Nov 1, 1980
Jul 3, 1980 - Jul 14, 1983
Jul 15, 1983 - Jun 21, 1986
Jun 22, 1986 - Jul 26, 1987
Jul 27, 1987 - Aug ? 1987
Harvey Lainson (2nd time)
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