Deputy Prime Minister

The designation "Deputy Prime Minister" is strictly an honorary title conferred at the discretion of the Prime Minister on a member of the Cabinet. It has no standing in law, and does not carry any formal duties or tasks, though the Prime Minister may negotiate or assign specific tasks in conjunction with the title. Some prime ministers have elected not to appoint a Deputy Prime Minister, including Prime Ministers Joe Clark, Stephen Harper, and Justin Trudeau (the latter just in his first term).

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Role and Responsibilities

The title originates with Prime Minister Trudeau who first coined it when he designated The Honourable Allan J. MacEachen Deputy Prime Minister as well as Government Leader in the House of Commons in an interview with the press subsequent to the nomination of his Cabinet, September 16th, 1977. Since then there has been only The Right Honourable Joe Clark who has never named a Deputy Prime Minister.

From The Honourable Erik Nielsen's designation as Deputy Prime Minister, current practice holds that this title be assigned by "instrument of advice". An instrument of advice is essentially a private letter addressed to the Crown or its duly appointed representative, the Governor General, by the Prime Minister directly.

The Honourable Chrystia Freeland

An esteemed journalist and author, Minister Freeland was born in Peace River, Alberta. She was educated at Harvard University before continuing her studies on a Rhodes Scholarship at the University of Oxford.

The Honourable
Chrystia Freeland

After beginning her career in journalism as a Ukraine-based freelance reporter for the Financial Times, The Washington Post, and The Economist, she went on to various roles at the Financial Times. She then served as deputy editor of The Globe and Mail between 1999 and 2001, before returning to the Financial Times as deputy editor and then as the United States managing editor.

In 2010, she joined Canadian-owned Thomson Reuters. She was a managing director of the company and editor of consumer news when she decided to return home and enter politics in 2013.

Minister Freeland was first elected as a Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre in July 2013. She was elected as a Member of Parliament for University-Rosedale in October 2015, and re-elected in October 2019.

From 2015 to 2017, Minister Freeland served as Canada's Minister of International Trade, overseeing the successful negotiation of Canada's free trade agreement with the European Union, CETA. From 2017 to 2019, she served as Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Minister Freeland speaks Russian, Ukrainian, Italian, French, and English, and lives in Toronto with her husband and three children.

SOURCES: Library of Parliament, the Privy Council Office, and the Prime Minister's Office.

See also
Former Deputy Prime Ministers
Prime Minister

External Links
Prime Minister's Official Website