Spouses of the Prime Ministers of Canada
386306
218655934
2008-06-11T16:24:30Z
G2bambino
3011388
copyed, links
The '''spouse of the Prime Minister of Canada''' is the wife or husband of the [[Prime Minister of Canada]]. As a public figure, some spouses will, from time to time, participate in various ceremonial, diplomatic, or partisan activities, alongside and on behalf of the Prime Minister.
==Public role==
The [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] is not the [[head of state]]; thus, his or her spouse does not play as active a role in Canadian affairs as the [[List of Canadian monarchs#List of Royal Consorts of Canada|royal consorts]] and [[Viceregal consorts of Canada|vice-regal consorts]]. The Prime Minister's spouse, however, frequently accompanies the Prime Minister on campaign and other public appearances, and often hosts dignitaries at the Prime Minister's residence, [[24 Sussex Drive]]. At times, prime ministers' spouses have used their public status to promote charitable causes{{ndash}} [[Mila Mulroney]] was a spokesperson for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and other children's charities, and [[Aline Chrétien]] was an active campaigner for literacy programs.
Some prime ministers' spouses have attracted a great deal of attention for other reasons: [[Maryon Pearson]] was noted for her prickly wit, having made a number of famous quips which are still regularly featured in anthologies of famous [[quotation]]s. [[Margaret Trudeau]], whom [[Pierre Trudeau]] married while in office, became a notable celebrity in her own right. [[Maureen McTeer]], spouse of [[Joe Clark]], attracted controversy when she became the first spouse of a Prime Minister to retain her own surname after marriage. Mila Mulroney also rose to some notoriety due to her spending habits, and was satirized in ''[[Frank (magazine)|Frank]]'' as [[Imelda Marcos|Imelda]] because of her purportedly large collection of shoes.
Some commentators have tried to style prime ministers' wives as ''First Lady of Canada'', similar to the style of [[First Lady]] used in republics, but this title is incorrect. Use of the term is based on the pervasive influence of American media, and not a defined public role or title for the Prime Minister's spouse.
==Other notes==
Canada has had two prime ministers who were bachelors{{ndash}} [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]] and [[R.B. Bennett]]. [[Mackenzie Bowell]], a widower whose wife, Harriet, died in 1884, was also not married during his term in office. [[Pierre Trudeau]], the first Canadian Prime Minister to get married ''during'' his term in office, also began his term as a bachelor{{ndash}} and ended it separated from Margaret Trudeau.
Three Canadian Prime Ministers{{ndash}} [[John A. Macdonald]], [[Alexander Mackenzie]] and [[John Diefenbaker]]{{ndash}} were also widowers, who were each married to their second wives during their terms as Prime Minister. Macdonald's first wife was [[Isabella Clark]], Mackenzie's was Helen Neil, and Diefenbaker's was [[Edna Brower]].
Canada has also had one female Prime Minister, [[Kim Campbell]]; however, as she was not married during her term in office. There has never been a male spouse of the Prime Minister, although Campbell's first husband, [[Nathan Divinsky]], tried to attract media attention in [[1993]] by billing himself as the '''ex-'''husband of the Prime Minister. Campbell had finalized her divorce from her second husband, Howard Eddy, in early 1993. She briefly dated [[Gregory Lekhtman]], the inventor of [[Exerloper]]s, during her term as Prime Minister, but kept the relationship relatively private and did not involve him in the [[Canadian federal election, 1993|election campaign]].
==Spouses of the Prime Ministers==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Rank
! Name
! Dates
! Spouse of
|-
| 1.
| [[Agnes Macdonald]]
| [[July 1]], [[1867]] – [[November 5]], [[1873]]
| Sir [[John A. Macdonald]]
|-
| 2.
| [[Jane Mackenzie]]
| [[November 7]], [[1873]] – [[October 8]], [[1878]]
| [[Alexander Mackenzie]]
|-
|
| [[Agnes Macdonald]]
| [[October 17]], [[1878]] – [[June 6]], [[1891]]
| Sir [[John A. Macdonald]]
|-
| 3.
| [[Mary Abbott]]
| [[June 16]], [[1891]] – [[November 24]], [[1892]]
| Sir [[John Joseph Caldwell Abbott]]
|-
| 4.
| [[Annie Thompson]]
| [[December 5]], [[1892]] – [[December 12]], [[1894]]
| Sir [[John Sparrow David Thompson]]
|-
|
| none (widower)
| [[December 21]], [[1894]] – [[April 27]], [[1896]]
| Sir [[Mackenzie Bowell]]
|-
| 5.
| [[Frances Tupper]]
| [[May 1]], [[1896]] – [[July 8]], [[1896]]
| Sir [[Charles Tupper]]
|-
| 6.
| [[Zoé Laurier]]
| [[July 11]], [[1896]] – [[October 7]], [[1911]]
| Sir [[Wilfrid Laurier]]
|-
| 7.
| [[Laura Borden]]
| [[October 10]], [[1911]] – [[July 10]], [[1920]]
| Sir [[Robert Laird Borden]]
|-
| 8.
| [[Isabel Meighen]]
| [[July 10]], [[1920]] – [[December 29]], [[1921]]
| [[Arthur Meighen]]
|-
|
| none (never married)
| [[December 29]], [[1921]] – [[June 29]], [[1926]]
| [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]]
|-
|
| [[Isabel Meighen]]
| [[June 29]], [[1926]] – [[November 25]], [[1926]]
| [[Arthur Meighen]]
|-
|
| none (never married)
| [[November 25]], [[1926]] – [[August 7]], [[1930]]
| [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]]
|-
|
| none (never married)
| [[August 7]], [[1930]] – [[October 23]], [[1935]]
| [[R.B. Bennett]]
|-
|
| none (never married)
| [[October 23]], [[1935]] – [[November 15]], [[1948]]
| [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]]
|-
| 9.
| [[Jeanne St. Laurent]]
| [[November 15]], [[1948]] – [[June 21]], [[1957]]
| [[Louis Stephen St. Laurent]]
|-
| 10.
| [[Olive Diefenbaker]]
| [[June 21]], [[1957]] – [[April 22]], [[1963]]
| [[John George Diefenbaker]]
|-
| 11.
| [[Maryon Pearson]]
| [[April 22]], [[1963]] – [[April 20]], [[1968]]
| [[Lester B. Pearson]]
|-
|
| none (unmarried as of 1968; married in office)
| [[April 20]], [[1968]] – [[March 4]], [[1971]]
| [[Pierre Trudeau]]
|-
| 12.
| [[Margaret Trudeau]]
| [[March 4]], [[1971]] – [[1977]]*
| [[Pierre Trudeau]]
|-
|
| none (separated) de facto [[Margaret Trudeau]]
| [[1977]] – [[June 4]], [[1979]]*
| [[Pierre Trudeau]]
|-
| 13.
| [[Maureen McTeer]]
| [[June 4]], [[1979]] – [[March 2]], [[1980]]
| [[Joe Clark]]
|-
|
| none (separated) de facto [[Margaret Trudeau]]
| [[March 2]], [[1980]] – [[April 2]], [[1984]]*
| [[Pierre Trudeau]]
|-
|
| none (divorced)
| [[April 2]], [[1984]] – [[June 30]], [[1984]]*
| [[Pierre Trudeau]]
|-
| 14.
| [[Geills Turner]]
| [[June 30]], [[1984]] – [[September 17]], [[1984]]
| [[John Turner]]
|-
| 15.
| [[Mila Mulroney]]
| [[September 17]], [[1984]] – [[June 25]], [[1993]]
| [[Brian Mulroney]]
|-
|
| none (divorced twice, remarried after term ended)
| [[June 25]], [[1993]] – [[November 4]], [[1993]]
| [[Kim Campbell]]
|-
| 16.
| [[Aline Chrétien]]
| [[November 4]], [[1993]] – [[December 12]], [[2003]]
| [[Jean Chrétien]]
|-
| 17.
| [[Sheila Martin]]
| [[December 12]], [[2003]] – [[February 6]], [[2006]]
| [[Paul Martin]]
|-
| 18.
| [[Laureen Harper]]
| [[February 6]], [[2006]] – present
| [[Stephen Harper]]
|}
(*)The Trudeaus separated in [[1977]] but did not obtain a divorce until [[April 2]] [[1984]]. Trudeau left office in June of 1984, two months after his divorce was finalized.
{{Prime Minister of Canada see also}}
[[Category:Spouses of the Prime Ministers of Canada|*]]