Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada)

The Leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition () is the leader of Canada's Official Opposition. It is the party possessing the most seats in the House of Commons that is not the governing party or part of the governing coalition. 

Pierre Poilievre was the most recent leader of the Opposition following his election as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada in the party's leadership election on September 10, 2022. While the Conservative party will continue to serve as the Official Opposition following the 2025 Canadian federal election, Poilievre lost his seat in the House of Commons, so former Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer was picked to serve again in May 2025. Poilievre was elected to the House of Commons again in August 2025, becoming Opposition leader again.

Leaders of the Official Opposition

 Portrait Name Term of officePartyPrime ministerTerm startTerm end100pxAlexander MackenzieMarch 6,1873November 5,1873LiberalSir John A. Macdonald100pxSir John A. MacdonaldNovember 6,1873October 16,1878Liberal-ConservativeAlexander Mackenzie100pxAlexander MackenzieOctober 17,1878April 27,1880LiberalSir John A. MacdonaldVacant100pxEdward BlakeMay 4,1880June 2,1887LiberalVacant100pxWilfrid LaurierJune 23,1887July 10,1896LiberalSir John AbbottSir John ThompsonSir Mackenzie BowellSir Charles Tupper100pxSir Charles TupperJuly 11,1896February 5,1901ConservativeSir Wilfrid Laurier100pxRobert BordenFebruary 6,1901October 9,1911100pxSir Wilfrid LaurierOctober 10,1911February 17,1919LiberalSir Robert Borden100pxDaniel Duncan McKenzieFebruary 17,1919October 20,1919100pxWilliam Lyon Mackenzie KingOctober 20,1919December 28,1921Arthur MeighenVacantWilliam LyonMackenzie King100pxArthur MeighenJanuary 26,1922June 28,1926Conservative100pxWilliam Lyon Mackenzie KingJune 29,1926September 24,1926LiberalArthur MeighenVacant| rowspan="3" style="background:; " |
| rowspan="3" |William LyonMackenzie King
|-
|100px
|Hugh Guthrie
|October 11,1926
|October 11,1927
|style="background:; " |
| rowspan="2" |Conservative
|-
|100px
|R. B. Bennett
|October 12,1927
|August 6,1930
|style="background:; " |
|-
|100px
|William Lyon Mackenzie King
|August 7,1930
|October 22,1935
|style="background:; " |
|Liberal
|style="background:; " |
|R. B. Bennett
|-
|100px
|R. B. Bennett
|October 23,1935
|July 6,1938
| style="background:; " |
|Conservative
| rowspan="9" style="background:; " |
| rowspan="9" |William LyonMackenzie King
|-
| colspan="6" |Vacant|-
|100px
|Robert James Manion
|November 15,1938
|May 13,1940
|style="background:; " |
| rowspan="2" |Conservative
|-
| rowspan="2" |100px
| rowspan="2" |Richard Hanson
| rowspan="2" |May 14,1940
| rowspan="2" |January 1,1943
|style="background:; " |
|-
|style="background:; " |
|ProgressiveConservative
|-
|
|Gordon Graydon
|January 1,1943
|June 10,1945
|style="background:; " |
| rowspan="2" |ProgressiveConservative
|-
|100px
|John Bracken
|June 11,1945
|July 20,1948
|style="background:; " |
|-
| colspan="6" |Vacant|-style="height:54px"
| rowspan="2" |100px
| rowspan="2" |George A. Drew
| rowspan="2" |December 20,1948
| rowspan="2" |November 1,1954
| rowspan="2" style="background:; " |
| rowspan="6" |ProgressiveConservative
|-
| rowspan="5" style="background:; " |
| rowspan="5" |Louis St. Laurent
|-
|100px
|William Earl Rowe
|November 1,1954
|February 1,1955
|style="background:; " |
|-
|100px
|George A. Drew
|February 1,1955
|August 1,1956
|style="background:; " |
|-
|100px
|William Earl Rowe
|August 1,1956
|December 13,1956
|style="background:; " |
|-
|100px
|John Diefenbaker
|December 14,1956
|June 20,1957
|style="background:; " |
|-
|100px
|Louis St. Laurent
|June 21,1957
|January 16,1958
|style="background:; " |
| rowspan="2" |Liberal
| rowspan="2" style="background:; " |
| rowspan="2" |John Diefenbaker
|-
|100px
|Lester B. Pearson
|January 16,1958
|April 22,1963
|style="background:; " |
|-
|100px
|John Diefenbaker
|April 22,1963
|September 9,1967
|style="background:; " |
| rowspan="5" |ProgressiveConservative
| rowspan="3" style="background:; " |
| rowspan="3" |Lester B. Pearson
|-
|100px
|Michael Starr
|September 9,1967
|November 6,1967
|style="background:; " |
|-style="height:61px"
| rowspan="2" |100px
| rowspan="2" |Robert Stanfield
| rowspan="2" |November 6,1967
| rowspan="2" |February 22,1976
| rowspan="2" style="background:; " |
|-
| rowspan="2" style="background:; " |
| rowspan="2" |Pierre Trudeau
|-
|100px
|Joe Clark
|February 22,1976
|June 4,1979
|style="background:; " |
|-
|100px
|Pierre Trudeau
|June 4,1979
|March 3,1980
|style="background:; " |
|Liberal
|style="background:; " |
|Joe Clark
|-
|100px
|Joe Clark
|March 3,1980
|February 2,1983
|style="background:; " |
| rowspan="4" |ProgressiveConservative
| rowspan="3" style="background:; " |
| rowspan="3" |Pierre Trudeau
|-
|
|Erik Nielsen
|February 2,1983
|August 29,1983
|style="background:; " |
|-style="height:57px"
| rowspan="2" |100px
| rowspan="2" |Brian Mulroney
| rowspan="2" |August 29,1983
| rowspan="2" |September 17,1984
| rowspan="2" style="background:; " |
|-
|style="background:; " |
|John Turner
|-
|100px
|John Turner
|September 17,1984
|February 8,1990
|style="background:; " |
| rowspan="4" |Liberal
| rowspan="3" style="background:; " |
| rowspan="3" |Brian Mulroney
|-
|100px
|Herb Gray
|February 8,1990
|December 10,1990
|style="background:; " |
|-style="height:58px"
| rowspan="2" |100px
| rowspan="2" |Jean Chrétien
| rowspan="2" |December 10,1990
| rowspan="2" |November 4,1993
| rowspan="2" style="background:; " |
|-
|style="background:; " |
|Kim Campbell
|-
|100px
|Lucien Bouchard
|November 4,1993
|January 15,1996
|style="background:; " |
| rowspan="4" |Bloc Québécois
| rowspan="9" style="background:; " |
| rowspan="9" |Jean Chrétien
|-
|100px
|Gilles Duceppe
|January 15,1996
|February 17,1996
|style="background:; " |
|-
|100px
|Michel Gauthier
|February 17,1996
|March 15,1997
|style="background:; " |
|-
|100px
|Gilles Duceppe
|March 15,1997
|June 2,1997
|style="background:; " |
|-
|100px
|Preston Manning
|June 2,1997
|March 27,2000
|style="background:; " |
|Reform
|-
|100px
|Deborah Grey
|March 27,2000
|September 11,2000
|style="background:; " |
| rowspan="6" |Canadian Alliance
|-
|100px
|Stockwell Day
|September 11,2000
|December 12,2001
|style="background:; " |
|-
|100px
|John Reynolds
|December 12,2001
|May 21,2002
|style="background:; " |
|-style="height:52px"
| rowspan="2" |100px
| rowspan="2" |Stephen Harper
| rowspan="2" |May 21,2002
| rowspan="2" |January 9,2004
| rowspan="2" style="background:; " |
|-
| rowspan="4" style="background:; " |
| rowspan="4" |Paul Martin
|-
| rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" |Grant Hill
| rowspan="2" |January 9,2004
| rowspan="2" |March 20,2004
|style="background:; " |
|-
|style="background:; " |
|Conservative
|-
|100px
|Stephen Harper
|March 20,2004
|February 6,2006
|style="background:; " |
|Conservative
|-
|100px
|Bill Graham
|February 6,2006
|December 2,2006
|style="background:; " |
| rowspan="3" |Liberal
| rowspan="6" style="background:; " |
| rowspan="6" |Stephen Harper
|-
|100px
|Stéphane Dion
|December 2,2006
|December 10,2008
|style="background:; " |
|-
|100px
|Michael Ignatieff
|December 10,2008
|May 2,2011
|style="background:; " |
|-
|100px
|Jack Layton
|May 2,2011
|August 22,2011
|style="background:; " |
| rowspan="3" |New Democratic
|-
|100px
|Nycole Turmel
|August 22,2011
|March 24,2012
|style="background:; " |
|-
|100px
|Tom Mulcair
|March 24,2012
|November 4,2015
|style="background:; " |
|-
|100px
|Rona Ambrose
|November 4,2015
|May 27,2017
|style="background:; " |
| rowspan="6" |Conservative
| rowspan="5" style="background:; " |
| rowspan="5" |Justin Trudeau
|-
|100px
|Andrew Scheer
|May 27,2017
|August 24,2020
|style="background:; " |
|-
|100px
|Erin O'Toole
|August 24,2020
|February 2,2022
|style="background:; " |
|-
|100px
|Candice Bergen
|February 2,2022
|September 10,2022
|style="background:; " |
|-
| rowspan="2" |100px
| rowspan="2" |Pierre Poilievre
| rowspan="2" |September 10,2022
| rowspan="2" |April 28,2025
|style="background:; " |
|-
|style="background:; " |
| rowspan="4" style="background:; " |
| rowspan="3.2" | Mark Carney
|-
| colspan="6" |Vacant|-
|100px
|Andrew Scheer
|May 6, 2025
|August 18, 2025
|style="background:; " |
| rowspan="2" |Conservative
|-
| rowspan="2" |100px
| rowspan="2" |Pierre Poilievre
| rowspan="2" |August 18,2025
| rowspan="2" |present''

Timeline

Notes

References