Leader of the Official Opposition

The leader of the Official Opposition (French: chef de l'Opposition officielle), formally known as the leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition[dubious – discuss] (French: chef de la loyale opposition de Sa Majesté),[citation needed] is the politician who leads the Official Opposition in Canada, typically the leader of 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 has been the leader of the Opposition since September 10, 2022, when he was elected as the Conservative leader following the 2022 leadership election. He succeeded Candice Bergen, who had served as her party's interim leader from February 2, 2022. Though the leader of the Opposition must be a member of the House of Commons, the office should not be confused with Opposition House leader, who is a frontbencher charged with managing the business of the Opposition in the House of Commons, and is formally titled Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons. There is also a leader of the Opposition in the Senate, who is usually of the same party as the leader of the Opposition in the house. If the leader of the opposition party is not a member of Parliament (MP), then a sitting MP acts as parliamentary leader and assumes the role of the leader of the Opposition until the party leader can obtain a seat. The leader of the Opposition is entitled to the same levels of pay and protection as a Cabinet minister and is often made a member of the King's Privy Council, generally the only non-government member of the House of Commons afforded that privilege. The leader of the Opposition is entitled to reside at the official residence of Stornoway and ranks fourteenth on the Order of Precedence, after Cabinet ministers and before lieutenant governors of the provinces. In the House of Commons seating plan, the leader of the Opposition sits directly across from the prime minister. The term "Leader of the Opposition" is used in the Parliament of Canada Act. The term "Leader of the Opposition" is used in the Standing Orders of the House of Commons, as is the term "Official Opposition". The terms "Leader of the Loyal Opposition", "His Majesty's Opposition", and "Loyal Opposition" are sometimes used, but those terms are not used in either the act or the standing orders. Two leaders of the Opposition have died in office: Wilfrid Laurier in 1919 and Jack Layton in 2011. From Wikipedia