The spouse of the prime minister of Canada (French: époux du premier ministre du Canada) is the wife or husband of the prime minister of Canada. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau is married to the 23rd and current prime minister, Justin Trudeau,[1] though the couple have been separated since August 2, 2023.[2]
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Nineteen women have been wives of prime ministers of Canada; Kim Campbell, the only female prime minister, was unmarried during her time in office.[3] As semi-public figures, spouses are often present at various ceremonial, diplomatic, or partisan activities alongside the prime minister. Spouses often pursue philanthropic or charitable endeavours on their own, although the spouses have varied in how actively they sought or accepted the public spotlight.
Some media outlets have styled prime ministers' wives as the "first lady of Canada", similar to the style of first lady used in the neighbouring United States and other republics.[4] This is not a recognized nor accurately applicable title,[5] as the spouses both of Canada's monarch and of the governor general take precedence over the spouse of the prime minister.[4] Rather, use of first lady is based on the influence of American media and a general misunderstanding of Canadian civics.[4]
Public role
editThe prime minister is not the head of state; thus, their spouse does not officially play as active a role in Canadian affairs as do the royal and viceregal consorts.[6] The prime minister's spouse, however, is still generally regarded as a public or semi-public figure, frequently accompanying the prime minister on campaign and other public appearances, and often hosting dignitaries at the prime minister's residence.
At times, prime ministers' spouses have used their public status to promote charitable causes: Mila Mulroney was a spokesperson for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and other children's charities, Aline Chrétien was an active campaigner for literacy programs, and Laureen Harper was known for her support of animal welfare organizations such as the Ottawa Humane Society.[7]
Many have also held an unofficial but influential role as a political or campaign advisor to their husbands: Laureen Harper was considered her husband's "secret weapon", whose instinctive sense of campaign optics proved invaluable to her husband's career;[7] Harper, for example, was credited as the brains behind a public appearance in which her husband, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, appeared on stage at Ottawa's National Arts Centre to sing the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends", which was widely perceived as softening the prime minister's somewhat stiff and bureaucratic public image.[8] Despite her relatively low public profile, Aline Chrétien was also recognized as a powerful advisor to her husband; Maclean's magazine once wrote, "Never mind calling her the power behind the throne—she shares the seat of power",[9] and columnist Allan Fotheringham later called her the second most powerful political figure in Canada, behind her husband but ahead of any elected member of Parliament or any staffer in the Prime Minister's Office.[10]
Some prime ministers' spouses have also attracted 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 quotations.[11] Margaret Trudeau, whom Pierre Trudeau married while in office,[12] became a notable celebrity in her own right, most famously when she was featured on the covers of international tabloids after being seen partying at Studio 54.[8] 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.[8] Mila Mulroney also rose to some notoriety due to her spending habits,[8] and was satirized in Frank as Imelda because of her purportedly large collection of shoes.
Because the role of a prime minister's spouse is not formally defined, however, a spouse may face criticism over her public visibility itself. In 2016, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau faced some controversy when she stated in an interview that she needed a staff assistant to keep on top of all the requests she received for public and charitable appearances, which some critics described as coming from a sense of personal entitlement or an attempt to turn herself into a First Lady.[13]
Other notes
editCanada has had two prime ministers who were bachelors, 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 began his term as a bachelor, became the first Canadian prime minister to get married while in office and ended it as Canada's first divorced prime minister.
Three other Canadian prime ministers–Alexander Mackenzie, John Diefenbaker, and John A. Macdonald—were widowers who remarried before becoming prime minister. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, had been a widower for ten years while in office in the former Province of Canada. His first wife was Isabella Clark, who died in 1857. Macdonald married his second wife, Agnes Bernard, while in London in 1867, during the final negotiations leading up to Confederation. Mackenzie's first wife was Helen Neil, and Diefenbaker's was Edna Brower.
Canada has also had one female prime minister, Kim Campbell. As she had finalized her divorce from her second husband, Howard Eddy, in early 1993, there has never been a male spouse of the prime minister (although Campbell's first husband, Nathan Divinsky, did try to attract media attention in 1993 by billing himself as the ex-husband of the prime minister). She briefly dated Gregory Lekhtman, the inventor of Exerlopers, during her term as prime minister, but kept the relationship private and did not involve him in the 1993 election campaign.[14] In 1997, after her prime ministership, she entered into a common-law marriage with Hershey Felder.
Maureen McTeer maintained a career during her life at 24 Sussex;[15] although several others have had independent careers prior to their spouse's term as prime minister, all others have put their own careers on hold to concentrate on the public and ceremonial and philanthropic aspects of their role as a leader's spouse.[16] McTeer was also the only spouse of a prime minister to use her birth surname, rather than her husband's surname, in her public life; although Laureen (Teskey) Harper and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau both used their birth surnames prior to their husbands becoming prime ministers, both opted to minimize any controversy by using their husband's surname once they were elevated to the public role of a prime minister's spouse.[17] Grégoire Trudeau did, however, become the first spouse of a prime minister to use her husband's surname with her own.[17]
Spouses of the prime ministers
edit| No. | Image | Name | Date of birth | Date of marriage | Prime Minister (Spouse) |
Date tenure began | Age at tenure start | Date tenure ended | Date of death |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Agnes Macdonald (née Bernard) |
August 24, 1836 | February 16, 1867 | Sir John A. Macdonald | July 1, 1867 | 30 years, 176 days | November 5, 1873 | September 5, 1920 |
| 2 | 
|
Jane Mackenzie (née Sym) |
March 22, 1825 | June 17, 1853 | Alexander Mackenzie | November 7, 1873 | 48 years, 230 days | October 8, 1878 | March 30, 1893 |
| (1) |
|
Agnes Macdonald (née Bernard) |
August 24, 1836 | February 16, 1867 | Sir John A. Macdonald | October 17, 1878 | 42 years, 54 days | June 6, 1891 | September 5, 1920 |
| 3 | .jpg)
|
Mary Abbott (née Bethune) |
October 17, 1823 | July 26, 1849 | Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott | June 16, 1891 | 67 years, 242 days | November 24, 1892 | February 25, 1898 |
| 4 | 
|
Annie Thompson (née Affleck) |
June 26, 1845 | July 5, 1870 | Sir John Sparrow David Thompson | December 5, 1892 | 47 years, 162 days | December 12, 1894 | April 10, 1913 |
| None (widower) | Sir Mackenzie Bowell | December 21, 1894 | 66 years, 224 days | April 27, 1896 | |||||
| 5 | 
|
Frances Tupper (née Morse) |
March 14, 1826 | October 6, 1846 | Sir Charles Tupper | May 1, 1896 | 70 years, 48 days | July 8, 1896 | May 11, 1912 |
| 6 | 
|
Zoé Laurier (née Lafontaine) |
June 26, 1841 | August 13, 1868 | Sir Wilfrid Laurier | July 11, 1896 | 55 years, 15 days | October 7, 1911 | November 1, 1921 |
| 7 | 
|
Laura Borden (née Bond) |
November 26, 1861 | September 25, 1889 | Sir Robert Laird Borden | October 10, 1911 | 49 years, 318 days | July 10, 1920 | September 7, 1940 |
| 8 | 
|
Isabel Meighen (née Cox) |
April 18, 1882 | June 1, 1904 | Arthur Meighen | July 10, 1920 | 38 years, 83 days | December 29, 1921 | September 6, 1985 |
| None (never married) | William Lyon Mackenzie King | December 29, 1921 | June 29, 1926 | ||||||
| (8) |
|
Isabel Meighen (née Cox) |
April 18, 1882 | June 1, 1904 | Arthur Meighen | June 29, 1926 | 44 years, 72 days | November 25, 1926 | September 6, 1985 |
| None (never married) | William Lyon Mackenzie King | November 25, 1926 | August 7, 1930 | ||||||
| None (never married) | R.B. Bennett | August 7, 1930 | October 23, 1935 | ||||||
| None (never married) | William Lyon Mackenzie King | October 23, 1935 | November 15, 1948 | ||||||
| 9 | 
|
Jeanne St. Laurent (née Renault) |
October 22, 1886 | May 19, 1908 | Louis Stephen St. Laurent | November 15, 1948 | 62 years, 24 days | June 21, 1957 | November 14, 1966 |
| 10 | .jpg)
|
Olive Diefenbaker (née Freeman) |
April 14, 1902 | December 8, 1953 | John Diefenbaker | June 21, 1957 | 55 years, 68 days | April 22, 1963 | December 22, 1976 |
| 11 | Maryon Pearson (née Moody) |
December 13, 1901 | August 22, 1925 | Lester B. Pearson | April 22, 1963 | 61 years, 130 days | April 20, 1968 | December 26, 1989 | |
| None (unmarried as of 1968; married in office) | Pierre Trudeau | April 20, 1968 | March 4, 1971 | ||||||
| 12 | 
|
Margaret Trudeau (née Sinclair) |
September 10, 1948 | March 4, 1971 | March 4, 1971 | 22 years, 175 days | June 4, 1979[a] | Living | |
| 13 | Maureen McTeer | September 27, 1952 | June 30, 1973 | Joe Clark | June 4, 1979 | 26 years, 250 days | March 3, 1980 | ||
| (12) |
|
Margaret Trudeau (née Sinclair) |
September 10, 1948 | March 4, 1971 | Pierre Trudeau | March 3, 1980 | 31 years, 175 days | April 2, 1984[a] | |
| None (divorced) | April 2, 1984 | June 30, 1984[a] | |||||||
| 14 | Geills Turner (née Kilgour) |
December 23, 1937 | May 11, 1963 | John Turner | June 30, 1984 | 46 years, 190 days | September 17, 1984 | Living | |
| 15 | 
|
Mila Mulroney (née Pivnički) |
July 13, 1953 | May 26, 1973 | Brian Mulroney | September 17, 1984 | 31 years, 66 days | June 25, 1993 | |
| None (divorced) | Kim Campbell | June 25, 1993 | November 4, 1993 | ||||||
| 16 | 
|
Aline Chrétien (née Chaîné) |
May 14, 1936 | September 10, 1957 | Jean Chrétien | November 4, 1993 | 57 years, 174 days | December 12, 2003 | September 12, 2020 |
| 17 | 
|
Sheila Martin (née Cowan) |
July 31, 1943 | September 11, 1965 | Paul Martin | December 12, 2003 | 60 years, 134 days | February 6, 2006 | Living |
| 18 | 
|
Laureen Harper (née Teskey) |
June 23, 1963 | December 11, 1993 | Stephen Harper | February 6, 2006 | 42 years, 228 days | November 4, 2015 | |
| 19 |
|
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau (née Grégoire) |
April 24, 1975 | May 28, 2005 | Justin Trudeau | November 4, 2015 | 40 years, 194 days | Present[b] |
- ^ a b c Pierre and Margaret Trudeau separated on May 27, 1977, but, did not obtain a divorce until April 2, 1984. Thus, they were married when Pierre first left the prime ministerial office, on June 4, 1979, and when he was reappointed as prime minister on March 3, 1980.
- ^ Justin and Sophie Trudeau separated on August 2, 2023.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Meet Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, Justin Trudeau's wife". CTV News. October 20, 2015. Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ a b Aiello, Rachel (August 2, 2023), Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau separating, after 18 years of marriage, CTV News, archived from the original on August 7, 2023, retrieved August 7, 2023
- ^ Thomas, William (July 10, 1993), "The lady prime minister syndrome", Hamilton Spectator
- ^ a b c Cosh, Colby (May 26, 2020), "Talk of a Canadian 'first lady' is a small step toward American dysfunction", National Post
- ^ Timson, Judith (April 1, 2008), "The First Ladies Club", The Globe and Mail, archived from the original on July 1, 2016, retrieved September 23, 2017
- ^ Shannon Proudfoot (May 12, 2016). "Sophie's role: What do we expect of prime ministers' spouses?". Maclean's. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ a b Kingston, Anne (August 13, 2007). "Wife of the party". Maclean's. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012.
- ^ a b c d "PM's wife stepping out of the shadows". The Vancouver Sun. December 3, 2010.
- ^ "The opinions the PM heeds". Maclean's. Vol. 109, no. 42. October 14, 1996. pp. 18–19.
- ^ Fotheringham, Allan (December 11, 2000). "Aline, the power player". Maclean's. Vol. 113, no. 50. p. 68.
- ^ English, John (1989). Shadow of Heaven: The Life of Lester Pearson. Toronto: Lester & Orpen Dennys. ISBN 0-88619-169-6..
- ^ "When Pierre Trudeau pulled off a surprise wedding". Archived from the original on February 22, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ Mochama, Vicky (May 17, 2016). "Sophie Gregoire Trudeau realizing how hard it is to win with everyone, all the time". Metro. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ Campbell, Kim (1996). Time and Chance: The Political Memoirs of Canada's First Woman Prime Minister. Toronto: Doubleday Canada. pp. 348. ISBN 0-385-25527-6.
- ^ Shannon Proudfoot (June 28, 2014). "'You could have equals living a relationship': Maureen McTeer redefined the role of political spouse". Maclean's. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ Mercedes Stephenson and Don Martin, "Debating the Role of the PM's Spouse". Power Play, May 13, 2016.
- ^ a b Kingston, Anne (November 27, 2015). "Sophie Grégoire-What? It may be 2015, but not for political wives". Maclean's. Archived from the original on August 26, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2015.