The spouse of the Prime Minister of Canada is the wife or husband of the Prime Minister of Canada. To date, 18 women have been the wife of the Prime Minister of Canada; Kim Campbell, Canada's only female prime minister to date, was unmarried during her time in office. 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.
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 is not a recognized title. 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. In any case, both the spouse of the Canadian monarch and that of the Governor General of Canada take precedence over a prime minister's spouse, rendering the notion untenable.
The current spouse of the prime minister is Laureen Harper, wife of Stephen Harper, who became prime minister on February 6, 2006.
Read more about Spouse Of The Prime Minister Of Canada: Public Role, Other Notes, Spouses of The Prime Ministers
Famous quotes containing the words spouse, prime, minister and/or canada:
“An early-rising man ... a good spouse but a bad husband.”
—Gabriel García Márquez (b. 1928)
“The prime lesson the social sciences can learn from the natural sciences is just this: that it is necessary to press on to find the positive conditions under which desired events take place, and that these can be just as scientifically investigated as can instances of negative correlation. This problem is beyond relativity.”
—Ruth Benedict (1887–1948)
“Just let him be minister if that’s what he desires, but without his brother and his brother-in-law.”
—Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872)
“In Canada an ordinary New England house would be mistaken for the château, and while every village here contains at least several gentlemen or “squires,” there is but one to a seigniory.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)