President of the King's Privy Council for Canada

"President of the Privy Council" redirects here. For the position in the United Kingdom, see Lord President of the Council.

In the Canadian cabinet, the president of the King's Privy Council for Canada (French: président du Conseil privé du Roi pour le Canada) is nominally in charge of the Privy Council Office. The president of the Privy Council also has the largely ceremonial duty of presiding over meetings of the Privy Council, a body which only convenes in full for affairs of state such as the accession of a new Sovereign or the marriage of the Prince of Wales or heir presumptive to the Throne. Accordingly, the last time the president of the Privy Council had to preside over a meeting of the Privy Council was in 2022 for the proclamation of the accession of King Charles III. It is the equivalent of the office of lord president of the council in the United Kingdom.

President of the King's Privy Council for Canada
Président du Conseil privé du Roi pour le Canada
Incumbent Harjit Sajjan since July 26, 2023
King's Privy Council for Canada
Style	The Honourable
Member of	House of Commons Privy Council Cabinet
Reports to	Parliament Prime Minister
Appointer	Monarch (represented by the governor general); on the advice of the prime minister
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure
Inaugural holder	Adam Johnston Fergusson Blair
Formation	1 July 1867
Salary	CA$269,800 (2019)
Website	pco-bcp.gc.ca

Under Prime Ministers Pierre Trudeau and Joe Clark the position was synonymous with that of government house leader. In 1989, the government house leader became a separate position and the president of the Privy Council became a largely honorary title (not unlike that of deputy prime minister of Canada) given to a senior minister in addition to other portfolios. From 1993 it has regularly been held by whoever holds the portfolio of minister of intergovernmental affairs. In the past decade the position has generally been seen to be the closest thing to a sinecure posting within the Cabinet.

The current president of the Privy Council is Harjit Sajjan.

List of presidents of the Privy Council

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Party		Prime Minister Party Term of office Cabinet		Monarch Reign
			Took office	Left office
1		Adam Johnston Fergusson Blair Senator for Ontario from October 1867 (1815–1867)	1 July 1867	30 December 1867		Liberal		Macdonald Liberal- Conservative (1867–1873) 1st	Victoria (1837–1901)
–		John A. Macdonald MP for Kingston (1815–1891) Acting President of the Privy Council	30 December 1867	30 January 1869		Liberal- Conservative
2		Joseph Howe MP for Hants (1804–1873)	30 January 1869	16 November 1869		Liberal- Conservative
3		Edward Kenny Senator for Nova Scotia (1800–1891)	16 November 1869	21 June 1870		Conservative
4		Charles Tupper MP for Cumberland (1821–1915)	21 June 1870	2 July 1872		Conservative
5		John O'Connor MP for Essex (1824–1887)	2 July 1872	4 March 1873		Conservative
–		John A. Macdonald MP for Kingston (1815–1891) Acting President of the Privy Council	4 March 1873	14 June 1873		Liberal- Conservative
6		Hugh McDonald MP for Antigonish (1827–1899)	14 June 1873	1 July 1873		Liberal- Conservative
–		John A. Macdonald MP for Kingston (1815–1891) Acting President of the Privy Council	1 July 1873	7 November 1873		Liberal- Conservative
–		Alexander Mackenzie MP for Lambton (1822–1892) Acting President of the Privy Council	7 November 1873	20 January 1874		Liberal		Mackenzie Liberal (1873–1878) 2nd
7		Lucius Seth Huntington MP for Shefford (1827–1886)	20 January 1874	9 October 1875		Liberal
–		Alexander Mackenzie MP for Lambton (1822–1892) Acting President of the Privy Council	9 October 1875	7 December 1875		Liberal
8		Joseph-Édouard Cauchon MP for Quebec-Centre (1816–1885)	7 December 1875	8 June 1877		Conservative
9		Edward Blake (1833–1912)	8 June 1877	17 January 1878		Liberal
–		Alexander Mackenzie MP for Lambton (1822–1892) Acting President of the Privy Council	18 January 1878	17 October 1878		Liberal
(5)		John O'Connor MP for Russell (1824–1887)	17 October 1878	16 January 1880		Conservative		Macdonald Liberal- Conservative (1878–1891) 3rd
10		Louis-Rodrigue Masson MP for Terrebonne (1833–1903)	16 January 1880	1 August 1880		Conservative
–		John A. Macdonald MP for Victoria (1815–1891) Acting President of the Privy Council	1 August 1880	8 November 1880		Liberal- Conservative
11		Joseph-Alfred Mousseau MP for Bagot (1837–1886)	8 November 1880	20 May 1881		Conservative
12		Archibald McLelan MP for Colchester (1824–1890)	20 May 1881	10 July 1882		Conservative
–		John A. Macdonald MP for Carleton (1815–1891) Acting President of the Privy Council	10 July 1882	17 October 1883		Liberal- Conservative
13		John A. Macdonald MP for Carleton until 1887 MP for Kingston from 1887 (1815–1891)	17 October 1883	28 November 1889		Liberal- Conservative
14		Charles Carroll Colby MP for Stanstead until 1891 (1827–1907)	28 November 1889	1 May 1891		Liberal- Conservative
–		John A. Macdonald MP for Kingston (1815–1891) Acting President of the Privy Council	1 May 1891	16 June 1891		Liberal- Conservative
15		John Abbott Senator for Inkerman, Quebec (1821–1893)	16 June 1891	5 December 1892		Liberal- Conservative		Abbott Liberal- Conservative (1891–1892) 4th
–		John Sparrow David Thompson MP for Antigonish (1845–1894) Acting President of the Privy Council	5 December 1892	7 December 1892		Liberal- Conservative		Thompson Liberal- Conservative (1892–1894) 5th
16		William Bullock Ives MP for Town of Sherbrooke (1841–1899)	7 December 1892	12 December 1894		Conservative
17		Mackenzie Bowell Senator for Hastings, Ontario (1823–1917)	21 December 1894	1 May 1896		Conservative		Bowell Conservative (1894–1896) 6th
18		Auguste-Réal Angers Senator for De la Vallière, Quebec until June 1896 (1837–1919)	1 May 1896	8 July 1896		Conservative		Tupper Conservative (1896) 7th
19		Wilfrid Laurier MP for Quebec East (1841–1919)	11 July 1896	10 October 1911		Liberal		Laurier Liberal (1896–1911) 8th
									Edward VII (1901–1910)
									George V (1910–1936)
20		Robert Borden MP for Halifax until 1917 MP for Kings from 1917 (1854–1937)	10 October 1911	12 October 1917		Conservative		Borden Conservative (1911–1920) 9th, 10th
21		Newton Rowell MP for Durham (1867–1941)	12 October 1917	10 July 1920		Unionist
22		James Alexander Calder MP for Moose Jaw (1868–1956)	10 July 1920	21 September 1921		Unionist		Meighen Conservative (1920–1921) 11th
23		Louis-Philippe Normand (1863–1928)	21 September 1921	29 December 1921		Conservative
24		William Lyon Mackenzie King MP for York North until 1925 MP for Prince Albert from 1926 (1874–1950)	29 December 1921	29 June 1926		Liberal		King Liberal (1921–1926) 12th
25		Arthur Meighen MP for Portage la Prairie until September 1926 (1874–1960)	29 June 1926	25 September 1926		Conservative		Meighen Conservative (1926) 13th
(24)		William Lyon Mackenzie King MP for Prince Albert (1874–1950)	25 September 1926	7 August 1930		Liberal		King Liberal (1926–1930) 14th
26		R. B. Bennett MP for Calgary West (1870–1947)	7 August 1930	23 October 1935		Conservative		Bennett Conservative (1930–1935) 15th
(24)		William Lyon Mackenzie King MP for Prince Albert until 1945 MP for Glengarry from 1945 (1874–1950)	23 October 1935	15 November 1948		Liberal		King Liberal (1935–1948) 16th
									Edward VIII (1936)
									George VI (1936–1952)
27		Louis St. Laurent MP for Quebec East (1882–1973)	15 November 1948	25 April 1957		Liberal		St. Laurent Liberal (1948–1957) 17th
									Elizabeth II (1952–2022)
28		Lionel Chevrier MP for Laurier (1903–1987)	25 April 1957	21 June 1957		Liberal
29		John Diefenbaker MP for Prince Albert (1895–1979)	21 June 1957	28 December 1961		Progressive Conservative		Diefenbaker Progressive Conservative (1957–1963) 18th
30		Noël Dorion MP for Bellechasse (1904–1980)	28 December 1961	5 July 1962		Progressive Conservative
–		John Diefenbaker MP for Prince Albert (1895–1979) Acting President of the Privy Council	5 July 1962	21 December 1962		Progressive Conservative
(29)		John Diefenbaker MP for Prince Albert (1895–1979)	21 December 1962	22 April 1963		Progressive Conservative
31		Maurice Lamontagne MP for Outremont–Saint-Jean (1917–1983)	22 April 1963	3 February 1964		Liberal		Pearson Liberal (1963–1968) 19th
32		George McIlraith MP for Outremont–Saint-Jean (1908–1992)	3 February 1964	7 July 1965		Liberal
33		Guy Favreau MP for Papineau (1917–1967)	7 July 1965	4 April 1967		Liberal
34		Walter L. Gordon MP for Davenport (1906–1987)	4 April 1967	11 March 1968		Liberal
–		Pierre Trudeau MP for Mount Royal (1919–2000) Acting President of the Privy Council	11 March 1968	2 May 1968		Liberal
								P. Trudeau Liberal (1968–1979) 20th
–		Allan MacEachen MP for Inverness—Richmond until 1968 MP for Cape Breton Highlands—Canso from 1968 (1921–2017) Acting President of the Privy Council	2 May 1968	6 July 1968		Liberal
35		Donald Stovel Macdonald MP for Rosedale (1932–2018)	6 July 1968	24 September 1970		Liberal
36		Allan MacEachen MP for Cape Breton Highlands—Canso (1921–2017)	24 September 1970	8 August 1974		Liberal
37		Mitchell Sharp MP for Eglinton (1911–2004)	8 August 1974	14 September 1976		Liberal
(36)		Allan MacEachen MP for Cape Breton Highlands—Canso (1921–2017)	14 September 1976	4 June 1979		Liberal
38		Walter Baker MP for Nepean—Carleton (1930–1983)	4 June 1979	3 March 1980		Progressive Conservative		Clark Progressive Conservative (1979–1980) 21st
39		Yvon Pinard MP for Drummond (born 1940)	3 March 1980	30 June 1984		Liberal		P. Trudeau Liberal (1980–1984) 22nd
40		André Ouellet MP for Papineau (born 1939)	30 June 1984	17 September 1984		Liberal		Turner Liberal (1984) 23rd
41		Erik Nielsen MP for Yukon (1924–2008)	17 September 1984	27 February 1985		Progressive Conservative		Mulroney Progressive Conservative (1984–1993) 24th
42		Ray Hnatyshyn MP for Saskatoon West (1934–2002)	27 February 1985	30 June 1986		Progressive Conservative
43		Don Mazankowski MP for Vegreville (1935–2020)	30 June 1986	21 April 1991		Progressive Conservative
44		Joe Clark MP for Yellowhead (born 1939)	21 April 1991	25 June 1993		Progressive Conservative
45		Pierre Blais MP for Bellechasse (born 1948)	25 June 1993	4 November 1993		Progressive Conservative		Campbell Progressive Conservative (1993) 25th
46		Marcel Massé MP for Hull—Aylmer (born 1940)	4 November 1993	25 January 1996		Liberal		Chrétien Liberal (1993–2003) 26th
47		Stéphane Dion MP for Saint-Laurent—Cartierville (born 1955)	25 January 1996	12 December 2003		Liberal
48		Denis Coderre MP for Bourassa (born 1963)	12 December 2003	20 July 2004		Liberal		Martin Liberal (2003–2006) 27th
49		Lucienne Robillard MP for Westmount—Ville-Marie (born 1945)	20 July 2004	7 February 2006		Liberal
50		Michael Chong MP for Wellington—Halton Hills (born 1971)	7 February 2006	27 November 2006		Conservative		Harper Conservative (2006–2015) 28th
51		Peter Van Loan MP for York—Simcoe (born 1963)	27 November 2006	4 January 2007		Conservative
52		Rona Ambrose MP for Edmonton—Spruce Grove (born 1969)	4 January 2007	30 October 2008		Conservative
53		Josée Verner MP for Louis-Saint-Laurent until 2011 (born 1959)	30 October 2008	18 May 2011		Conservative
54		Peter Penashue MP for Labrador (born 1964)	18 May 2011	14 March 2013		Conservative
55		Denis Lebel MP for Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean (born 1954)	15 March 2013	4 November 2015		Conservative
56		Maryam Monsef MP for Peterborough—Kawartha (born 1984)	4 November 2015	10 January 2017		Liberal		J. Trudeau Liberal (since 2015) 29th
57		Karina Gould MP for Burlington (born 1987)	10 January 2017	18 July 2018		Liberal
58		Dominic LeBlanc MP for Beauséjour (born 1967)	18 July 2018	26 October 2021		Liberal
59		Bill Blair MP for Scarborough Southwest (born 1954)	26 October 2021	26 July 2023		Liberal
									Charles III (since 2022)
60		Harjit Sajjan MP for Vancouver South (born 1970)	26 July 2023	Incumbent		Liberal

External links

• Privy Council Office