Spouses of the Prime Ministers of Canada

The spouse of the Prime Minister of Canada is the wife or husband of the Prime Minister of Canada. 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.

Public role

The Prime Minister is not the head of state; thus, his or her spouse does not play as active a role in Canadian affairs as the royal consorts and vice-regal consorts. The Prime Minister's spouse, however, frequently accompanies the Prime Minister on campaign and other public appearances, and often hosts dignitaries at the Prime Minister's residence, 24 Sussex Drive. At times, prime ministers' spouses have used their public status to promote charitable causesndash Mila Mulroney was a spokesperson for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and other children's charities, and Aline Chrétien was an active campaigner for literacy programs.

Some prime ministers' spouses have attracted a great deal of 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. Margaret Trudeau, whom Pierre Trudeau married while in office, became a notable celebrity in her own right. 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. Mila Mulroney also rose to some notoriety due to her spending habits, and was satirized in "Frank" as Imelda because of her purportedly large collection of shoes.

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 title is incorrect. 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.

Other notes

Canada has had two prime ministers who were bachelorsndash 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, the first Canadian Prime Minister to get married "during" his term in office, also began his term as a bachelorndash and ended it separated from Margaret Trudeau.

Three Canadian Prime Ministersndash John A. Macdonald, Alexander Mackenzie and John Diefenbakerndash were also widowers, who were each married to their second wives during their terms as Prime Minister. Macdonald's first wife was Isabella Clark, Mackenzie's was Helen Neil, and Diefenbaker's was Edna Brower.

Canada has also had one female Prime Minister, Kim Campbell; however, as she was not married during her term in office, there has never been a male spouse of the Prime Minister. 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, and Campbell had finalized her divorce from her second husband, Howard Eddy, in early 1993. She briefly dated Gregory Lekhtman, the inventor of Exerlopers, during her term as Prime Minister, but kept the relationship relatively private and did not involve him in the election campaign.

pouses of the Prime Ministers

(*)The Trudeaus separated in 1977 but did not obtain a divorce until April 2 1984. Trudeau left office in June 1984, two months after his divorce was finalized.