Leader of the Opposition (Canada)

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The Leader of the Opposition (French: Chef de l'Opposition) in Canada is the Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons who leads Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition (the body in Parliament recognized as the Official Opposition).

He or she is entitled to the same levels of pay and protection as a Cabinet Minister. One who is the leader of the Opposition is entitled to reside at the official residence of Stornoway. The Leader of the Opposition ranks thirteenth on the Order of Precedence, after Ministers of the Crown in the Cabinet, and before Lieutenant-Governors of the provinces. In the House of Commons seating plan, the Opposition Leader directly faces the Prime Minister.

The current Leader of the Opposition is the Hon. Stéphane Dion of the Liberal Party of Canada. Previously, Bill Graham was the interim Opposition Leader after Stephen Harper became Prime Minister in January 2006.

[edit] Senate

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 of Commons. The exception is the period between 1993 and 2003 when succeeding Official Opposition parties in the House of Commons had no counterpart in the Senate. Since the Leader of the Opposition in the House is usually also a party leader he or she would appoint his or her counterpart in the Senate. From 1993 to 2003, the official opposition in the Senate was the Progressive Conservative Party, therefore the leader of the Progressive Conservatives in the House of Commons chose the leader of the opposition in the Senate.