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Absolutely not. Just like every developed country, there is a continuity plan in case of issues. The deputy leader of the party in power is supposedly that pers
by philistine 2y ago
Absolutely not. Just like every developed country, there is a continuity plan in case of issues. The deputy leader of the party in power is supposedly that person. That the Governor General then appoints that person Prime Minister is an implementation detail.
It's just that in Canada, that continuity plan is reserved for unfortunate deaths. When a PM wants to resign, they basically do what Trudeau did; they announce their party will do a leadership race while they stay on as PM.
- throwup238 2y agoThe nuance here is that the Governor General by convention follows the advice of the PM, who establishes their continuity plan at the start of their government (IIRC it’s a standard party document and they just update the names). It’d cause a crisis with the monarchy but they’re not legally bound to appoint the deputy. Like you said it only applies to special circumstances, I was just addressing the legal mechanism by which it happens (as the OP talked about a PM dropping dead).
- philistine 2y agoIn the Westminster system, being bound by tradition and being bound by law (written law that is) both have the same legal weight. Our courts can render decision on the necessity of following tradition.