Ottawa:
Mark Carney, the 24th Prime Minister of Canada, has called a snap election months ahead of the scheduled October polls. Elected the leader of the Liberal Party and sworn in as Prime Minister in March 2025, Mr Carney heads into the elections with some edge over his Conservative counterpart Pierre Poilievre.
There is no fixed term for the Prime Minister in Canada. He or she can hold the office as long as they have the confidence of the majority of the House of Commons. The shortest tenure in Canadian political history was that of Charles Tupper, who held the office for just 68 days in 1896.
Mr Tupper’s brief and turbulent time at the helm serves as a reminder of how quickly leadership can shift in a parliamentary democracy.
About Charles Tuppe
Born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, in 1821, Mr Tupper was a trained physician. He earned his medical degree in Scotland in 1843 before returning home to practice.
According to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography and The Canadian Encyclopedia, he is the only prime minister of Canada to have had a medical background. Yet it was politics, and not medicine, that defined his legacy.
Mr Tupper began his political career by defeating Liberal stalwart Joseph Howe in 1855 to secure a seat in Nova Scotia’s provincial assembly.
As part of the Conservative Party, he swiftly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming premier in 1864. His support for a united Canada played a critical role in shaping the Confederation. He persuaded the Nova Scotia House of Assembly to support the federal union in 1866, paving the way for the birth of Canada in 1867, according to a report in The National Post.
After Confederation, he transitioned to federal politics, serving in various roles under Prime Minister John A. Macdonald, including Minister of Public Works and Minister of Railways and Canals. Even while stationed in London as Canada’s High Commissioner to the UK, he remained a key political figure.
His return to active politics came after the sudden death of Prime Minister John Thompson in 1894. When Mackenzie Bowell failed to manage a party crisis over Manitoba’s education rights for Francophones, Mr Tupper was asked to step in as Secretary of State, with a clear understanding that he would become prime minister once Parliament was dissolved, according to a report in the National Post.
Mr Tupper formally assumed the premiership on May 1, 1896, at the age of 74, making him the oldest person to ever take office as Canadian prime minister. But his time was limited. Though the Conservatives won the popular vote in the June 23 election, they failed to secure a majority in the House of Commons. Wilfrid Laurier’s Liberals clinched more seats, forming a minority government.
He initially resisted relinquishing power, questioning Mr Laurier’s ability to govern. He even attempted to make appointments, which were rejected by then-Governor General Lord Aberdeen. Ultimately, Mr Tupper was compelled to resign without ever having set foot in Parliament as prime minister.
“He even began making appointments, none of which were approved by Lord Aberdeen,” the National Post reported.
If Mark Carney fails to secure a win in the April 28 election, he will replace Charles Tupper as Canada’s shortest-serving Prime Minister, with just 45 days in office.
