By Canadian Press

Would Mark Carney be the first unelected Prime Minister of Canada?

Mar 9, 2025 | 9:49 AM

OTTAWA — If Mark Carney wins the Liberal leadership race on Sunday, he would not be the first prime minister to be sworn in without having a seat in Parliament.

In June 1984, the unelected John Turner won the party leadership and succeeded Pierre Trudeau as prime minister two weeks later.

The Liberals went down to Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservatives in a landslide defeat that September, leaving Turner with a newly won seat but his party out of power.

In 1925 and again in 1945, Canada’s longest serving prime minister Mackenzie King lost his seat but remained at the Liberal helm to form government, winning byelections months afterward in both cases.

As far back as Confederation, Sir John A. Macdonald was appointed by the governor general to form the first constituent government on July 1, 1867, but was not elected to the House of Commons until a few weeks later.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his intention to resign in early January, confirmed on Thursday he intends to hand over his post in the next few days or weeks to his successor, with a general election likely this spring.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2025.

Michel Saba, The Canadian Press

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Liberal Party of Canada leadership candidates are shown in a composite image made from four photographs. From left to right, Karina Gould, Mark Carney, Chrystia Freeland and Frank Baylis are seen during press availabilities following the Liberal leadership race’s French-language debate in Montreal on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

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