The Leader of the government to the House of Commons (English: Leader off the Government in the House off Commons ) is the minister responsible for the planning and the management of the legislative program of the government to the House of Commons of Canada. Legally, the station does not form part of the the Council of Ministers, therefore all the Leaders of the government in room must also have another ministerial wallet. For a few years, wallets including/understanding only little or not responsibilities have been given to the Leaders of the government, enabling them to concentrate fully on the businesses of the House of Commons. Current Leader in Room is honourable the Peter Van Loan.

Role and responsibilities

The Leader of the government in Room works on behalf of the government while negotiating with the parliamentary Leaders of the opposition parties. That often includes discussions on the schedule of the room and can involve concessions with the opposition parties in order to ensure the fast adoption of a bill and the possible support of the opposition. The station is particularly crucial in situation of Minority government when no party holds the majority with the communes and the government must make sure the support of at least an opposition party, to not only make adopt its legislative program but also to remain with the capacity. The holder of this station must be an expert in parliamentary procedure in order to assert points of order in front of the President of the House of Commons; he must also be good strategist in order to thwart the operations of the opposition.

History

Of 1867 until the Second world war, the Prime Minister of Canada took up the duties of Leader of the government to the House of Commons and to deal with organizing and coordinating the businesses of the Room with the other parties. The expansion of the responsibilities for the government during the War pushes the Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King to indicate one of its ministers to delegate these responsibilities to him. In 1946, the post of Leader of the government in Room is officially recognized. In 1968, the Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau makes presidency of the private Conseil of the Queen for Canada one of the responsibilities for the Leader of the government.

Under the Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, the role of the Leader of the government and the President of the private Council were separate in 1989. Under Mulroney and its successors, the post of Leader in Room was often held by a minister of state without any specific wallet. Since 2003, the title of minister of state is abandoned except in the very formal circumstances with the profit of the title of Leader of the government to the House of Commons.

Jacques Saada, the first Leader in Room of the Prime Minister Paul Martin, was also minister responsible for the democratic Reform; however, with the election of a Minority government at the time of the federal election of 2004, it names Tony Valeri at the post of Leader of the government without additional responsibilities.

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