# List of prime ministers of Canada by time in office
The time in office of Canada's prime ministers is measured from the day a prime minister takes the oath of office to the day he or she resigns, dies or is dismissed. Since [Confederation](https://www.edgepedia.org/confederation) in 1867 there have been 30 Ministries, each defined by the tenure of its prime minister, and a prime minister who resigns but later returns forms a new Ministry.[1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-4/app06-e.html) No law limits how long a prime minister may serve; the only checks are elections and the confidence of the House of Commons.[2](https://termlimits.ca/multi-term-pms)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Longest total service | William Lyon Mackenzie King, 21 years and 154 days across three stretches (1921–1926, 1926–1930, 1935–1948)[2](https://termlimits.ca/multi-term-pms) |
| Longest unbroken service | Sir Wilfrid Laurier, 15 years and 87 days (1896–1911)[2](https://termlimits.ca/multi-term-pms) |
| Shortest service | 2 months and 7 days, held by Sir Charles Tupper (1 May to 8 July 1896)[3](https://rpsc.org/reference/history/pministers.htm) • [1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-4/app06-e.html) |
| Average tenure | 2,501 days per prime minister, based on Parliament of Canada data and excluding the current prime minister[4](https://www.funwithdata.ca/canada-facts/government/who-are-canadas-longest-and-shortest-serving-prime-ministers) |
| Term limits | None; unlike US presidents, capped at two terms since 1951, Canadian prime ministers face no legal limit[2](https://termlimits.ca/multi-term-pms) |
| Multi-term concentration | 8 multi-term prime ministers account for 63% of Canada's post-Confederation history, with an average tenure of 14.2 years[2](https://termlimits.ca/multi-term-pms) |
| Current incumbent | Mark Carney, Canada's 24th prime minister, sworn in on 14 March 2025[5](https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/about) • [1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-4/app06-e.html) |
## How tenure is counted
The duration of a Ministry, which is the body that carries out the day-to-day work of governing, is set by how long its prime minister serves. The Governor General appoints the prime minister, and the resignation of a prime minister brings down the Ministry as a whole.[1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-4/app06-e.html) Because several prime ministers served more than once, the count of Ministries (30) exceeds the count of individuals (23 people held the office through [Justin Trudeau](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-trudeau), with [Mark Carney](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-carney) the 24th).[1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-4/app06-e.html) • [5](https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/about)
Tenure ends in several ways recorded in the parliamentary record: election defeat, resignation, or death in office. Sir [John A. Macdonald](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-a-macdonald)'s second Ministry ended with his death on 6 June 1891, and [Sir John Thompson](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-sparrow-david-thompson)'s ended with his death on 12 December 1894.[1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-4/app06-e.html)
## The longest tenures
**William Lyon Mackenzie King** leads the list. His 21 years and 154 days in total spanned the [Great Depression](https://www.edgepedia.org/great-depression) and World War II, accumulated over three stretches separated by opposition periods. In 1926 he resigned after losing smaller-party support when the Governor General refused his request for dissolution; [Arthur Meighen](https://www.edgepedia.org/arthur-meighen) formed a government that lasted three days before being defeated in the House, and King returned to office after the September 1926 election.[2](https://termlimits.ca/multi-term-pms) • [1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-4/app06-e.html) No other person has held the office of prime minister longer anywhere in the [Commonwealth of Nations](https://www.edgepedia.org/commonwealth-of-nations).[6](https://www.ubcpress.ca/asset/106475/1/9780774871884_sample.pdf)
**Sir Wilfrid Laurier** holds the record for continuous service: 15 years and 87 days, from July 1896 to October 1911, ending with the election defeat of September 1911.[2](https://termlimits.ca/multi-term-pms) • [1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-4/app06-e.html)
Other lengthy tenures documented in the sources include:
- **Pierre Trudeau**, almost 16 years from 1968 to 1984, all consecutive except for the interruption from June 1979 to March 1980 between his two Ministries.[7](https://apnews.com/article/03b27b55590bda7fb341065dd51fb873) • [1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-4/app06-e.html)
- **Sir John A. Macdonald**, whose two Ministries ran from 1 July 1867 to 5 November 1873 and from 17 October 1878 to 6 June 1891.[1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-4/app06-e.html)
- **Stephen Harper**, nearly a decade from 6 February 2006 to 3 November 2015, the sixth-longest tenure in Canadian history.[8](https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/speeches/2026/02/03/prime-minister-carney-delivers-remarks-official-portrait-unveiling) • [1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-4/app06-e.html)
- **Brian Mulroney**, nine years from 1984 to 1993.[9](https://apnews.com/article/6f917202d1a60f6f0b11267bf729c2a8)
- **Jean Chrétien**, from 4 November 1993 to 11 December 2003.[1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-4/app06-e.html)
- **John Diefenbaker**, about five years from 1957 to 1963 over three election wins (1957, 1958, 1962); his 1958 landslide remains the largest share of seats in Canadian federal election history, and his minority government fell on a confidence vote in 1963.[2](https://termlimits.ca/multi-term-pms) • [1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-4/app06-e.html)
## The shortest tenures
**Sir Charles Tupper** served 2 months and 7 days, from 1 May to 8 July 1896, the shortest tenure of any Canadian prime minister. He was called upon after Sir Mackenzie Bowell's resignation and served during a dissolution period, ending with the general election of 23 June 1896.[3](https://rpsc.org/reference/history/pministers.htm) • [1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-4/app06-e.html)
Other brief tenures came from leaders who took office mid-parliament after a predecessor's resignation. **John Turner** served from 30 June to 16 September 1984, about 0.2 years, ending with the election of 4 September 1984; he was not a member of Parliament or a senator when he became prime minister, and the House did not meet during his tenure.[10](https://www.govscoreboard.ca/p/every-federal-government-since-1925) • [1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-4/app06-e.html) **Kim Campbell** served from 25 June to 3 November 1993, likewise without the House meeting during her tenure.[1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-4/app06-e.html)
## Patterns in the lengths of service
Tenure in Canada is concentrated among a small group. Just 8 multi-term prime ministers account for 63% of the country's post-Confederation history, and their average tenure of 14.2 years stands far above the overall average of 2,501 days (about 6.8 years) for all prime ministers.[2](https://termlimits.ca/multi-term-pms) • [4](https://www.funwithdata.ca/canada-facts/government/who-are-canadas-longest-and-shortest-serving-prime-ministers) The absence of term limits means tenure is bounded only by electoral results and House confidence; no Canadian prime minister in more than a century has won four straight terms.[2](https://termlimits.ca/multi-term-pms) • [7](https://apnews.com/article/03b27b55590bda7fb341065dd51fb873)
The most recent change of prime minister followed this pattern. Justin Trudeau served from 4 November 2015 to 13 March 2025, nearly a decade, and resigned rather than face a fourth election; Mark Carney was sworn in on 14 March 2025 and won the general election of 28 April 2025.[1](https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-4/app06-e.html) • [7](https://apnews.com/article/03b27b55590bda7fb341065dd51fb873)
## References
1. [Appendix 6: Government Ministries and Prime Ministers of Canada Since 1867, Procedure and Practice, Fourth Edition (2025), House of Commons of Canada](https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-4/app06-e.html)
2. [Multi-Term Prime Ministers of Canada, Term Limits Canada](https://termlimits.ca/multi-term-pms)
3. [RPSC: Canadian Stamp Sets – Prime Ministers, Royal Philatelic Society of Canada](https://rpsc.org/reference/history/pministers.htm)
4. [Who are Canada's longest and shortest-serving Prime Ministers, FWD (funwithdata.ca)](https://www.funwithdata.ca/canada-facts/government/who-are-canadas-longest-and-shortest-serving-prime-ministers)
5. [About the Prime Minister of Canada, pm.gc.ca](https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/about)
6. [The Enduring Riddle of Mackenzie King, UBC Press](https://www.ubcpress.ca/asset/106475/1/9780774871884_sample.pdf)
7. [Canada's Trudeau announces resignation after nearly a decade as prime minister, AP News (6 January 2025)](https://apnews.com/article/03b27b55590bda7fb341065dd51fb873)
8. [Prime Minister Carney delivers remarks at the Official Portrait Unveiling Ceremony for Stephen Harper, pm.gc.ca (3 February 2026)](https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/speeches/2026/02/03/prime-minister-carney-delivers-remarks-official-portrait-unveiling)
9. [Canada holds a state funeral to honor Brian Mulroney, AP News (23 March 2024)](https://apnews.com/article/6f917202d1a60f6f0b11267bf729c2a8)
10. [Every federal government since 1925, Gov Scoreboard](https://www.govscoreboard.ca/p/every-federal-government-since-1925)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Politics and government › Government and public administration › Prime ministers, cabinets, and ministries › Prime ministers of Canada*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license