If Mark Carney wins the Liberal Party of Canada’s leadership race, he would become prime minister without being a member of Parliament — a situation some social media users claim would keep him from setting foot in the House of Commons. This is missing context; party leaders can head the government without representing a riding, and although they would not be able to sit or debate during House sessions, they may enter and observe from the gallery, parliamentary experts say.
“He is LITTERALLY (sic) going to (be) barred from the House of Commons because he has not been elected,” claims a January 17, 2025 post on X.
As Carney, a former head of the central banks of Canada and England, announced his entry to the Liberal leadership race to replace Justin Trudeau as the head of the party and Canada’s prime minister, users took to X, Facebook and Instagram to claim he would not be allowed in Parliament without being a member.
Screenshot of an X post taken January 23, 2025
In the House of Commons, Trudeau represents Montreal’s Papineau riding (archived here) and would engage in debates and answer queries during question periods on the floor as prime minister (archived here).
The House of Commons states on its website that in order to participate in House business, a member must be in their seat (archived here). Philippe Lagassé, an associate professor at Carleton University who specializes in the Westminster parliamentary system (archived here), said this means that if one does not have a seat, they cannot participate in any business.
However, he said this would not exclude Carney from “stepping foot” in Parliament if he were to become prime minister without a seat.
“Carney wouldn’t be barred from the House; he could sit in the gallery,” Lagassé said in a January 22 email. “But he couldn’t participate in debates or votes.”
Leaders without a seat
Lori Turnbull, a political science professor at Dalhousie University (archived here), agreed, saying Carney would not be able to be on the House floor as a member but that he could be in the gallery or the foyer.
“But I can’t imagine that’s how he wants to spend his time as a leader and a prime minister — on the outside looking in like some kid looking out a window,” she said in an interview on January 23.
Turnbull explained there is precedent for a party leader not having a seat in the House, given that it is permitted in the Westminster system which Canada follows. She pointed to British Columbia’s elections in 2011, where the provincial Liberals won a majority while leader Christy Clark did not win a seat in the legislature. Nevertheless, Clark was sworn in as the western province’s premier.
Former prime minister John Turner was also not a member of Parliament when he won the Liberal leadership race in 1984 and watched proceedings from the gallery, as seen in news footage.
Turner dissolved Parliament and called an election a handful of days after being sworn in as prime minister (archived here).
Turnbull said if a prime minister is not able to participate in House business, they usually delegate debate and response to another member of their party — something Trudeau regularly did even while he had a seat in Parliament (archived here).
However, she pointed out that not being a member of Parliament is not seen as an ideal position, so a leader would historically go on to present themselves in a by-election or the next federal election.
The new leader of the Liberal Party will be announced on March 9, 2025 and will automatically become prime minister. Carney’s closest competitors will likely be his friend, former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, and Government House Leader Karina Gould.
A federal election must take place by October 20, but with the Liberals’ poor performance in opinion polls and minority position in Parliament, they could face a snap election as early as April.
Read more of AFP’s reporting on misinformation in Canada here.
