Mark Carney, Canada’s next prime minister, will be banned from taking part in parliamentary debates or votes because he has not won a seat in an election.
Mr Carney replaced Justin Trudeau as the leader of the Liberals after a vote by party members and will soon be sworn in as prime minister.
The former central banker has never stood for political office before and is not a member of parliament, which means he cannot take part in debates, votes, or other business in Canada’s House of Commons.
He would have to watch the action from either the foyer or the press gallery, experts said, and delegate responsibilities to an elected MP until he wins a seat in the parliament in a by-election or general election.
Mr Carney, a former governor of the Bank of England, is expected to call early elections because the Liberals are in a minority in the parliament.
Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the opposition Conservative Party, has said he will call for a vote of no confidence when parliament returns.
“Carney wouldn’t be barred from the House; he could sit in the gallery. But he couldn’t participate in debates or votes,” Philippe Lagassé, an associate professor at Carleton University, said.
Lori Turnbull, a political science professor at Dalhousie University, said: “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.”
Clinched decisive victory
Mr Carney clinched a decisive victory on Sunday in the first round of a two-month leadership race triggered by Mr Trudeau’s resignation, taking 85.9 per cent of the vote by Liberal members.
There is nothing in Canada’s constitution to prevent the centrist technocrat taking over as leader, but convention dictates he will have to run for a seat sooner rather than later.
Only five of Canada’s 23 prime ministers have had the job while not having a seat. They either soon called a by-election in a safe seat or triggered a general election.
This happened in the 1890s, 1925, 1945 and most recently in 1984, when liberal John Turner replaced Justin Trudeau’s father, Pierre, for one of the shortest-lived governments in Canadian history.
Mr Turner watched debates from the gallery of the Commons after winning the leadership of the Liberals. Shortly after being sworn in as prime minister, he called fresh elections.
By law, Canada must hold elections every five years. The next one is due on Oct 20.
Trump will overshadow election
Mr Carney, 59, will be wary that Donald Trump could accuse him of lacking democratic legitimacy, as he did with Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine.
Mr Trump will overshadow the next election in a country he wants to turn into the 51st state and has hit with 25 per cent tariffs.
Mr Trudeau’s popularity had nosedived near the end of his 10-year stint in office, as Canadians struggled with the cost of living, housing and a health care crisis.
A career politician dubbed “Canada’s Trump”, Mr Poilievre enjoyed a commanding 44.8 per cent lead in the polls compared with the Liberals’ 21.9 per cent, on the day Mr Trump was inaugurated.
But Mr Trump’s trade war has reversed the Liberals’ decline. Latest figures suggest 40.3 per cent supporting the Conservatives and 30.8 per cent for the Liberals.
Mr Poilievre is now trying to distance himself from Mr Trump, while Mr Carney has declared that Canada will win the trade war with the US.
“Pierre Poilievre’s plan will leave us divided and ready to be conquered, because a person who worships at the altar of Donald Trump will kneel before him, not stand up to him,” Mr Carney said after being appointed on Sunday.