Spouses of the Prime Ministers of Canada

Unlike in the United States, the wife of the Prime Minister of Canada does not have a prominent role. Although some commentators have tried to style prime minister's wives as "First Lady of Canada," this title is not officially recognized. Use of the term is likely based more on the pervasive influence of American media than on any historical notions of a defined public role for the Prime Minister's spouse.

While the American First Lady has a number responsibilities and usually her own staff, the same is not true of the wife of the Prime Minister. This is partially a reflection of the much smaller role of the personal lives of politicians in Canadian media and the fact that the Canadian PM is not the head of state (see also Canadian Monarchy; Governor General of Canada).

Some Prime Ministers' wives have attracted a great deal of attention, however. Margaret Trudeau, who Pierre Trudeau married while in office, became a notable celebrity in her own right, especially during and after the couple's divorce. Maureen McTeer, in turn, attracted controversy when she became the first spouse of a Prime Minister to retain her own surname after marriage. Mila Mulroney also rose to some notoriety due to her extravagant spending habits.

At times, Prime Ministers' wives have used their public status to promote charitable causes--Mila Mulroney was a spokesperson for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and other children's charities and Aline Chrétien was an active campaigner for literacy programs.

Canada has also had a long tradition of bachelor Prime Ministers. William Lyon Mackenzie King, R.B. Bennett and Pierre Trudeau were all noted bachelors. Canada has had one female Prime Minister, Kim Campbell. However, as she was not married during her term in office, there has never been a "husband of the Prime Minister."

Rank	Name	Dates	Spouse of
1.	Susan Agnes Bernard	July 1, 1867 - November 5, 1873	Sir John A. Macdonald
2.	Jane Sym	November 7, 1873 - October 8, 1878	Alexander Mackenzie
3.	Susan Agnes Bernard	October 17, 1878 - June 6, 1891	Sir John A. Macdonald
4.	Mary Bethune	June 16, 1891 - November 24, 1892	John Joseph Caldwell Abbott
5.	Annie Affleck	December 5, 1892 - December 12, 1894	John Sparrow David Thompson
6.	Harriet Moore	December 21, 1894 - April 27, 1896	Mackenzie Bowell
7.	Frances Morse	May 1, 1896 - July 8, 1896	Sir Charles Tupper
8.	Zoe Lafontaine	July 11, 1896 - October 7, 1911	Wilfrid Laurier
9.	Laura Bond	October 10, 1911 - July 10, 1920	Sir Robert Laird Borden
10.	Isabel J. Cox	July 10, 1920 - December 29, 1921	Sir Arthur Meighen
		June 29, 1926 - September 25, 1926
11.	Jeanne Renault	November 15, 1948 - June 21, 1957	Louis Stephen St. Laurent
12.	Olive Palmer	June 21, 1957 - April 22, 1963	John George Diefenbaker
13.	Maryon Moody	April 22, 1963 - April 20, 1968	Lester Bowles Pearson
14.	Margaret Sinclair	March 4, 1971 - 1977	Pierre Trudeau
15.	Maureen McTeer	June 4, 1979 - March 2, 1980	Joe Clark
16.	Geills McCrae Kilgour	June 30, 1984 - September 17, 1984	John Napier Turner
17.	Mila Pivnicki	September 17, 1984 - June 25, 1993	Brian Mulroney
18.	Aline Chainé	November 4, 1993 - December 12, 2003	Jean Chrétien
19.	Sheila Ann Cowan	December 12, 2003 -	Paul Martin, Jr