This article is about the political advisor to a federal party leader on Quebec issues. For the representative of the monarch in Quebec, see Lieutenant Governor of Quebec.

In Canadian politics, a Quebec lieutenant (/lɛfˈtɛnənt/) is a Quebec politician who is selected by the leader of a federal party to be the main advisor or spokesperson on issues specific to Quebec. This is particularly the case when the leader is an anglophone, though several francophone leaders have also had Quebec lieutenants. It is typically filled by a Member of Parliament or at least a current or former candidate for Parliament. The position is usually a well-known but often unofficial assignment, and has no official legal status.

Notable Quebec lieutenants

Some past and current Quebec lieutenants include:

Liberal

LieutenantRidingTook officeLeft officeLeaderWilfrid LaurierDrummond—Arthabaska (before 1877)
Quebec East (after 1877)		18741887Alexander Mackenzie
Edward Blake		None18871896Wilfrid LaurierJoseph-Israël TarteSt. Johns—Iberville (before 1900)
Sainte-Marie (after 1900)		18961902Wilfrid LaurierNone19021921Wilfrid Laurier
Daniel Duncan McKenzie (interim)
William Lyon Mackenzie King		Ernest LapointeQuebec East19211941William Lyon Mackenzie KingLouis Saint-LaurentQuebec East19411948William Lyon Mackenzie KingNone19481963Louis Saint-Laurent
Lester B. Pearson		Guy FavreauPapineau19631967Lester B. PearsonJean MarchandQuebec West (before 1968)
Langelier (after 1968)		19671975[1]Lester B. Pearson
Pierre Trudeau		Marc LalondeOutremont1975[1]1984Pierre TrudeauRaymond GarneauLaval-des-Rapides19841988John TurnerNone19881993John Turner
Herb Gray (interim)		Marcel MasséHull—Aylmer19931999Jean ChrétienAlfonso GaglianoSaint-Léonard—Saint-Michel19992002Jean ChrétienMartin CauchonOutremont20022003Jean ChrétienJean LapierreOutremont20032006Paul MartinNone20062007Bill Graham (interim)
Stéphane Dion		Marcel ProulxHull—Aylmer2007[2]2007Stéphane DionCéline Hervieux-PayetteNone[n 1]2007[3]2008Stéphane DionDenis CoderreBourassa2009[4]2009[5]Michael IgnatieffRémi Bujold (as Chief Provincial Organizer)
Marc Garneau (as Leader's Representative)[n 2]		None (Bujold)
Westmount—Ville-Marie (Garneau)		2009[6][7]2011Michael IgnatieffNone20112019Bob Rae (interim)
Justin Trudeau		Pablo RodriguezHonoré-Mercier2019[8]2024Justin TrudeauJean-Yves DuclosQuébec2024[9]2025Justin TrudeauSteven GuilbeaultLaurier—Sainte-Marie2025[10]2025[11]Mark CarneyJoël LightboundLouis-Hébert2025[12]PresentMark Carney

Conservative (1867–1942)

LieutenantRidingTook officeLeft officeLeaderGeorge-Étienne CartierMontreal East18671873John A. MacdonaldHector LangevinDorchester (before 1876)
Charlevoix (1876–1878)
Trois-Rivières (after 1878)		18731891John A. MacdonaldJoseph-Aldric OuimetLaval18911896John Abbott
John Sparrow David Thompson
Mackenzie Bowell
Charles Tupper		None18961911Charles Tupper
Robert Borden		Frederick Debartzch MonkJacques-Cartier19111914Robert BordenPierre-Édouard BlondinChamplain19141921Robert BordenNone19211925Arthur MeighenEsioff-Léon PatenaudeNone[n 3]19251926Arthur MeighenNone19261942Hugh Guthrie (interim)
R. B. Bennett
Robert Manion
Richard Hanson (interim)
Arthur Meighen

Progressive Conservative

LieutenantDistrict
(Area)		Took officeLeft officeLeaderNone19421949John Bracken
George A. Drew		Georges-Henri HéonArgenteuil19491949George A. DrewNone19491957George A. Drew
William Earl Rowe
John Diefenbaker		Léon BalcerTrois-Rivières19571965John DiefenbakerNone19651967John DiefenbakerMarcel FaribaultNone[n 4]19671968Robert StanfieldNone19681972Robert StanfieldClaude WagnerSaint-Hyacinthe19721978Robert Stanfield
Joe Clark		None19781988Joe Clark
Erik Nielsen (interim)
Brian Mulroney		Lucien BouchardLac-Saint-Jean19881990Brian MulroneyBenoît BouchardRoberval19901993Brian MulroneyMonique LandryBlainville—Deux-Montagnes19931993Kim CampbellNone19931998Jean Charest
Elsie Wayne (interim)		André BachandRichmond—Arthabaska19982004Joe Clark
Peter MacKay

Canadian Alliance

LieutenantRidingTook officeLeft officeLeaderGérard LatulippeNone[n 5]20002000Stockwell Day

Conservative (2004–present)

LieutenantRidingTook officeLeft officeLeaderJosée VernerNone[n 6]20042005Stephen HarperLawrence CannonPontiac20052008Stephen HarperChristian ParadisMégantic—L'Érable2008[13]2013Stephen HarperDenis LebelRoberval—Lac-Saint-Jean (before 2015)
Lac-Saint-Jean (after 2015)		2013[14]2017Stephen Harper
Rona Ambrose (interim)		Alain RayesRichmond—Arthabaska2017[15]2020Andrew Scheer
Erin O'Toole		Richard MartelChicoutimi—Le Fjord2020[16]2021Erin O'TooleAlain RayesRichmond—Arthabaska2021[17]2022Erin O'Toole
Candice Bergen (interim)		Luc BertholdMégantic—L'Érable2022[17]2022Candice Bergen (interim)Pierre Paul-HusCharlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles2022[18]PresentPierre Poilievre

Social Credit

LieutenantRidingTook officeLeft officeLeaderRéal CaouetteVilleneuve1961[19]1963[n 7]Robert N. Thompson

New Democratic

LieutenantRidingTook officeLeft officeLeaderGérard Picard[20][21]None[n 8]19611963Tommy DouglasRobert ClicheNone[n 9]19641968Tommy DouglasNone19681989Tommy Douglas
David Lewis
Ed Broadbent		Claude RompréNone[n 10]19891990Ed Broadbent
Audrey McLaughlin		None19902003Audrey McLaughlin
Alexa McDonough		Pierre DucasseNone[n 11]20032007[n 12]Jack LaytonTom MulcairOutremont2007[22]2012Jack Layton
Nycole Turmel (interim)		Alexandre BoulericeRosemont—La Petite-Patrie2012[23]2026Tom Mulcair
Jagmeet Singh
Don Davies (interim)

Notes

  1. ^ Hervieux-Payette represented the senatorial division of Bedford.
  2. ^ Position split into two: leaders' representative/advisor and chief provincial organizer.[7]
  3. ^ Patenaude ran in Jacques-Cartier in 1925 and 1926 and was defeated both times.
  4. ^ Faribault ran in Gamelin in 1968 and was defeated.
  5. ^ Latulippe ran in Charlesbourg—Jacques Cartier in 2000 and was defeated.
  6. ^ Verner ran in Louis-Saint-Laurent in 2004 and was defeated. She would later be elected to represent the riding in 2006.
  7. ^ In 1963 the Quebec wing of the party split into the Ralliement des créditistes under Caouette's leadership.
  8. ^ Picard ran in Montreal—Mercier in 1963 and lost.
  9. ^ Cliche ran in Beauce in 1965 and Duvernay in 1968 and was defeated both times.
  10. ^ Rompré ran in Saint-Maurice in 1986 and 1988 and was defeated both times.
  11. ^ Ducasse ran in Manicouagan in 2004 and 2006 and Hull—Aylmer in 2008 and was defeated each time. He had also been associate president of the party since 2001 and ran in its 2003 leadership election, in which Layton was elected.
  12. ^ Ducasse continued to serve as Layton's Quebec special advisor following Mulcair's appointment.

References

  1. ^ Thomson, Peter (February 26, 1975). "Marchand resigns as Quebec Lieutenant". Montreal Star Transport Minister Jean Marchand today announced his resignation as leader of the Quebec wing of the Liberal party. He will be succeeded by Health and Welfare Minister Marc Lalonde.
  2. ^ "Le PLC veut regagner le coeur des francophones". www.cyberpresse.ca
  3. ^ "Gilles Toupin : Hervieux-Payette devient le lieutenant de Dion au Québec". www.cyberpresse.ca
  4. ^ "Coderre devient lieutenant politique au Québec". La Presse. January 22, 2009. – via www.lapresse.ca.
  5. ^ "Coderre steps down as Ignatieff's Quebec lieutenant". September 28, 2009. Archived from the original on September 30, 2009.
  6. ^ Marc Garneau named Quebec lieutenant, Montreal Gazette, October 7, 2009 Archived October 10, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Ignatieff names new Quebec organizer, Montreal Gazette, October 21, 2009[dead link]
  8. ^ "These 10 Quebec MPs are in Trudeau's new cabinet". CTV News. The Canadian Press. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  9. ^ "PM Justin Trudeau to adjust cabinet roles today, as Pablo Rodriguez quits". CTV News. September 19, 2024. Archived from the original on September 19, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  10. ^ Carney, Mark (March 14, 2025). "Swearing-in of the 30th Canadian Ministry". Ottawa, Ontario: Office of the Prime Minister (Canada). Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  11. ^ "x.com/s_guilbeault/status/1994161758148399593". Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  12. ^ Major, Darren (1 December 2025). "Carney brings Trudeau-era minister back into cabinet, adds responsibilities to 2 others". CBC News. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  13. ^ Bellavance, Joël-Denis (October 30, 2008). "Harper dévoile son nouveau cabinet". La Presse. – via www.lapresse.ca.
  14. ^ "Harper shakes up his Quebec team". The Globe and Mail. August 4, 2013. – via www.theglobeandmail.com.
  15. ^ QMI, Agence (June 24, 2017). "Alain Rayes devient lieutenant politique des conservateurs pour le Québec". Le Journal de Québec
  16. ^ "Conservative Party: Richard Martel becomes Quebec lieutenant, Gérard Deltell becomes parliamentary leader" (in French). HuffPost. September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  17. ^ "Alain Rayes resigns as Conservative Party's Quebec lieutenant". CBC News. February 6, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  18. ^ "L'équipe de Poilievre ferait pression sur Rayes pour qu'il quitte son poste de député". ICI Radio-Canada. September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  19. ^ "Perspective Monde". perspective.usherbrooke.ca
  20. ^ Chef du NPD dans le Québec, La Presse, February 26, 1963
  21. ^ The Labour World, February 1963
  22. ^ NDP recruits ex-Quebec environment minister Thomas Mulcair for next election, EarthEast, April 20, 2007 [dead link]
  23. ^ "Your NDP Team « Canada's NDP"