In
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
, a First Ministers' conference is a meeting of the
provincial and territorial premiers and the
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
. These events are held at the call of the prime minister. They are usually held in
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...
.
Though known as "First Ministers' conferences" only since the 1960s, they ultimately trace their origin to the initial
constitutional convention held in the mid-1860s at
Charlottetown
Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in ...
,
PEI
PEI or Pei may refer to:
Places
*Matecaña International Airport, Pereira, Colombia, IATA code PEI
*Pei County (沛县), Jiangsu, China
*Pei Commandery (沛郡), a commandery in Chinese history
*Prince Edward Island, a province of Canada
*Pei, T ...
, then-capital of the British Province of Prince Edward Island. After confederation, two conferences of provincial premiers were held, in 1887 and 1902, in which the federal government was not represented.
Altogether, 76 First Ministers' conferences have been held since the first was convened by Prime Minister Sir
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, ( ; ; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime mini ...
in 1906, at the request of the provinces. Some important First Ministers' conferences were those leading up to the
Meech Lake and
Charlottetown Accord
The Charlottetown Accord (french: Accord de Charlottetown) was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada, proposed by the Canadian federal and provincial governments in 1992. It was submitted to a public referendum on October ...
s. The failed Charlottetown Accord contained a provision that would have made annual First Ministers' conferences obligatory.
The conferences are important for a number of reasons. A sizable portion of provincial funding (referred to as
transfer payment
In macroeconomics and finance, a transfer payment (also called a government transfer or simply transfer) is a redistribution of income and wealth by means of the government making a payment, without goods or services being received in return. Th ...
s) comes from the federal government, the conferences are an opportunity for the premiers to lobby for more money. Today it is common for the Premiers to meet beforehand to present a common front to the federal government. They are also important in that Canada's federal system leaves a fair amount of overlap between federal and provincial jurisdictions and most large initiatives require some provincial support.
The vast majority of the activity at a First Ministers' conference takes place behind closed doors. A public statement is issued after the conference.
Formerly, the government leaders of the
territories
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal.
In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...
were only occasionally invited to these conferences, depending on whether issues especially relevant to the north are being discussed. Today, these leaders normally attend the meetings. The national chief of the
Assembly of First Nations
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is an assembly of Canadian First Nations (Indian bands) represented by their chiefs. Established in 1982 and modelled on the United Nations General Assembly, it emerged from the National Indian Brotherhood, ...
may also be invited to attend when issues especially relevant to
First Nations communities are on the agenda; the group has lobbied for greater inclusion.
Support For The Assembly Of First Nations To Be Invited As An Equal Partner At The First Ministers' Conference On The Economy
. Assembly of First Nations, December 9, 2008.
List of First Ministers' conferences to date
* Sourc
Canadian intergovernmental Conference Secretariat
See also
*Council of Australian Governments
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) was the primary intergovernmental forum in Australia from 1992 to 2020. Comprising the federal government, the governments of the six states and two mainland territories and the Australian Local G ...
, Similar body in Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
*Joint Ministerial Committee (UK)
In the United Kingdom, the Interministerial Standing Committee (IMSC; cy, Y Pwyllgor Sefydlog Rhyngweinidogol) is a coordination body among the UK Government and devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, established in ...
, Similar body in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
*National Governors Association
The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the politica ...
, Similar body in the United States of America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
* Canadian Constitution
* Council of the Federation
* Politics of Canada
The politics of Canada function within a framework of parliamentary democracy and a federal system of parliamentary government with strong democratic traditions. Canada is a constitutional monarchy, in which the monarch is head of state. In pr ...
* Political Culture of Canada
References
{{reflist
1906 establishments in Canada
Political terminology in Canada
Recurring events established in 1906
Political conferences
Deliberative groups
Federalism in Canada