First Minister

The term First Minister refers to the leader of a cabinet

Table of contents

1 United Kingdom 2 Canada 3 Other

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the term First Minister was once used interchangeably with Prime Minister, as in Winston Churchill's famous line: "I did not become Her Majesty's First Minister so that I might oversee the liquidation of the British Empire!" However, the term has since been used only for the leaders of devolved assemblies set up in the late 1990s. See

• First Minister of Northern Ireland\n*First Minister of Scotland\n*First Minister of Wales

Canada

In Canada, First Ministers is a term that refers to all Canadian Heads of Government including the Prime Minister of Canada and the provincial and territorial premiers. It is used in such formulae as "first ministers' meetings."

Other

The title First Minister may be used to refer to the political leader of a subnational entity or a dependent territory. George Price held the office of First Minister of Belize between 1961 and 1964, when the title was changed to Premier. In Germany, the first minister in the federal states is known as the Minister-President.