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The term First Minister refers to the leader of a cabinet.

a class="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m860904",this)' onMouseout='hide("m860904")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Canada">Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, "First Ministers" is a collective term that refers to all Canadian first ministers of the Crown
Minister of the Crown

Minister of the Crown is the formal constitutional term used in the Commonwealth realms to describe a Minister to the reigning sovereign. The term indicates that the minister serves in theory At Her Majesty's Pleasure, and advises the monarch, or viceroy, on how to exercise the Crown prerogatives relative to the minister's department or...
, otherwise known as heads of government
Head of government

The head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet . In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled Prime Minister, President of the Government, Premier, etc....
, including the Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada

The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary Minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet of Canada, and thus head of government of Canada. The office is not outlined in any of the documents that constitute the written portion of the constitution of Canada; executive authority is formally vested in the Monarchy of Canada and exercised on hi...
 and the provincial and territorial
Provinces and territories of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the List of countries and outlying territories by total area. The major difference between a Canada province and a territory is that a province receives its power and authority directly from the Monarchy in Canada, via the Constitution Act, 1867, whereas territories derive their manda...
 premier
Premier

A premier is a title for the head of government in some countries.In many nations, the title "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister": for example, the "Italy Premier" is the same person as the "Italian President of the Council of Ministers"....
s. It is used in such formulae as "first ministers' meetings."

In Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is a Provinces and territories of Canada of Canada, on the country's Atlantic Ocean coast in northeastern North America....
, the Inuit
Inuit

Inuit is a general term for a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland, Russia and Alaska, United States....
 self-governing region of Nunatsiavut
Nunatsiavut

Nunatsiavut is an area claimed by the Inuit in Canada . The claim extends from Labrador to Quebec. In the year 2002, the Labrador Inuit Association submitted a proposal for limited autonomy to the government of Newfoundland and Labrador....
 provides for a First Minister responsible to the Nunatsiavut Assembly.

head of government of Norway was called First Minister between 1814 and 1873, while it was in personal union
Personal union

A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states are governed by the same monarch, while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct....
 with Sweden
Union between Sweden and Norway

The Union between Sweden and Norway , was the union of the kingdoms of Sweden and Norway between 1814 and 1905, when they were united under one monarch in a personal union, following the Treaty of Kiel, the declaration of Norway in 1814, a Swedish campaign against Norway , the Convention of Moss, on August 14, 1814, and the Norwegian constitu...
.






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Encyclopedia


The term First Minister refers to the leader of a cabinet.

Canada

In Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, "First Ministers" is a collective term that refers to all Canadian first ministers of the Crown
Minister of the Crown

Minister of the Crown is the formal constitutional term used in the Commonwealth realms to describe a Minister to the reigning sovereign. The term indicates that the minister serves in theory At Her Majesty's Pleasure, and advises the monarch, or viceroy, on how to exercise the Crown prerogatives relative to the minister's department or...
, otherwise known as heads of government
Head of government

The head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet . In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled Prime Minister, President of the Government, Premier, etc....
, including the Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada

The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary Minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet of Canada, and thus head of government of Canada. The office is not outlined in any of the documents that constitute the written portion of the constitution of Canada; executive authority is formally vested in the Monarchy of Canada and exercised on hi...
 and the provincial and territorial
Provinces and territories of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the List of countries and outlying territories by total area. The major difference between a Canada province and a territory is that a province receives its power and authority directly from the Monarchy in Canada, via the Constitution Act, 1867, whereas territories derive their manda...
 premier
Premier

A premier is a title for the head of government in some countries.In many nations, the title "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister": for example, the "Italy Premier" is the same person as the "Italian President of the Council of Ministers"....
s. It is used in such formulae as "first ministers' meetings."

In Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is a Provinces and territories of Canada of Canada, on the country's Atlantic Ocean coast in northeastern North America....
, the Inuit
Inuit

Inuit is a general term for a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland, Russia and Alaska, United States....
 self-governing region of Nunatsiavut
Nunatsiavut

Nunatsiavut is an area claimed by the Inuit in Canada . The claim extends from Labrador to Quebec. In the year 2002, the Labrador Inuit Association submitted a proposal for limited autonomy to the government of Newfoundland and Labrador....
 provides for a First Minister responsible to the Nunatsiavut Assembly.

Norway

The head of government of Norway was called First Minister between 1814 and 1873, while it was in personal union
Personal union

A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states are governed by the same monarch, while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct....
 with Sweden
Union between Sweden and Norway

The Union between Sweden and Norway , was the union of the kingdoms of Sweden and Norway between 1814 and 1905, when they were united under one monarch in a personal union, following the Treaty of Kiel, the declaration of Norway in 1814, a Swedish campaign against Norway , the Convention of Moss, on August 14, 1814, and the Norwegian constitu...
. In 1893, 12 years prior to the dissolution of the union, it was changed to Prime Minister (statsminister).

United Kingdom


In the United Kingdom, the term First Minister was once used interchangeably with Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom and the head of government Her Majesty's Government....
, as in Winston Churchill's
Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, Order of the Garter, Order of Merit, Order of the Companions of Honour, Territorial Decoration, Fellow of the Royal Society, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Queen's Privy Council for Canada was a Politics of the United Kingdom known chiefly for his leadership of the United King...
 famous line: "I did not become Her Majesty's First Minister so that I might oversee the liquidation of the British Empire!"

Nowadays, the term is used to describe the leader of the devolved
Devolution

Devolution is the Statute granting of powers from the central government of a state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level....
 governments of Wales
Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
, Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
, and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
. See

  • First Minister of Wales
  • First Minister of Scotland
    First Minister of Scotland

    The First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government....
  • First Minister of Northern Ireland


Other


The title First Minister may be used to refer to the political leader of a subnational entity or a dependent territory. George Price
George Cadle Price

George Cadle Price was the first Prime Minister of Belize and is considered alongside Monrad Metzgen as one of the principal architects of that country's independence....
 held the office of First Minister of Belize
Belize

Belize , formerly British Honduras, is a country in Central America. Once part of the Maya civilization, and very briefly the Spanish Empire, it was most recently affiliated with the British Empire, prior to gaining its independence in 1981....
 between 1961 and 1964, when the title was changed to Premier
Premier

A premier is a title for the head of government in some countries.In many nations, the title "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister": for example, the "Italy Premier" is the same person as the "Italian President of the Council of Ministers"....
. In Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
, the first minister in the federal states is known as the Minister-Präsident.

See also

  • Chief Minister
    Chief Minister

    A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a United Kingdom crown colony that has attained self-government....
  • First Secretary
    First Secretary

    First Secretary may refer to:* First Minister* General Secretary* 1st Secretary...