<P> The Canadian prime minister serves at Her Majesty 's pleasure , meaning the post does not have a fixed term . Once appointed and sworn in by the governor general , the prime minister remains in office until he or she resigns , is dismissed , or dies . The lifespan of parliament was limited by the constitution to five years and , though the governor general may still , on the advice of the prime minister , dissolve parliament and issue the writs of election prior to the date mandated by the Canada Elections Act ; the King -- Byng Affair was the only time since Confederation that the governor general deemed it necessary to refuse his prime minister 's request for a general vote . As of 2007 , with an amendment to the Elections Act , Section 56.1 ( 2 ) was changed to limit the term of a majority government to four years , with election day being set as the third Monday in October of the fourth calendar year after the previous polling date . </P>
how long prime minister stay in office canada
the post does not have a fixed term