Nope. We coined it, we get to define it.
Ok. The first time the phrase is known to have been used in its metaphorical sense was in the 18th century; it was used at the
London Stock Exchange to refer to a
stockbrokerwho defaulted on his debts. In 1761,
Horace Walpole wrote, in a letter to
Sir Horace Mann: "Do you know what a
Bull and a
Bear and Lame Duck are?" And in 1791,
Mary Berry wrote that the
Duchess of Devonshire's loss of £50,000 (equivalent to £7,000,000 in 2023) in stocks was "the conversation of the town," and that her name was to be "posted up as a lame duck".
Anyway, unlike in some countries, there is no "lame duck" session of Parliament in Canada between the general election and swearing in of the new Parliament. In almost all cases, the outgoing prime minister or premier hands over power directly to their designated successor after a few weeks at most after a general election or shortly after a
leadership election…almost all cases…meaning not all.
Usually, when the leader of a ruling party steps down, they also relinquish their caucus leadership role at around the same time, so there is no need for an
interim caucus leader…like currently being proposed.
The power of outgoing Canadian parliamentarians is limited. Instead the departing prime minister or premier and cabinet ministers that were members of the now dissolved parliament will serve in an "acting" or "caretaker" capacity (i.e. not being able to make important appointments nor policy declarations) until the new parliament convenes.
While
Pierre Trudeau retired from politics in 1984, he directly handed power over to
John Turner after the leadership contest. However, Trudeau recommended that
Governor General Jeanne Sauvé appoint over 200 Liberals to well-paying
patronage positions, including
Senators, judges, and executives on various governmental and
crown corporation boards, widely seen as a way to offer "plum jobs" to loyal party members. These appointments generated a severe backlash across the spectrum.
Turner had the right to recommend that the appointments be cancelled: advice that Sauvé would have been required to follow by
constitutional convention. However, he let them stand and made a further 70 appointments himself.
Turner refused to produce a written agreement he had made with Trudeau before taking office, documenting a secret deal that saw Trudeau (Sr) step down early. This is seen by many as Trudeau (Sr) attempting to exercise some lame duck influence before resigning as Prime Minister. Sins of the father & all that excepted, hasn’t Trudeau (Jr) already stacked the senate with his choice “independent” senators as a parting gift (?) but that could be just a coincidence?
