Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate

National poet laureate of Canada

Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate

Poète officiel du Parlement du Canada

Incumbent
Chimwemwe Undi

since 2025

Reports to| Library of Parliament
Nominator|

*     * Parliamentary Librarian of Canada,
* Librarian and Archivist of Canada,
* Commissioner of Official Languages, and
* Chair of the Canada Council

Appointer| Speaker of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Commons
Term length| 2 years
Constituting instrument| Parliament of Canada Act
Formation| 2001
First holder| George Bowering
Salary| CA$20,000
Website| lop.parl.ca/About/Parliament/Poet/index-e.html

The Canadian parliamentary poet laureate (French: Poète officiel du Parlement du Canada) is the national poet laureate of Canada. The current poet laureate is Chimwemwe Undi.

The position is an office of the Library of Parliament.

## Role

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According to the laureate's official Web site: "The Poet's role is to encourage and promote the importance of literature, culture and language in Canadian society. Federal legislators created the position in 2001 to draw Canadians' attention to poetry, both spoken and written, and its role in our lives."[1]

The Parliament of Canada Act states that the laureate may:[1]

* Write poems "especially for use in Parliament on important occasions"
* Sponsor poetry readings
* Give advice to "the Parliamentary Librarian regarding the Library's collection and acquisitions to enrich its cultural materials"
* Do anything else: "perform other related duties at the request of the Speaker of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Commons, or the Parliamentary Librarian."

The laureate serves at the pleasure of both the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons, with the maximum term of office set at two years.[2]

The position comes with an annual stipend of $20,000, up to $13,000 in travel expenses annually, a budget for administrative expenses and translation/adaptation into Canada's second official language.[2]

## Selection criteria

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In order to be chosen for the position, a poet must have:[3]

* contributed to the cultural and literary community
* produced written or oral work reflecting Canada
* be an accomplished literary artist who has influenced other artists
* a substantial record demonstrating literary excellence

## Poets laureate

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* George Bowering (2002-2004) [4][5]
* Pauline Michel (2004-2006)[4][5]
* John Steffler (2006-2008)[4][5]
* Pierre DesRuisseaux (2009-2011)[4][5]
* Fred Wah (2011-2013)[4][5]
* Michel Pleau (2014-2016)[4][5]
* George Elliott Clarke (2016-2017)[4][5]
* Georgette LeBlanc (2018-2019)[4][5]
* Louise Bernice Halfe a.k.a. Sky Dancer (2021–2023)[6]
* Marie-Célie Agnant (2023–2024)[7]
* Chimwemwe Undi (2025-2026)[8]

## See also

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* Poet Laureate of Ontario

## References

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1. ^ a b [1] Archived 2008-10-07 at the Wayback Machine Web page titled "Welcome to the Web site for the Parliamentary Poet Laureate", accessed December 16, 2006
2. ^ a b [2] Web page titled "Questions and Answers" at the Parliamentary Poet Laureate Web site, accessed December 16, 2006
3. ^ [3] Web page titled "Nomination Process" at the Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate official Web site, accessed December 16, 2006
4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Former Poets Laureate". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h "FAQ - US States Poets Laureate". Library of Congress. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
6. ^ "Current Poet Laureate". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
7. ^ Canada, Senate of. "Appointment of the 10th Parliamentary Poet Laureate". SenCanada. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
8. ^ Canada, Senate of. "Appointment of the 11th Parliamentary Poet Laureate" (PDF). Parliament of Canada. Retrieved 2025-01-29.

## External links

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* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Poets laureate and national poets

Countries|

* Canada
* Netherlands
* New Zealand
* United Kingdom
* Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales
* United States

U.S. states|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* California
* Arkansas
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Maine
* Maryland
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* West Virginia
* Washington
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

Canadian provinces|

* Ontario

Municipal poets|

* District of Columbia
* Halifax
* Philadelphia
* Toronto
* Municipalities in California
* Municipalities in New Mexico
* Municipalities in Massachusetts

* v
* t
* e

Canadian parliamentary poets laureate

* George Bowering (2002–2004)
* Pauline Michel (2004–2006)
* John Steffler (2006–2008)
* Pierre DesRuisseaux (2009–2011)
* Fred Wah (2011–2013)
* Michel Pleau (2014–2016)
* George Elliott Clarke (2016–2017)
* Georgette LeBlanc (2018–2019)
* Louise Bernice Halfe (2021–2023)
* Marie-Célie Agnant (2023–2024)
* Chimwemwe Undi (2025-present)

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