Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate

The Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate is the official poet laureate of Canada. The current poet laureate is George Elliot Clarke, who was appointed in January 2016.

The position is an office of the Library of Parliament.

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."

The Parliament of Canada Act states that the laureate may:

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.

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.

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

...
Wikipedia