The importance of the opposition in the Westminster tradition of parliamentary government has long been recognized. The opposition party with most seats is known as His Majesty's Loyal Opposition (or the Official Opposition), which indicates that although the opposition may be in disagreement with the government, they remain loyal to the Crown, even though they have different ideas on how government should be run.
The Official Opposition takes the lead in holding government accountable for its policies and actions. Its leader becomes the Leader of the Official Opposition and occupies the seat directly across from the Premier in the Legislative Chamber.
If at least two MLAs are elected from the same political party, they receive official party status. This gives the recognized party the same privileges as other recognized parties, such as having a House Leader and a party leader, and allows them to fully participate in parliamentary business.
While they may not have all of the privileges granted to the Official Opposition, Independent Members play a very similar role in holding the government to account.
