If he were to die, historical precedent would be to select someone from the Senate. Might not work considering all Liberal Senators are officially "independent". And, a prime minister hasn't died in office in over 100 years, so historical precedent may mean nothing.
It should be noted though that before they elected Harper, the Conservative leader was also selected from the Senate after the merger.
If I recall correctly, Turner wasn't even member of either house when appointed PM, but at least he was already elected Liberal Leader. Also, wasn't Mackenzie King appointed PM one time after actually losing his seat in GE?
It doesn't apply here, since both were official party leaders, but theoretically speaking, having a non-MP to head a brief caretaker ministry doesn't sound that far-fetched.
True. You don't need a seat in the House of Commons to be Prime Minister, and many haven't for brief periods in the past. Some have spent their entire premiership without a seat.
However I doubt in this far-fetched scenario that the Liberals would look outside of caucus for interim leadership. What would be the point?
