Lieutenant-Governor (Canada)

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In Canada, the lieutenant-governor (often without a hyphen^[1], pronounced /lɛfˈtɛnənt/), in French lieutenant-gouverneur (masculine) / lieutenant-gouverneure (feminine) (always with a hyphen), is the Canadian Monarch's, or Crown's, representative in a province, much as the Governor General is her representative at the national level. The lieutenant-governor is therefore the province's vice-regal representative, though rarely exercising his or her executive powers personally without ministerial advice.

Lieutenant-Governors are styled His/Her Honour while in office and The Honourable for life. When addressing a Lieutenant-Governor His/Her Honour the Honourable is the correct terminology. A territorial Commissioner is styled The Honourable only while in office.^[2]

Similar positions in Canada's three territories are termed Commissioners and are representatives of the federal government, however, not the Queen directly. Yukon and Nunavut have had Commissioners since they were founded, but in Northwest Territories the position dates to 1905, when the most populous part of the territory was split away to become the provinces Alberta and Saskatchewan. Before then, Northwest Territories had a Lieutenant-Governor.

[edit] Constitutional role

Main articles: Monarchy in the Canadian provinces, Canadian federalism, and Royal Prerogative

Since Confederation in 1867, the Dominion Government and the Foreign Office in London had believed that the lieutenant governors were the representatives in the provinces of the Governor General, as representative of the Crown, going so far as to stipulate that the lieutenant governor was to grant Royal Assent to provincial legislation in the name of the Governor General, and not of the Queen. However, due to precedent set in Ontario and Quebec, the latter never happened in any province, and assent was given in Queen Victoria's name.^[3] Later, a decision by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in 1892 stated that the lieutenant governors represented the Crown in their own right.^[4] Today, though they continue to be appointed by the Governor General, the lieutenant governors continue to be considered as direct representatives of the sovereign. As such, though they hold considerable constitutional and reserve powers, which are almost always exercised wholly upon the advice of the Cabinet, the lieutenant governors' role is almost entirely symbolic and cultural, acting as a symbol of the legal authority under which the government operates. The Lieutenant Governors also receive advice on their roles and functions from the Department of Canadian Heritage Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion Program.^[5]

Traditionally, the Governor General meets with the lieutenant governors shortly after his or her installation. This was the case when Michaëlle Jean and her spouse Jean-Daniel Lafond met with most of them on September 28, 2005.

The lieutenant governors may, however, in rare constitutional crisis situations, exercise the Royal Prerogative against or without ministerial advice. For example, John C. Bowen, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta in 1937, denied Royal Assent to three bills passed through the Legislative Assembly, one of which being the Alberta Press Bill, which was later ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Canada.^[6]

[edit] Appointment

The lieutenant governor is appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister, usually in consultation with the relevant premiers. Though the lieutenant-governor "serves at the pleasure of Her Majesty" - meaning there is no set term - five years has become the traditional amount of time an individual will serve as the provincial vice-regal. In the past, the lieutenant governors were a direct representative of the governor general, however they now directly represent the Queen in their respective provinces

Canadian lieutenant governorships have been observed often to be used to promote women and minorities into a prominent position. The first female Vice-regal in Canada was Pauline Mills McGibbon, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1974 to 1980; currently two of Canada's ten lieutenant governors are women. There have been two black (Lincoln Alexander and Mayann E. Francis), several Aboriginal lieutenant governors, and the current Lieutenant Governor of Alberta is Chinese-Canadian, as was David Lam in British Columbia (Lieutenant Governor from 1988 to 1995); former Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Myra Freeman, who served from 2000 to 2006, is Jewish. Former Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Lise Thibault used a wheelchair. David Onley, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, had polio as a child and uses crutches or a scooter. Lois Hole (Lieutenant Governor of Alberta from 2000 to her death in 2005) was often seen in a wheelchair later in life due to cancer, although she could walk and stand somewhat without it.

[edit] Symbols

Each lieutenant-governor also has a personal flag. Most consist of a blue field bearing the relevant provincial coat of arms surrounded by ten gold maple leafs, symbolizing each of the ten provinces. Quebec displays its arms on a white roundel, while Nova Scotia displays them on the Union Flag.

Further information: Flags of the Lieutenant Governors of Canada

[edit] Current Canadian lieutenant-governors

See also Commissioners of the territories.

[edit] Former governorships

Northwest Territories (formerly) – websites: Alberta, Collections Canada

[edit] See also

• Monarchy in Canada
• Monarchy in the Canadian provinces, British Columbia | Alberta | Saskatchewan | Manitoba | Ontario | Quebec | New Brunswick | Nova Scotia | Prince Edward Island | Newfoundland and Labrador
• List of current Canadian lieutenant-governors and commissioners

[edit] References and notes

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