Administrator (Canada)
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The administrator of the Government of Canada () is the title used by the individual performing the duties of
Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, ...
– the federal viceregal representative – while the office is vacant or its incumbent is otherwise unable to perform his or her duties. The office is defined in the ''
Letters Patent, 1947 The ''Letters Patent, 1947'' (more formally, the Letters Patent Constituting the Office of Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada) are letters patent signed by George VI as King of Canada which reconstituted the office of Governor Ge ...
'', which created the office of Governor General in its present-day role. Should it be necessary to fill the position, the
chief justice of Canada The chief justice of Canada (french: juge en chef du Canada) is the presiding judge of the nine-member Supreme Court of Canada, the highest judicial body in Canada. As such, the chief justice is the highest-ranking judge of the Canadian court s ...
may act as the administrator, followed by the puisne justices in order of seniority should the chief justice not be able to assume the role. Accordingly, the role is a temporary one meant to serve only during a vacancy in the governor general's office, and is not a title that is consistently held by the chief justice at all times. The administrator of Canada represents
the Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...
in right of the federal government. The office of administrator may also exist in a provincial context, when a lieutenant governor is unable to perform their role representing the Crown in right of a province.


Designation

The provisions to select the administrator of Canada is outlined in Article VIII of the ''Letters Patent, 1947,'' which identifies that the chief justice of Canada assumes the role as administrator should the need arise. In the absence of the chief justice, the senior puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada is designated as the administrator of the government. Prior to the signage of the ''Letters Patent, 1947'', the administrator of the government was directly appointed by the monarch. An administrator of the government is not required if a governor general is absent for less than 30 days, with the governor general empowered to designate a " deputy governor general" to act on their behalf. Richard Wagner is the most recent person to be designated as the administrator of Canada. The office is not automatically filled, as the designee must first take the oath of office.


Role

The administrator of the government is empowered to exercise all of the powers of the governor general as representative of the Crown. These may include: * giving
royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...
to bills passed by the legislature; * issuing
Orders in Council An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council (''King ...
and making
Governor in Council The King-in-Council or the Queen-in-Council, depending on the gender of the reigning monarch, is a constitutional term in a number of states. In a general sense, it would mean the monarch exercising executive authority, usually in the form of a ...
(Administrator in Council) appointments; * dissolving
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
for a general election; * summoning Parliament after a general election by way of a proclamation; * choosing a
prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
to form government and seek the confidence of the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
; * opening each new session of Parliament by reading the Speech from the Throne; * providing a recommendation for all spending measures initiated by the House of Commons; and * appointing provincial lieutenant governors and various officers, including commissioners and diplomats.


Notable instances

Lyman Duff served as administrator on two occasions. The first was in 1931, while Duff was still a puisne justice, between the departure of the
Marquess of Willingdon Marquess of Willingdon was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 26 May 1936 for the Liberal politician and colonial governor Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Earl of Willingdon. He was Governor-General of Canada from 1926 ...
for England on January 16, 1931, and the arrival of the
Earl of Bessborough Earl of Bessborough is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1739 for Brabazon Ponsonby, 2nd Viscount Duncannon, who had previously represented Newtownards and County Kildare in the Irish House of Commons. In 1749, he was given t ...
on April 4; in this context, on March 12 of that year he became the first Canadian-born person ever to read a Speech from the Throne to open a session of Parliament. After becoming chief justice in 1933, he served a second stint as administrator from February 11 to June 21, 1940, between the death of the Baron Tweedsmuir in office and the appointment of the Earl of Athlone. On February 1, 1952, King George VI approved the appointment of
Vincent Massey Charles Vincent Massey (February 20, 1887December 30, 1967) was a Canadian lawyer and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 18th since Confederation. Massey was the first governor general of Canada who was born in Canada after ...
as the next governor general. The incumbent, Viscount Alexander of Tunis, then left Canada, with
Thibaudeau Rinfret Thibaudeau Rinfret (June 22, 1879 – July 25, 1962) was a Canadian jurist and the ninth Chief Justice of Canada and Administrator of Canada in 1952. Early life Rinfret was born in Montreal in 1879, the son of François-Olivier Rinfret and ...
becoming administrator until Massey could be sworn in. The king died on February 6, so it was Rinfret who proclaimed
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
as Queen of Canada. Massey was sworn in on February 28. Following
Georges Vanier Georges-Philias Vanier (23 April 1888 – 5 March 1967) was a Canadian military officer and diplomat who served as governor general of Canada, the first Quebecer and second Canadian-born person to hold the position. Vanier was born and ...
's death in office in March 1967, Robert Taschereau served as administrator for several weeks until the appointment of
Roland Michener Daniel Roland Michener (April 19, 1900 – August 6, 1991) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 20th since Canadian Confederation. Michener was born and educated in Alberta. In 1917 he se ...
. On June 8, 1974, Governor General
Jules Léger Joseph Jules Léger (April 4, 1913November 22, 1980) was a Canadian diplomat and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 21st since Canadian Confederation. Léger was born and educated in Quebec and France prior to starting a ca ...
suffered a stroke. Chief Justice Bora Laskin acted as administrator during that time for approximately six months. Laskin's tenure as administrator included: * a six-day
royal visit A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...
from the
Queen Mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the monarch, reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also u ...
; * the 30th federal general election; * the swearing-in ceremony of the new Cabinet; * the opening of the 30th Parliament and the delivery of the Speech from the Throne; * bearing witness to the appointment of the speaker of the Senate; * granting Royal Assent to a bill; and * naming a deputy administrator. Former chief justice
Beverley McLachlin Beverley Marian McLachlin (born September 7, 1943) is a Canadian jurist and author who served as the 17th chief justice of Canada from 2000 to 2017. She is the longest-serving chief justice in Canadian history and the first woman to hold the p ...
became the administrator for a few weeks in July 2005 when then-governor general
Adrienne Clarkson Adrienne Louise Clarkson (; ; born February 10, 1939) is a Hong Kong-born Canadian journalist who served from 1999 to 2005 as Governor General of Canada, the 26th since Canadian Confederation. Clarkson arrived in Canada with her family in 19 ...
was hospitalized. During that time, McLachlin gave royal assent to the '' Civil Marriage Act'', which legalized same-sex marriages. Richard Wagner was sworn in as administrator in January 2021 following the resignation of Julie Payette following workplace harassment allegations. He served as administrator until
Mary Simon Mary Jeannie May Simon (in Inuktitut syllabics: ᒥᐊᓕ ᓴᐃᒪᓐ, iu, script=Latn, Ningiukudluk; born August 21, 1947) is a Canadian civil servant, diplomat, and former broadcaster who has served as the 30th governor general of Canada ...
was sworn in as Canada's 30th Governor General on July 26, 2021.


Provincial administrators

As each province has a lieutenant governor representing the Crown in right of a province, administrators can also be designated on a provincial level, performing all of the functions of the lieutenant governor in their absence. If a lieutenant governor cannot act in their role, a Governor in Council appointment designates a provincial administrator. For example, the Governor in Council on the advice of the
minister of Canadian heritage The minister of Canadian heritage (french: ministre du patrimoine canadien) is the minister of the Crown who heads Canadian Heritage, the department of the Government of Canada responsible for culture, media, sports, and the arts. History The ...
issued an Order in Council in 2017 that in the province of
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, the
chief justice of Ontario The Court of Appeal for Ontario (frequently referred to as the Ontario Court of Appeal or ONCA) is the appellate court for the province of Ontario, Canada. The seat of the court is Osgoode Hall in downtown Toronto, also the seat of the Law Socie ...
and other judges of the courts of Ontario, in order of seniority, can act as the administrator of the Government of Ontario. Unlike to a federal administrator, provincial administrators “die with the Lieutenant Governor” and cannot execute the viceregal office during a vacancy.{{cite book , title=Manual of Official Procedure of the Government of Canada , publisher=Government of Canada , page=vol 1, p. 323 , url=https://jameswjbowden.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/10-lieutenant-governor.pdf , quote=The Administrator cannot act when the post of Lieutenant-Governor is vacant.


See also

* List of administrators of the Government of Canada *
Administrator of the government An administrator (administrator of the government or officer administering the government) in the constitutional practice of some countries in the Commonwealth is a person who fulfils a role similar to that of a governor or a governor-general ...
*
Monarchy of Canada The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is at the core of Canada's constitutional federal structure and Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. The monarchy is the fou ...
*
Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as su ...


References

Administrators Government of Canada Viceroys in Canada