The Canadian order of precedence is a nominal and symbolic hierarchy of important positions within the governing institutions of Canada. It has no legal standing but is used to dictate ceremonial
protocol
Protocol may refer to:
Sociology and politics
* Protocol (politics), a formal agreement between nation states
* Protocol (diplomacy), the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state
* Etiquette, a code of personal behavior
Science and technolog ...
.
The
Department of Canadian Heritage
The Department of Canadian Heritage, or simply Canadian Heritage (french: Patrimoine canadien), is the department of the Government of Canada that has roles and responsibilities related to initiatives that promote and support "Canadian identity ...
issues a ''Table of Precedence for Canada'',
[Department of Canadian Heritage: Table of Precedence for Canada]
/ref> which does not include members of the Royal Family, save for the sovereign, mentioned in a note as preceding the governor general
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...
. The Department of National Defence issues near identical guidelines, with the primary difference being the inclusion of members of the Canadian Royal Family
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 founda ...
, specifying that they take precedence after the governor general. The provinces and territories of Canada also have their own orders of precedence for events of a provincial or territorial nature. They serve the same purpose and are structured similarly, but place an emphasis on provincial or territorial offices.
All units of the Canadian Armed Forces also have an order of precedence
An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance and can be applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments, for very formal and state o ...
that determines seniority; it often decides such matters as which unit forms up to the right (senior side) of other units on a ceremonial parade, or the order in which marches or calls are played at a mess dinner.
# King 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 Canadian federalism, federal structure and Westminster system, Westminster-style Parliamentar ...
()
# 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, ...
(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 ...
)
# 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 ...
()
# 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 ...
()
# Former Governors General of Canada in order of their departure from office:
## Ed Schreyer (1979–1984)
## 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 ...
(1999–2005)
## Michaëlle Jean
Michaëlle Jean (; born September 6, 1957) is a Canadian stateswoman and former journalist who served from 2005 to 2010 as governor general of Canada, the 27th since Canadian Confederation. She is the first Haitian Canadian and black person ...
(2005–2010)
## David Johnston
David Lloyd Johnston (born June 28, 1941) is a Canadian academic, author, and statesman who served from 2010 to 2017 as Governor General of Canada, the 28th since Canadian Confederation. He is the commissioner of the Leaders' Debates Commis ...
(2010–2017)
## Julie Payette
Julie Payette (; born October 20, 1963) is a Canadian engineer, scientist and former astronaut who served from 2017 to 2021 as Governor General of Canada, the 29th since Canadian Confederation.
Payette holds engineering degrees from McGill U ...
(2017–2021)
# Widows of Governors General of Canada (as former Viceregal Consorts of Canada):
## Gerda Hnatyshyn
Karen Gerda Hnatyshyn ( ; ; born 1935 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a former viceregal consort of Canada, who held the role from 1990 to 1995 during her husband Ray Hnatyshyn's term as Governor General of Canada.
She attended the University of Saska ...
, widow of Ray Hnatyshyn
Ramon John Hnatyshyn ( ; uk, Роман Іванович Гнатишин, Roman Ivanovych Hnatyshyn, ; March 16, 1934December 18, 2002) was a Canadian lawyer and statesman who served as governor general of Canada, the 24th since Canadian Co ...
## Diana Fowler LeBlanc, widow of Roméo LeBlanc
Roméo-Adrien LeBlanc (December 18, 1927June 24, 2009) was a Canadian journalist, politician and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 25th since Canadian Confederation.
LeBlanc was born and educated in New Brunswick, and also ...
# Former Prime Ministers of Canada in order of their first assumption of office:
## Joe Clark
Charles Joseph Clark (born June 5, 1939) is a Canadian statesman, businessman, writer, and politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Canada from 1979 to 1980.
Despite his relative inexperience, Clark rose quickly in federal polit ...
(1979–1980)
## Brian Mulroney (1984–1993)
## Kim Campbell
Avril Phaedra Douglas "Kim" Campbell (born March 10, 1947) is a Canadian politician, diplomat, lawyer, and writer who served as the 19th prime minister of Canada from June 25 to November 4, 1993. Campbell is the first and so far only female ...
(1993)
## Jean Chrétien (1993–2003)
## Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006.
The son o ...
(2003–2006)
## Stephen Harper (2006–2015)
# Former Chief Justices of Canada, in order of their appointment
## Beverly 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 ...
(2000–2017)
# Speaker of the Senate of Canada
The speaker of the Senate of Canada (french: président du Sénat du Canada) is the presiding officer of the Senate of Canada. The speaker represents the Senate at official functions, rules on questions of parliamentary procedure and parliament ...
()
# Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada ()
# Representatives to Canada of foreign governments
#: Ambassadors and High Commissioners come first, in order of the presentation of their credentials; then come Ministers Plenipotentiary, and then Chargés d'affaires.
# Members of the Canadian Ministry
## Members of the Cabinet:
##: ''The Table of Precedence for Canada prescribes that order of precedence within this group be determined in order of appointment to the King's Privy Council for Canada
The 's Privy Council for Canada (french: Conseil privé du Roi pour le Canada),) during the reign of a queen. sometimes called Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal consultants to the ...
with ties broken by order of election to the House or appointment to the Senate.[ However, the current Canadian Ministry opted to used an alternative order that is determined by the Prime Minister.''
##]Ministers of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In o ...
##:''In order of appointment to the King's Privy Council for Canada
The 's Privy Council for Canada (french: Conseil privé du Roi pour le Canada),) during the reign of a queen. sometimes called Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal consultants to the ...
with ties broken by order of election to the House or appointment to the Senate.''
# Leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition ( Pierre Poilievre)
# Lieutenant Governors of the provinces, in the order their province joined Confederation and by population at joining to break ties
## Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
The lieutenant governor of Ontario (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''de l'Ontario'') is the viceregal representative in Ontario of the , who operates distinctly within the province bu ...
()
## Lieutenant Governor of Quebec ()
## Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia ()
## Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick
The lieutenant governor of New Brunswick (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''du Nouveau-Brunswick'') is the viceregal representative in New Brunswick of the , who operates distinctly wit ...
()
## Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba ()
## Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
The lieutenant governor of British Columbia () is the viceregal representative of the , in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The office of lieutenant governor is an office of the Crown and serves as a representative of the monarchy in ...
()
## Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island ()
## Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan
The lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan () is the viceregal representative in Saskatchewan of the , who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada, as well as the other Commonw ...
()
## Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
The lieutenant governor of Alberta () is the viceregal representative in Alberta of the . The lieutenant governor is appointed in the same manner as the other provincial viceroys in Canada and is similarly tasked with carrying out most of the m ...
()
## Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador
The lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador () is the viceregal representative in Newfoundland and Labrador of the , who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada, as ...
()
# All other Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada in order with the date of their appointment to the Privy Council, but with precedence given to those who bear the title "Right Honourable" in accordance with the date of receiving the honorary title.
## ''List of current members of the King's Privy Council for Canada
Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada use the title The Honourable if they are ordinary members. Prime Ministers, Governors General and Chief Justices automatically are given the title The Right Honourable. While Governors General have t ...
''
# Premiers of the provinces, in the order their province joined confederation and by population at joining to break ties
## Premier of Ontario ()
## Premier of Quebec
The premier of Quebec ( French: ''premier ministre du Québec'' (masculine) or ''première ministre du Québec'' (feminine)) is the head of government of the Canadian province of Quebec. The current premier of Quebec is François Legault of th ...
()
## Premier of Nova Scotia ()
## Premier of New Brunswick
The premier of New Brunswick ( French (masculine): ''premier ministre du Nouveau-Brunswick'', or feminine: ''première ministre du Nouveau-Brunswick'') is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of New Brunswick.
T ...
()
## Premier of Manitoba
The premier of Manitoba (french: premier ministre du Manitoba) is the first minister (i.e., head of government or chief executive) for the Canadian province of Manitoba—as well as the ''de facto'' President of the province's Executive Council ...
()
## Premier of British Columbia
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of govern ...
()
## Premier of Prince Edward Island
The premier of Prince Edward Island is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island.
The current premier of Prince Edward Island is Dennis King, from the Progressive Conservative Party.
See also ...
()
## Premier of Saskatchewan
The premier of Saskatchewan is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The current premier of Saskatchewan is Scott Moe, who was sworn in as premier on February 2, 2018, after winning the 2018 Saskatc ...
()
## Premier of Alberta
The premier of Alberta is the first minister for the Canadian province of Alberta, and the province's head of government. The current premier is Danielle Smith, leader of the United Conservative Party, who was sworn in on October 11, 2022.
The ...
()
## Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
The premier of Newfoundland and Labrador is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Since 1949, the premier's duties and office has been the successor to the ministerial position of the pri ...
()
# Commissioners of the Territories
## Commissioner of the Northwest Territories ()
## Commissioner of Yukon
The commissioner of Yukon (french: Commissaire du Yukon) is the representative of the Government of Canada in the Canadian federal territory of Yukon. The commissioner is appointed by the federal government and, in contrast to the governor gene ...
()
## Commissioner of Nunavut
The commissioner of Nunavut ( iu, ᑲᒥᓯᓇ ᓄᓇᕗᒧᑦ; Inuinnaqtun: ''Kamisinauyuq Nunavunmut''; french: Commissaire du Nunavut) is the Government of Canada's representative in the territory of Nunavut. The current commissioner since Janua ...
()
# Premiers of the Territories
## Premier of the Northwest Territories
The premier of the Northwest Territories is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian territory of the Northwest Territories. The premier is the territory's head of government, although the powers of the office are considerably le ...
()
## Premier of Yukon
The premier of Yukon is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian territory of Yukon. The post is the territory's head of government, although its powers are considerably more limited than that of a provincial premier. The office ...
()
## Premier of Nunavut
The premier of Nunavut ( iu, ᓯᕗᓕᖅᑎ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ; Inuinnaqtun: ''Hivuliqti Nunavunmi''; french: premier ministre du Nunavut) is the first minister for the Canadian territory of Nunavut. The premier is the territory's head of governme ...
()
# Religious leaders, equally, by seniority
#:Limited to "senior Canadian representatives of faith communities having a significant presence in a relevant jurisdiction".
# Puisne Judges of the Supreme Court
# Superior court justices
## Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada
The Federal Court of Canada, which succeeded the Exchequer Court of Canada in 1971, was a national court of Canada that had limited jurisdiction to hear certain types of disputes arising under the federal government's legislative jurisdiction. O ...
## Associate Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada
## Chief Justices of the highest court of each province and territory in order of date of appointment as chief justice
##* 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 ...
##* Chief Justice of Quebec
The title of Chief Justice of Quebec (french: link=no, Juge en chef du Québec) is assumed by the chief justice of the Court of Appeal of Quebec. From 1849 to 1974 it was assumed by the Chief Justice from the Court of Queen's Bench or Court of Kin ...
##* Chief Justice of Nova Scotia
##* Chief Justice of New Brunswick
##* Chief Justice of Manitoba
##* Chief Justice of British Columbia and Yukon
##* Chief Justice of Prince Edward Island
##* Chief Justice of Saskatchewan
##* Chief Justice of Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut
##* Chief Justice of Newfoundland and Labrador
## Chief Justices and Associate Chief Justices of other superior courts, in order of appointment as chief justice
##* Associate Chief Justice of Ontario
##* Chief Justice of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice
##* Associate Chief Justice of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice
##* Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Quebec
##* Senior Associate Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Quebec
##* Associate Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Quebec
##* Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia
##* Associate Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia
##* Associate Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, Family Division
##* Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick
##* Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench of Manitoba
##* Associate Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench of Manitoba
##* Associate Chief Justice, Family Division, of the Court of King's Bench of Manitoba
##* Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia
##* Associate Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia
##* Chief Justice of the Trial Division, Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island
##* Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench for Saskatchewan
##* Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench of Alberta
##* Associate Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench of Alberta
##* Chief Justice of the Trial Division of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland
##* Senior Judge of the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories
##* Senior Judge of the Supreme Court of the Yukon Territory
##* Senior Judge of the Nunavut Court of Justice
## Federal and provincial superior court puisne justices
# Senators
#: See ''List of current Canadian senators
This is a list of current members of the Senate of Canada (french: Le Sénat du Canada), the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Unlike the members of Parliament in the House of Commons, the 105 senators are appointed by the governor genera ...
''
# Members
Member may refer to:
* Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon
* Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set
* In object-oriented programming, a member of a class
** Field (computer science), entries in ...
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 ...
#: See '' List of House members of the 44rd Parliament of Canada''
# Consuls General of Countries Without Diplomatic Representation
# Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to Cabinet ()
# Chief of the Defence Staff (Wayne Eyre
General Wayne Donald Eyre, (born 1966/1967) is a Canadian Forces officer serving as the chief of the Defence Staff (CDS). Eyre was named acting CDS on February 24, 2021, and appointed to the full position on November 25, 2021. He was also the ...
)
# Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police () is the professional head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The commissioner exercises control and management of the RCMP under the direction of the minister of public safety. The ...
(Brenda Lucki
Brenda Lucki is a Canadian police officer who was appointed the 24th commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on April 16, 2018. She is the first female to permanently hold the position.
By virtue of her role, Lucki is the ''ex-offici ...
)
# Speakers of the Legislative Assemblies of the Provinces and Territories
## Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (french: Président de l'Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
Notable elections
1920
Nelson Parliament was a Liberal repre ...
()
## President of the National Assembly of Quebec The President of the National Assembly of Quebec (French; ''Le Président de l'Assemblée nationale'') is the presiding officer of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada, which is modeled after the Westminster parliamentary system. In other Angloph ...
()
## Speaker of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Speaker for the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia is the presiding Officer of the House of Assembly. Keith Bain is the current Speaker of the 64th General Assembly of Nova Scotia.
The Speaker presides over the proceedings of the Assembly, mai ...
(Keith Bain
Keith Leslie Bain (born October 24, 1952) is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Victoria-The Lakes in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 2006 to 2013 as a member of the Progressive Conservatives.
Bain first ran ...
)
## Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick ()
## Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba is the presiding officer of the provincial legislature.
List of speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
References
Biographies of Living Members
{{DEFAULTSORT:Speaker Of The Legisl ...
()
## Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
The office of Speaker in British Columbia
The Speaker is elected by the Members of the Legislative Assembly ("M ...
()
## Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
()
## Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the presiding officer of the Saskatchewan Legislature.
Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
* Thomas MacNutt 1906–1908
*William Charles Sutherland 1908–1912
* John Al ...
()
## Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta The Speaker of the Alberta Legislative Assembly, is the presiding officer in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
The Speaker is selected by secret ballot in the first session of a new legislative assembly.
List of speakers
See also
* Speaker of ...
()
## Speaker of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly The Speaker of the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador is the presiding officer of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly.
The current Speaker of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is Derek Bennett since April 12, 2 ...
(Derek Bennett
Derek John Bennett is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in the 2015 provincial election.[Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories The Speaker is the presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. The speakership has changed many times: from 1876 to 1888 the presiding officer of the assembly was the Lieutenant-Governor of the North-West Territories ...]
()
## Speaker of the Yukon Legislative Assembly (Jeremy Harper
Jeremy Harper is an American entrant in the '' Guinness Book of World Records'' for counting aloud to 1,000,000, live-streaming the entire process.
The count took Harper 89 days, during each of which he spent sixteen hours counting. He began on ...
)
## Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut ( Tony Akoak)
# Members of the Executive Councils of the Provinces and Territories
# Judges of Provincial and Territorial Courts
# Members of the Legislative Assemblies of the Provinces and Territories
# Chairperson of the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians
See also
* Canadian order of precedence (decorations and medals)
The following is the Canadian order of precedence for decorations and medals. Where applicable, post-nominal letters are indicated.
Awards of valour
National orders
Provincial orders
Territorial orders
National decorations
National dec ...
* Canadian Forces order of precedence
All units of the Canadian Armed Forces have an order of precedence that determines seniority; it often decides such matters as which unit forms up to the right (senior side) of other units on a ceremonial parade, or the order in which marches or ...
* Politics of Canada
The politics of Canada function within a framework of parliamentary democracy and a federal system of parliamentary government with strong democratic traditions. Canada is a constitutional monarchy, in which the monarch is head of state. In pr ...
* Removal from the Order of Canada
Appointees to the Order of Canada can have their membership revoked if the order's advisory council determines a member's actions have brought dishonour to the order. Eight people have been removed from the Order of Canada: Alan Eagleson, David ...
Footnotes
External links
Department of Canadian Heritage: Table of Precedence for Canada
The Honours, Flags and Heritage Structure of the Canadian Forces
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canadian Order Of Precedence
*
Order of precedence, Canadian