Secretary to the Governor General of Canada

The Secretary to the Governor General is the administrative head of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General of Canada and is based at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ontario. The position is one of the oldest public service appointments in Canada and holds the courtesy rank of deputy minister within the Public Service of Canada.

Secretary to the Governor General
Secrétaire du gouverneur général
Incumbent
Ian McCowan
since January 29, 2021
SeatRideau Hall, Ottawa
AppointerGovernor General of Canada
Formation1867
First holderDennis Godley
WebsiteOfficial website

Since Confederation, every office-holder has been appointed by order-in-council. The first post-Confederation incumbent, Dennis Godley, initially assumed his post in 1861 and continued on into the post-Confederation period, departing in November 1868.[1] The most recent secretary was Assunta Di Lorenzo, who was appointed in January 2018[2] and resigned in January 2021.

The Secretary to the Governor General holds a number of ex officio positions, as follows. Since the establishment of the Order of Canada in 1967, the secretary has served as secretary general of the Order of Canada. The secretary also serves as secretary general of the Order of Military Merit and the Order of Merit of the Police Forces. Following the creation of the Canadian Heraldic Authority in 1988, the secretary became Herald Chancellor of Canada.

The office was vacant for eight days after the resignation of Julie Payette, who served until January 21, 2021, prompting Di Lorenzo's resignation amid fall-out from the conclusion of an independent investigation of allegations of workplace harassment at Rideau Hall. On January 29, 2021, Ian McCowan was named to the position.[3]

Secretaries to the Governor General

Pre-Confederation[4]

Post-confederation

See also

References
  1. Jackson, Michael, ed. (2014). "Chapter 13: Confidant and Chief of Staff: the Governor's Secretary". Canada and the Crown. McGill-Queen’s University Press. pp. 100–110. ISBN 978-1-5533-9204-0.
  2. Office of the Governor General of Canada (26 July 2018). "Secretary - Assunta Di Lorenzo". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  3. "Senior public servant named secretary to the governor general following Payette's resignation | CBC News". CBC. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  4. Cote, Joseph Olivier (1866). Political Appointments and Elections in the Province of Canada, from 1841 to 1865. G.E. Desbarats, p. 9.
  5. Côté, Joseph Olivier (1896). "Political Appointments, Parliaments and the Judicial Bench in TheDominion of Canada, 1867 to 1895".

Further reading

Jackson, Michael, ed. (2014). "Chapter 13: Confidant and Chief of Staff: the Governor's Secretary". Canada and the Crown. McGill-Queen’s University Press. pp. 100–110. ISBN 978-1-5533-9204-0.

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