Lieutenant governor

A Lieutenant Governor is a government official who is the subordinate or deputy of a Governor or Governor-General. In India this position is slightly different.

Canada

In Canada, the Lieutenant Governor is the Queen's representative in a province, much as the Governor General is her representative in the nation. The Lieutenant Governor is therefore the province's head of state, but has little or no executive role.

Related Topics:
Canada - Queen - Province - Governor General

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The heads of state of Canada's three territories, however, are termed Commissioners and are representatives of the federal government, not the Queen directly. Yukon and Nunavut territories have had Commissioners since they were founded, but in the 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, the Northwest Territories had a lieutenant governor.

Related Topics:
Territories - Commissioner - Yukon - Nunavut - Northwest Territories - 1905 - Alberta - Saskatchewan

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Like similar officials, Lieutenant Governors hold considerable reserve powers which are not normally used. One interesting constitutional question is the role of the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec in the hypothetical case of the Quebec National Assembly voting to unilaterally secede. Some have argued that in this situation, the Lieutenant Governor not only could refuse Royal Assent, but would be duty bound to do so.

Related Topics:
Reserve power - Quebec - Quebec National Assembly - Royal Assent

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Nominally, Lieutenant Governors are appointed by the Governor General. In practice, they are chosen by the Prime Minister of Canada, usually in consultation with their provinces' respective Premiers. Lieutenant Governors are often retired "elder statesmen" from the Prime Minister's party. The salary of the Lieutenant Governors is paid by the federal government rather than by the provincial government. 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.

Related Topics:
Prime Minister of Canada - Premier - Statesmen

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The difference in terminology between the Australian state Governors and the Canadian provincial Lieutenant Governors is significant constitutionally. In the Australian case, the Governor nominally derives power directly from the monarch and is in practice nominated by the Premier of a state.

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It has been observed that Canadian Lieutenant Governorships are often used to promote women and minorities into a prominent position. Five of Canada's ten current Lieutenant Governors and one of the three territorial Commissioners are women. There have been one black and several Aboriginal Lieutenant Governors. The current Lieutenant Governor of Quebec uses a wheelchair. The current Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia is Jewish. The current Lieutenant Governor of Alberta is a Chinese-Canadian.

Related Topics:
Minorities - Black - Aboriginal - Quebec - Wheelchair - Nova Scotia - Jewish - Chinese-Canadian

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See lieutenant governors:

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• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Quebec
• Saskatchewan
• Northwest Territories (formerly)