Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
The Honourable Janet Austin, OBC

Constitutional Role

The Lieutenant Governor upholds the constitutional framework in British Columbia. In this role the Lieutenant Governor personifies the Crown, which is both the apex and the unifying link in the constitutional and political structure of the province – executive, legislative, and judicial. The Canadian Crown plays a key function in underwriting our constitutional stability while enabling officials, democratically elected by the citizens, to govern. To uphold the constitutional framework the Lieutenant Governor:

• Ensures the continued existence of government in the Province of British Columbia;
• Selects a First Minister as Premier of the Province;
• Appoints and administers the Oaths of Office, Allegiance and Confidentiality to the Premier and members of the Executive Council;
• Summons, prorogues and dissolves the Legislature;
• Delivers the Speech from the Throne;
• Provides Royal Assent to provincial legislation;
• Signs orders-in-council, proclamations and other official documents before they have the force of law;
• Presents Bills by Message into the Legislature when they involve taxation or expenditure of public money.