Clerk of the Privy Council (Canada)

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Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet
Greffier du Conseil privé et secrétaire du Cabinet
Government of Canada signature.svg
Incumbent
Janice Charette
since March 9, 2021
Privy Council Office
TypeDeputy minister
Member ofPublic Service of Canada
Reports toPrime Minister of Canada
AppointerGovernor in Council
On the advice of the prime minister
Inaugural holderWilliam Henry Lee
FormationJuly 1, 1867; 153 years ago (1867-07-01)
WebsitePrivy Council webpage
Politics of Canada
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Government (structure)
The Crown
Executive (Queen-in-Council)
Legislative (Queen-in-Parliament)
Judicial (Queen-on-the-Bench)
Elections
Local government
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Related topics
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The clerk of the Privy Council (French: greffier du Conseil privé) is the senior civil servant in the Government of Canada and is the professional head of the Public Service of Canada. The clerk also serves as the secretary to the Cabinet (French: secrétaire du Cabinet).

The clerk of the Privy Council is the deputy minister in charge of the Privy Council Office and holding the rank of deputy minister to the prime minister of Canada (not to be confused with the deputy prime minister, a political minister of the Crown). A public servant, the clerk is nonpartisan; clerks may serve multiple prime ministers and do not belong to any political party. As the secretary to the Cabinet, the role provides impartial advice to the ministry and oversees the advice and policy support given to Cabinet and its committees. As head of the public service,[1] the clerk is responsible for other deputy ministers and the provision of non-partisan, expert advice to the government as a whole.

Ian Shugart was appointed 24th Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet on April 19, 2019.[1] The clerk is a Governor in Council appointment made on the advice of the prime minister. On March 1, 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Janice Charette would serve as interim Clerk of the Privcy Council Office as of March 9, 2021 as Shugart undergoes cancer treatment.[2]

In the provinces and territories, the equivalent position of senior public servant is called the cabinet secretary or clerk of the executive council (in French, secrétaire du conseil exécutif or greffier du conseil exécutif, respectively).

History[edit]

The Privy Council for Canada was created and authorized by the Constitution Act, 1867, and there has been a clerk of the Privy Council since then.

The staff of the Privy Council increased from 142 to 352 between 1971 and 1975.[3]

In 1989, reforms initiated by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney gave the clerk position its present day responsibilities. Expert Donald Savoie describes these as a combination of three roles: "the secretary of cabinet, the head of the non-partisan public service, and the deputy minister — or top bureaucrat — to the prime minister." One critique of this arrangement is that it could put senior nonpartisan officials in the position of taking partisan positions.[4] Clerks generally have extensive previous experience in the Public Service of Canada before being appointed.

List of clerks of the Privy Council[edit]

  1. William Henry Lee (1867–1872)
  2. William Alfred Himsworth (1872–1880)
  3. Joseph Olivier Côté (1880–1882)
  4. John Joseph McGee (1882–1907)
  5. Rodolphe Boudreau (1907–1923)
  6. Ernest Joseph Lemaire (1923–1940)
  7. Arnold Danford Patrick Heeney (1940–1949)
  8. Norman Alexander Robertson (1949–1952)
  9. John Whitney Pickersgill (1952–1953)
  10. Robert Bryce (1954–1963)
  11. Robert Gordon Robertson (1963–1975)
  12. Peter Michael Pitfield (1975–1979, 1980–1982)
  13. Marcel Massé (1979–1980)
  14. Gordon Osbaldeston (1982–1985)
  15. Paul M. Tellier (1985–1992)
  16. Glen Shortliffe (1992–1994)
  17. Jocelyne Bourgon (1994–1999)
  18. Mel Cappe (1999–2002)
  19. Alexander Himelfarb (2002–2006)
  20. Kevin G. Lynch (2006–2009)
  21. Wayne Wouters (2009–2014)
  22. Janice Charette (2014–2016, 2021-) (Incumbent Clerk, interim)
  23. Michael Wernick (2016–2019)
  24. Ian Shugart (2019-2021)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Clerk of the Privy Council
  2. ^ "High commissioner to the U.K. will serve as interim Clerk of the Privy Council". ottawacitizen. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  3. ^ "Archives Search" at collectionscanada, 2018-05-20
  4. ^ Alex Boutiliero. Caught in the SNC-Lavalin scandal, Canada’s top civil servant should help us understand his job, expert says. Toronto Star. March 1, 2019

External links[edit]

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