Queen's Privy Council for Canada
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Categories: Privy councils | Canadian ministers | Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada | Monarchy in Canada
 The Queen's Privy Council for Canada (QPC) (French: Conseil privé de la Reine pour le Canada (CPR)), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or the Privy Council,[1] is the council of advisers to the Queen of Canada, whose members are appointed by the Governor General of Canada for life on the advice of the Prime Minister.[2]
HistoryThe Queen's Privy Council was established by the British North America Act, 1867 (renamed the Constitution Act, 1867 in 1982), and is modelled on the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. Britain and Canada are the only two Commonwealth realms to have privy councils. They are equivalent, in practice, to the Executive Councils in Canadian provinces and some other Commonwealth jurisdictions.
The Canadian Privy Council has met in the presence of the sovereign twice: in Ottawa in 1957, when Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was summoned, and in Halifax in 1959.[1] Authority and dutiesThe formal authority of the Queen's Privy Council is vested in the Canadian monarch, but is only exercised on the advice of the sovereign's Cabinet, which makes up a minority of the QPC's members. The actions of the Ministers of the Crown are supported by the Privy Council Office, which is headed by the Clerk of the Privy Council as chief civil servant, and the President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada as the Cabinet minister in charge. Orders of the Governor in Council must almost always be made on the recommendation of a Privy Councillor, invariably a government minister. Among the duties of the Privy Council is the proclamation of the new Canadian sovereign following a demise of the Crown, and to give consent to royal marriages. The last formal meeting of the Privy Council was in 1981 to give formal consent to the marriage of the Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer. While all Privy Councillors are invited to such meetings in theory, in practice the composition of the meetings is determined by the Prime Minister of the day. According to a contemporary newspaper account, the March 27, 1981, meeting consisted of 12 individuals meeting at Government House, who were informed of the Prince's engagement, nodded their approval, and then toasted their decision with champagne. The twelve included Chief Justice of Canada Bora Laskin, who presided over the meeting, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, several Cabinet ministers, Stanley Knowles of the New Democratic Party, and Alvin Hamilton of the Progressive Conservative Party.[3] Following the announcement of the Prince of Wales' engagement to Camilla Parker-Bowles, however, the Department of Justice announced its decision that the Privy Council was not required to meet to give its consent to the marriage as the union would not result in offspring and thus would have no impact on the succession to the throne. In 1981, David Brown, an official in the machinery of government section of the Privy Council Office, told the Globe and Mail that, in theory, had the Privy Council rejected the Prince of Wales' engagement there would be a break in the royal link between Canada and the other Commonwealth realms because none of his children would be considered heirs by the Canadian government, thus putting the country in a position to either set up its own monarchy or become a republic.[3] MembershipAs of 2008, the membership of the QPC comprises all living current and former federal cabinet ministers, and the Chief Justices of Canada. As well, all former Governors General are members. The Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition and leaders or other members of opposition parties are inducted into the Privy Council from time to time, either as an honour or so that sensitive information can be disclosed to them under the Security of Information Act. In addition, it is required by law that members of the Security Intelligence Review Committee be Privy Councillors, resulting in all nominees being sworn in if they are not already members. Other persons recommended by the Prime Minister have been sworn into the Privy Council as an honour. Under Paul Martin, Parliamentary Secretaries were sworn into the Privy Council. Appointees to the Queen's Privy Council must recite the requisite oath:
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