TheAdvisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments was established on 4 November 2012 to assist thegovernment of Canada (the Crown-in-Council) with the appointment of thegovernor general of Canada,provincial lieutenant governors, andterritorial commissioners. The committee was disbanded following the defeat of theConservative Party of Canada, led byStephen Harper, in the2015 federal election and remains "dormant" under Harper's successor as prime minister,Justin Trudeau.[1]
The Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments grew out of thead hoc committee established in 2010 for the selection of a new governor general following the tenure ofMichaëlle Jean. For the task, Prime MinisterStephen Harper convened a special search group—the Governor General Consultation Committee[2]—which consisted of Sheila-Marie Cook,Secretary to the Governor General (the chairperson); Kevin MacLeod;Christopher Manfredi, dean of the Faculty of Arts at McGill University;Rainer Knopff, a political scientist at the University of Calgary; Jacques Monet; andChristopher McCreery, historian and private secretary to theLieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.[6] The group, which was described as a "tight circle of monarchists," was instructed to submit a list of non-partisan candidates, each of whom would respect the monarchical aspects of the viceregal office. They conducted extensive consultations with more than 200 people across the country,[5][7] including academics, provincial premiers, current and former political party leaders, former prime ministers, and others, in order to develop a short list of five candidates from which the Prime Minister would make the final selection.[10]
The non-partisan Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments consisted of its chairperson—theCanadian Secretary to the Queen (most recentlyKevin MacLeod)—as well as two permanent federal delegates, oneAnglophone (most recentlyRobert Watt, citizenship judge and formerChief Herald of Canada) and oneFrancophone (most recentlyJacques Monet, constitutional scholar and member of the Canadian Institute of Jesuit Studies); each served for a time not exceeding six years.[11] For the appointment of a lieutenant governor or commissioner, two additional members drawn from the relevant province or territory would be temporarily added as members;[12][13] each was a member for no longer than six months.[11] A representative from theOffice of the Prime Minister acted as an observer only.[11]
Various other groups and individuals were consulted before the committee produced a shortlist of candidates; the recommendations were non-binding,[11] as the appointment of the governor general remains the prerogative of the Canadian monarch acting on theadvice of theprime minister of Canada, the appointment of the lieutenant governors the prerogative of the governor general acting on the advice of the prime minister of Canada, and the appointment of the commissioners the prerogative of the governor general acting on the advice of theminister of indigenous and northern affairs.
Harper later explained that he set up the committee and did not legislate it because he saw it as "only a first step to creating a much more formal selection process, beyond the sole judgment of the prime minister of the day." Writing this after thedeath of Queen Elizabeth II, Harper also stated, "I hope that, as KingCharles III [...] takes the throne, there will be more discussion as to how he should be best represented in Canada and its provinces."[14]
The29th ministry, headed byJustin Trudeau, dissolved the Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments in 2017,[15] before Trudeau selectedJulie Payette to replaceDavid Johnston as governor general. After reports of a toxic work environment in Rideau Hall during Payette's tenure, Trudeau was criticized for not thoroughly vetting Payette prior to her appointment and for not having used the advisory committee to find candidates.[16][17]
Following Payette's resignation in January 2021, a six-member advisory panel—the Advisory Group on the Selection of the Next Governor General—was struck to seek out candidates for the vice-regal position and develop a shortlist of names to give the Prime Minister.[18] This committee consisted ofMinister of Intergovernmental AffairsDominic LeBlanc, actingClerk of the Privy CouncilJanice Charette,Inuit leaderNatan Obed,Université de MontréalrectorDaniel Jutras, interimCanada Post chair Suromitra Sanatani, andJudith A. LaRocque, a former secretary to the governor general.[19] While the membership of the earlier consultation and advisory committees included those with interest in and connections to the viceregal office, the advisory group formed in 2021 was composed of members "selected for the diverse perspectives they bring to the work." This group was also the first to include a political representative from Cabinet.[20]
The eventual selection ofMary Simon was informed through the advice of the advisory group.[21]