The Canadian secretary to the King (French: Secrétaire canadien du Roi) is the senior operational member of the royal household for the monarch of Canada, presently King Charles III. The office was established as Canadian secretary to the Queen in 1959. The present office holder is Donald Booth, who was appointed to the position in 2019.
Purpose
The secretary is the principal channel of communication between the monarch and his Canadian government and provincial governments, as well as managing the monarch's other correspondence in the Canadian context and drafting speeches the King delivers in Canada or on Canadian topics.[1] The secretary is responsible for advising the prime minister "on matters related to the Canadian Crown, including providing advice on the government of Canada's heritage-related commemorative initiatives [...] and state ceremonial and protocol advisory functions,"[2] such as royal jubilees.[3] Additionally, the secretary holds responsibility for the programme of tours of Canada by members of the royal family[1] and the coordination between Rideau Hall, federal government departments, provincial governments, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Canadian Armed Forces. The secretary also arranges for members of the royal family to be patrons of Canadian organizations, either civil or military.[3] The secretary formerly chaired, ex-officio, the Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments,[4] before it was disbanded in 2015.
History
The post was created in 1959 and was deliberately made separate from the governor general's staff; though, it had ties to Rideau Hall and complemented the viceregal household.[3] The secretary acted as the Canadian adviser to the monarch and coordinator of tours of Canada by members of the royal family.[5] He was thus appointed on an ad hoc basis until 1998, when the secretary would serve for an indeterminate length of time and,[3] until 2005, was always the sergeant-at-arms of the House of Commons. From 2005 to 2009, the office remained vacant until Prime MinisterStephen Harper appointed the Usher of the Black Rod to the position.
In 2012, Harper made the office a standalone position with a mandate to "advise the prime minister on matters relating to the Canadian Crown."[5] The role was also expanded, with the secretary chairing the Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments.[6]
Kevin S. MacLeod, the Canadian Secretary to the Queen from 2009 to 2017
In November 2015, responsibility for the Canadian secretary to the Queen was transferred from the Privy Council Office to the minister of Canadian heritage, at the time Pablo Rodríguez.[7] As a result, the office no longer reported directly to the prime minister.[5] The roles and responsibilities formerly exercised by the office were assumed by the Department of Canadian Heritage from 2015 to 2019.[5] The Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments was disbanded when Justin Trudeau was appointed prime minister in 2015 and remains "dormant".[5]
After remaining vacant for nearly three years, the position was filled in 2019 by Donald Booth, a federal civil servant who concurrently holds the position as director of the strategic policy in the Machinery of Government branch of the Privy Council Office.[6] In the same year, the responsibility for the Canadian secretary to the Queen was transferred back to the Privy Council Office.[6]
Both were not formally serving in the role, but coordinated the 1957 Elizabeth II's royal tour to Ottawa. Both were employed by the Civil Service of Canada.
Served during the 1987 tour of British Columbia (for a CHOGM), Saskatchewan, Quebec. Did not complete tour due to ill health. Order-in-Council (OIC) 1987–1988.
John Crosbie Perlin
1989–1991
Tour of Alberta and Ottawa for Canada Day, 1990. OIC 1990-0292.[10]
^Buckner, Phillip (2005). "The Last Great Royal Tour: Queen Elizabeth's 1959 Tour to Canada". In Buckner, Phillip (ed.). Canada and the End of Empire. Vancouver: UBC Press. p. 70. ISBN0-7748-0915-9. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
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