List of current members of the King's Privy Council for Canada

Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada use the title The Honourable if they are ordinary members. Prime Ministers, Governors General and Chief Justices automatically are given the title The Right Honourable. While Governors General have the right to the title Right Honourable upon being sworn into office they are not inducted into the Privy Council until the end of their term unless they were previously members of the council by virtue of another office. Other eminent individuals such as prominent former Cabinet ministers are sometimes also given the title Right Honourable. Leaders of opposition parties and provincial premiers are not automatically inducted into the Privy Council. Opposition leaders are brought in from time to time either to commemorate a special event such as the Canadian Centennial in 1967, the patriation of the Constitution or, in order to allow them to be advised on sensitive issues of national security under the Security of Information Act. Paul Martin inaugurated a practice of inducting parliamentary secretaries into the Privy Council but this has not been continued by his successors.

Current members of the King's Privy Council for Canada (year sworn in)

Former governors general

Current and former prime ministers

Current and former Chief Justices of Canada

Current and former Cabinet ministers (by prime minister at induction)

Pierre Trudeau

Joe Clark

Pierre Trudeau (second ministry)

John Turner

Brian Mulroney

Kim Campbell

Jean Chrétien

Paul Martin

Stephen Harper

Justin Trudeau

(all those listed joined the Privy Council as Cabinet ministers unless otherwise indicated)

Other parliamentarians (not otherwise listed above)

Former Speakers of the House of Commons

Former Speakers of the Senate

Current and former government representatives/leaders in the Senate (who were not cabinet ministers)

Current and former federal Leaders of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition

Other former party leaders

Current and former Chief Government Whips (who were not cabinet ministers)

Members of Parliament appointed by nature of being parliamentary secretaries (appointed 2003–2005, only period where all parliamentary secretaries were sworn into Privy Council)

Other current and former parliamentarians

Current and former provincial premiers (not otherwise listed above)

Former Clerks of the Privy Council

Former members of the Security Intelligence Review Committee (not otherwise listed above)

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act established the Security Intelligence Review Committee, and required members to be named from members of the King's Privy Council who were not members of the Senate or House of Commons at the time of their appointment. As such, appointees, if not already members of the Privy Council, were sworn in prior to being named to the committee. In 2019, the SIRC was replaced by the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency.

Other prominent Canadians

While traditionally appointment to the Order of Canada has been utilised to recognize prominent Canadians, Brian Mulroney appointed 18 Canadians to the Privy Council on Canada Day in 1992 in commemoration of Canada's 125th anniversary, and two more (W.O. Mitchell and Maurice Richard) later that year. Conrad Black, who was one of the 18 appointed, was expelled from the Privy Council in 2014 on the recommendation of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.[15]

Longest-serving current Privy Counsellors

This is a list of the longest-serving current members of the King's Privy Council for Canada.

Privy CounsellorRoleAppointed
Jean Chrétienformer Cabinet minister; former Prime Minister1967; 57 years ago (1967)
Alexander Campbellformer Premier of Prince Edward Island1967; 57 years ago (1967)
Otto Langformer Minister of Justice1968; 56 years ago (1968)
André Ouelletformer Minister of Foreign Affairs1972; 52 years ago (1972)
Judd Buchananformer Minister of Public Works1974; 50 years ago (1974)
Jean-Jacques Blaisformer Postmaster General1976; 48 years ago (1976)
Francis Foxformer Solicitor General1976; 48 years ago (1976)
Joe Clarkformer Prime Minister1979; 45 years ago (1979)
David MacDonaldformer Secretary of State for Canada1979; 45 years ago (1979)
Elmer MacKayformer Minister of Public Works1979; 45 years ago (1979)
Jake Eppformer Minister of the Environment1979; 45 years ago (1979)
David Crombieformer Minister of Health and Welfare1979; 45 years ago (1979)
Perrin Beattyformer Secretary of State for External Affairs1979; 45 years ago (1979)

See also

Notes

References

  • [1] Official list of Privy Councillors.