25. Appendices

Governors General of Canada Since 1867

Appointed by the Sovereign under the advice of the Prime Minister, the Governor General usually holds office for five years.  However, the term can continue beyond five years and is brought to an end by the installation or the swearing-in of a successor.  The Constitution Act, 1867, confers upon the Governor General certain basic powers of government: a recommendation from the Governor General must accompany all spending measures introduced in the House; it is the Governor General who gives royal assent to legislation; and it is the Governor General who summons, prorogues and dissolves Parliament.However, in administering the executive authority of the Government, the Governor General acts solely upon the advice of the ministry. In addition to these basic powers of government, the Governor General also has a number of ceremonial responsibilities.  The list of Governors General of Canada since Confederation and the information on their appointment and term of office was kindly provided by Rideau Hall.

	Governor General	Appointment Date [2]	Term of Office [1]
			Installation Date [3]	Last Day in Office [4]
	1. Charles Stanley Monck, Viscount Monck	June 1, 1867	July 1, 1867	November 14, 1868
	2. Sir John Young, Lord Lisgar	December 29, 1868	February 2, 1869	June 21, 1872
	3. Sir Frederick Temple Blackwood, The Earl of Dufferin	May 22, 1872	June 25, 1872	November 14, 1878
	4. Sir John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, Marquess of Lorne	October 7, 1878	November 25, 1878	October 22, 1883
	5. Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, The Marquess of Lansdowne	August 18, 1883	October 23, 1883	May 30, 1888
	6. Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley, Lord Stanley of Preston	May 1, 1888	June 11, 1888	September 6, 1893
	7. Sir John Campbell Hamilton Gordon, The Earl of Aberdeen	May 22, 1893	September 18, 1893	November 12, 1898
	8. Gilbert John Murray Kynynmound, The Earl of Minto	July 30, 1898	November 12, 1898	November 18, 1904
	9. Sir Albert Henry George Grey, Earl Grey	September 26, 1904	December 10, 1904	October 12, 1911
	10. H. R. H. Prince Arthur William Patrick Albert, Field Marshall H.R.H. The Duke of Connaught and Strathearn	March 6, 1911	October 13, 1911	October 11, 1916
	11. Sir Victor Christian William Cavendish, The Duke of Devonshire	August 8, 1916	November 11, 1916	July 19, 1921
	12. Sir Julian Hedworth George Byng, General Lord Byng of Vimy	August 2, 1921	August 11, 1921	September 29, 1926
	13. Sir Freeman Freeman-Thomas, The Viscount Willingdon of Ratton	August 5, 1926	October 2, 1926	January 16, 1931
	14. Sir Vere Brabazon Ponsonby, The Earl of Bessborough	March 20, 1931	April 4, 1931	September 29, 1935
	15. Sir John Buchan, Lord Tweedsmuir of Elsfield	August 10, 1935	November 2, 1935	February 11, 1940 *
	16. Sir Alexander Augustus Frederick William Alfred George Cambridge, Major General The Earl of Athlone	June 2, 1940	June 21, 1940	March 16, 1946
	17. Sir Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, Field Marshal The Viscount Alexander of Tunis	March 21, 1946	March 21, 1946	January 28, 1952
	18. The Rt. Hon. Vincent Charles Massey	February 1, 1952	February 28, 1952	September 15, 1959
	19. Major General The Rt. Hon. Georges Philias Vanier	August 1, 1959	September 15, 1959	March 5, 1967 *
	20. The Rt. Hon. Daniel Roland Michener	March 29, 1967	April 17, 1967	January 14, 1974
	21. The Rt. Hon. Jules Léger	October 5, 1973	January 14, 1974	January 22, 1979
	22. The Rt. Hon. Edward Richard Schreyer	December 28, 1978	January 22, 1979	May 14, 1984
	23. The Rt. Hon. Jeanne Mathilde Sauvé	January 28, 1984	May 14, 1984	January 29, 1990
	24. The Rt. Hon. Ramon John Hnatyshyn	December 14, 1989	January 29, 1990	February 8, 1995
	25. The Rt. Hon. Roméo Adrien LeBlanc	January 16, 1995	February 8, 1995	October 7, 1999
	26. The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson	September 8, 1999	October 7, 1999	September 27, 2005
	27. The Rt. Hon. Michaëlle Jean	August 4, 2005	September 27, 2005
* Died in office.

[1]

Term of Office: The appointment of a Governor General is without a specific term and persists legally until brought to an end by the installation or the swearing-in of a successor.  By convention, the term has come to be regarded as five years but its actual length is determined by the Prime Minister’s recommendation to the Sovereign on the appointment of a successor.

[2]

Appointment Date: The appointment is made by the Sovereign on the basis of formal advice submitted by the Prime Minister who recommends the appointment in the form of a commission of appointment and the date of the commission becomes the appointment date.  The appointment is then announced simultaneously in London and in Ottawa in the form of a press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.

[3]

Installation Date: The swearing-in or installation formalizes the appointment of the Governor General and is the first official day of his/her term of office.

[4]

Last Day in Office: The last day of the Governor General’s term of office is usually the day of the installation or swearing-in of his/her successor.However, in some cases, an Administrator was appointed from the last day in office of the Governor General until the installation of the successor.