House of Commons Procedure and Practice

Second Edition, 2009

House of Commons Procedure and Practice - Clerks of the House of Commons Since 1867 - Appendix 9. Clerks of the House of Commons Since 1867

Appendix 9 Clerks of the House of Commons Since 1867

An Order-in-Council appointee by Letters Patent under the Great Seal, the Clerk has traditionally held office at pleasure. While many of the Clerk’s functions are defined in the Standing Orders and the Parliament of Canada Act, most of the duties have developed as the House itself has evolved. As a commissioner of oaths, the Clerk is one of the officers who administer the oath of allegiance to newly-elected Members. The Clerk is the chief advisor to the Speaker and Members of the House of Commons on procedural matters and oversees the general administration of the House. The Clerk has the status of deputy minister and is Secretary to the Board of Internal Economy.

	Name	Date of Order-in-Concil Appointment	*Date Appointment Entered in Journals* of the House**
1.	William Burns Lindsay[1]	November 2, 1867	November 6, 1867
2.	Alfred Patrick[2]	January 21, 1873	March 5, 1873
3.	John George Bourinot[3]	December 1, 1880	December 9, 1880
4.	Thomas Barnard Flint[4]	November 11, 1902	March 12, 1903
5.	William Barton Northrup	March 11, 1918	March 18, 1918
6.	Arthur Beauchesne[5]	January 7, 1925	February 5, 1925
7.	Léon J. Raymond[6]	August 5, 1949	September 15, 1949
8.	Alistair Fraser	August 6, 1967	September 25, 1967
9.	Charles Beverley Koester	September 1, 1979	October 9, 1979
10.	Robert Marleau[7]	July 2, 1987	September 18, 1987
11.	William C. Corbett	July 3, 2000	September 18, 2000
12.	Audrey O’Brien[8]	October 11, 2005	October 7, 2005

[1] Until his appointment as Clerk of the House of Commons, William Burns Lindsay held the position of Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1862 to 1867. At Confederation, he became the first Clerk of the House of Commons.

[2] Until his appointment as Clerk of the House of Commons, Alfred Patrick held the position of Clerk Assistant in the Legislative Assembly of Canada and the House of Commons.

[3] John George Bourinot is the author of Parliamentary Procedure and Practice in the Dominion of Canada, the first Canadian treatise on parliamentary procedure and an authoritative work that had four editions published in 1884, 1892, 1903 and 1916.

[4] Thomas Barnard Flint was a former Member of Parliament. He was first elected to the House of Commons in 1891 and was re‑elected in 1896 and 1900. His resignation as Member of Parliament and subsequent appointment as Clerk of the House of Commons were announced in the House by the Speaker on March 12, 1903 (Debates, pp. 1-2).

[5] Arthur Beauchesne, a public servant, was appointed Clerk Assistant on February 17, 1916. He is also the author of Rules and Forms of the House of Commons of Canada, an authoritative work on parliamentary procedure that had six editions published in English in 1922, 1927, 1943, 1958, 1978 and 1989, and three editions published in French in 1964, 1978 and 1991.

[6] Léon J. Raymond was a former Member of Parliament. He was first elected to the House of Commons in 1945 and was re-elected in 1949. His resignation as Member of Parliament and subsequent appointment as Clerk of the House of Commons were announced in the House by the Speaker on September 15, 1949 (Debates, pp. 4, 11).

[7] Robert Marleau is senior editor of the first edition of House of Commons Procedure and Practice, published in 2000.

[8] Audrey O’Brien, the first female Clerk of the House of Commons, was also the first Clerk appointed pursuant to Standing Order 111.1, wherein the name of the proposed appointee is referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, and the appointment is then ratified by the House.