The lieutenant governor of Alberta () is the
viceregal
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...
representative in
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
of the . The lieutenant governor is appointed in the same manner as
the other provincial viceroys in Canada and is similarly tasked with carrying out most of the monarch's constitutional and ceremonial duties.
Salma Lakhani
Salma Lakhani (born 1951 or 1952) is the 19th lieutenant governor of Alberta. Her appointment as lieutenant governor became effective upon the swearing of the oath of allegiance and oath of office on August 26, 2020.
She is the viceregal repre ...
is the current lieutenant governor. On 26 August 2020, she was installed as the 19th lieutenant governor, becoming the first South Asian and Muslim in Canadian history to hold the role.
Role and presence
The lieutenant governor is vested with
a number of governmental duties and is also expected to undertake
various ceremonial roles. The lieutenant governor, who is the Chancellor and a member of the
Alberta Order of Excellence
The Alberta Order of Excellence (french: Ordre d'excellence de l'Alberta) is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Alberta. Instituted in 1979 when Lieutenant Governor Frank C. Lynch-Staunton granted royal assent to the Alberta O ...
, will induct deserving individuals into the order. Upon appointment, the lieutenant governor automatically becomes a Knight or Dame of Justice and the Vice-Prior in Alberta of the
Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem. The viceroy further presents other
provincial honours and decorations, as well as
various awards that are named for and presented by the lieutenant governor; these are generally created in partnership with another government or charitable organization and linked specifically to their cause. These honours are presented at official ceremonies, which count amongst hundreds of other engagements the lieutenant governor partakes in each year, either as host or guest of honour; in 2006, the lieutenant governor undertook 328 engagements and 280 in 2007.
At these events, the lieutenant governor's presence is marked by
the lieutenant governor's standard, consisting of a blue field bearing the escutcheon of the
Arms of Majesty in Right of Alberta surmounted by a crown and surrounded by ten gold maple leaves, symbolizing the
ten provinces of Canada. Within Alberta, the lieutenant governor also follows only the sovereign in the
province's order of precedence, preceding even other members of the
Canadian royal family
The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is at the core of Canada's constitutional federal structure and Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. The monarchy is the founda ...
and the
King's federal representative.
History
The office of lieutenant governor of Alberta came into being in 1905,
upon Alberta's entry into
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Dominion ...
, and evolved from the earlier position of
lieutenant governor of the Northwest Territories. Since that date, 19 lieutenant governors have served the province, amongst whom were notable firsts, such as
Norman Kwong
Norman Lim Kwong (born Kwong Lim Yew; ; October 24, 1929 – September 3, 2016) was a Canadian football player who played for the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was also an active businessman ...
—the first
Asian-Canadian
Asian Canadians are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to the continent of Asia. Canadians with Asian ancestry comprise both the largest and fastest growing group in Canada, after European Canadians, with roughly 19.3 ...
lieutenant governor of Alberta—and
Helen Hunley
Wilma Helen Hunley (September 6, 1920 – October 22, 2010) was a Canadian politician and the 12th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, the first woman to serve in that post.
Early life
She was born in Acme, Alberta, to James Edgar Hunley and Esta ...
—the first female lieutenant governor of the province. The shortest mandate by a lieutenant governor of Alberta was
Philip Primrose, from 1 October 1936 to his death on 17 March 1937, while the longest was
John C. Bowen, from 23 March 1937 to 1 February 1950. In 1956, following his appointment, Lieutenant Governor
John J. Bowlen became the first provincial viceroy in Canada to be granted an audience with the Canadian monarch, starting a tradition that continues today for all of Canada's lieutenant governors.
One of the few examples in Canada of a viceroy exercising the
royal prerogative
The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege and immunity, recognized in common law and, sometimes, in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy, as belonging to the sovereign and which have become widely vested in th ...
against or without
ministerial advice came in 1937, when John Bowen
reserved
Reserved is a Polish apparel retailer headquartered in Gdańsk, Pomerania, Poland. It was founded in 1999 and remains the largest company of the LPP group, which has more than 1,700 retail stores located in over 20 countries and also owns such ...
royal assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...
to three bills passed through the
Legislative Assembly; two of the bills would have put the province's banks under the control of the provincial government, while a third, the
Accurate News and Information Act, would have forced newspapers to print
Cabinet rebuttals to stories the ministers objected to. All three bills were later declared unconstitutional by the
Supreme Court of Canada and the
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Aug ...
, though, in retaliation for this move by Bowen, his
premier,
William Aberhart
William Aberhart (December 30, 1878 – May 23, 1943), also known as "Bible Bill" for his outspoken Baptist views, was a Canadian politician and the seventh premier of Alberta from 1935 to his death in 1943. He was the founder and first leader ...
, closed
the viceregal residence, removed the lieutenant governor's secretary and support offices, and took away his official car. Nearly seven decades later,
Lois Hole
Lois Elsa Hole, CM, AOE DStJ (née Veregin; 30 January 1929 – 6 January 2005) was a Canadian politician, businesswoman, academician, professional gardener and best-selling author. She was the 15th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta from 10 Feb ...
, who served as lieutenant governor from 2000 until her death in 2005, publicly stated that she wished to discuss with her premier,
Ralph Klein, the proposed Bill 11, which was meant to allow private
health care to compete with the
public health care system. From this it was suspected that Hole might reserve royal assent to the bill; however, Hole eventually did allow the bill to pass.
Residence
The province's
vice-regal
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...
no longer has a home provided as a residence during his or her term.
From 1913 to 1938,
the title holder resided at
Government House
Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries.
Gover ...
and from 1966 to 2004 at 58 St. George's Crescent in
Westmount.
The former home is now
Alberta Government Conference Centre, and the latter was demolished in 2005.
A residence was built for Lieutenant Governor John J. Bowlen, in which he lived from 1950 to 1959, at 13604 Ravine Drive.
Federal expenses
The federal expenses of the lieutenant governor in the exercise of her official duties for fiscal year 2017–2018 were:
*Travel and accommodation: $21,487
*Hospitality: $57,104
*Operational and administrative expenses: $10,119
*Total: $88,710
See also
*
Monarchy in the Canadian provinces
*
Government of Alberta
The government of Alberta (french: gouvernement de l'Alberta) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Alberta. As a constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor—is ...
*
Lieutenant Governors of Canada
Bibliography
*
References
External links
*
Lieutenant Governor - The Canadian encyclopedia*
ttps://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/lois-mitchell-installed-as-alberta-s-lieutenant-governor-1.3111731 CBC - Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Lois MitchellCanadian Parliamentary Review
{{Representatives of the monarch in Commonwealth realms and Dominions
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
Westminster system
Government of Alberta