The Secretary to the Governor General () is the administrative head of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General (OSGG)—the government department that supports the work of the

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm ...

—and is based at

Rideau Hall Rideau Hall (officially Government House) is the official residence in Ottawa of both the Canadian monarch and their representative, the governor general of Canada. It stands in Canada's capital on a estate at 1 Sussex Drive, with the main bu ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

, Ontario. On January 29, 2021,

Ian McCowan Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name ( Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in ...

was named to the position effective February 1, 2021. The previous secretary was

Assunta Di Lorenzo Julie Payette (; born October 20, 1963) is a Canadian engineer, scientist and former astronaut who served from 2017 to 2021 as Governor General of Canada, the 29th since Canadian Confederation. Payette holds engineering degrees from McGill U ...

, who was appointed in January 2018 and resigned in January 2021.

Overview

The position is one of the oldest public service appointments in Canada and holds the courtesy rank of deputy minister within the

Public Service of Canada The Public Service of Canada (known as the Civil Service of Canada prior to 1967) is the civilian workforce of the Government of Canada's departments, agencies, and other public bodies. While the Government of Canada has employed civil servants ...

. Since

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical iss ...

, every office-holder has been appointed by order in council. The first post-Confederation incumbent, Dennis Godley, initially assumed his post in 1861 and continued on into the post-Confederation period, departing in November 1868. The Secretary to the Governor General holds a number of ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

'' positions, as follows. Since the establishment of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

in 1967, the secretary has served as Secretary General of the Order of Canada. The secretary also serves as Secretary General of the Order of Military Merit and the

Order of Merit of the Police Forces The Order of Merit of the Police Forces (french: Ordre du mérite des corps policiers) is an honour for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the only such fellowship reserved for only members of Canada's various police forces. C ...

. Following the creation of the

Canadian Heraldic Authority The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; french: Autorité héraldique du Canada) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for t ...

in 1988, the secretary became

Herald Chancellor of Canada The Herald Chancellor (''Chancelier d'armes'' in French) is an officer at the Canadian Heraldic Authority. The office is always filled by the Secretary to the Governor General. The Herald Chancellor is responsible for the administration of the e ...

Secretaries to the Governor General

Pre-Confederation

* 1841-1842: Thomas William Clinton Murdoch * 1842-1844:

Rawson W. Rawson Sir Rawson William Rawson, (8 September 1812 – 20 November 1899) was a British government official and statistician. During his tenure as a public servant in Canada he contributed to the ''Report on the affairs of the Indians in Canada'', a ...

* 1842-1843: Henry Bagot (private secretary) * 1843-1846:

James Macaulay Higginson Sir James Macaulay Higginson (1805 – 28 June 1885) was an Anglo-Irish colonial administrator who was Governor of Antigua from 1847 to 1850. Biography Higginson was born in County Antrim, Ireland, the son of Major James Higginson and Mary Mac ...

(private secretary) * 1847-1849: Thomas Edmund Campbell * 1851-1854: Robert Bruce * 1854-1854: Laurence Oliphant * 1854-1856: William Keppel, Viscount Bury * 1856-1861: Richard T. Pennefather * 1861-1861:

Francis Retallack Francis may refer to: People * Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome * Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places *Rural ...

(acting secretary) * 1861-1867:

Dennis Godley Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is some ...

Post-confederation

* 1867-1868:

* 1868-1872:

Francis Turville Francis may refer to: People * Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome * Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places *Rural ...

* 1872-1875: Lt.-Col.

Henry Charles Fletcher Henry may refer to: People * Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portuga ...

* 1875 ''(March-October)'': Harry Moody * 1875-1878:

Edward George Percy Littleton Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

* 1878-1883: Francis W. de Winton * 1883-1885:

Viscount Melgund A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

(later 4th Earl of Minto) * 1885-1888:

Henry Streatfeild Henry Streatfeild (1706 - 1762) was a substantial British landowner and member of the prominent Chiddingstone, Kent Streatfeild family. Henry Streatfeild was born on 3 June 1706 in Chiddingstone. He was the son of Henry Streatfeild (1679-1747) and ...

* 1888 ''(June-July)'': Josceline FitzRoy Bagot * 1888-1892: C. R. W. Colville * 1892-1893: J. T. St. Aubyn * 1893-1899: Arthur John Lewis Gordon * 1899-1926: Arthur French Sladen * 1926-1927: Richard Osborne * 1927–1931: Sir Eric Miéville * 1931–1935:

Sir Alan Lascelles Sir Alan Frederick "Tommy" Lascelles, (; 11 April 1887 – 10 August 1981) was a British courtier and civil servant who held several positions in the first half of the twentieth century, culminating in his position as Private Secretary to both K ...

* 1935–1946: Sir Arthur Shuldham Redfern * 1946–1952:

Harry Letson Major General Harry Farnham Germain Letson, CB, CBE, MC, ED, CD (September 26, 1896 – April 10, 1992) was an engineer, educator and Canadian Army officer who served in both World War I and World War II. Military career The son of James ...

* 1952–1959:

Lionel Massey Lionel Massey (July 2, 1916 – July 28, 1965) was a Canadian civil servant and dignitary, most noted for serving as Secretary to the Governor General of Canada during his father Vincent Massey's term as Governor General."Lionel Massey: ROM Direct ...

* 1959–1985: Esmond Unwin Butler * 1985–1990: Léopold Henri Amyot * 1990–2000: Judith A. LaRocque * 2000–2006: Barbara Uteck * 2006–2011: Sheila-Marie Cook * 2011–2018:

Stephen Wallace Stephen Henry Wallace A.M. (born 23 December 1943) is an Australian film and television director, screenwriter, producer, published author and acting coach. He has directed eight feature films, nine telemovies, numerous short films, worked on ...

* 2018–2021:

* 2021–present:

References

External links

Official website
{{Governor General of Canada Government of Canada