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The Usher of the Black Rod (french: Huissier du bâton noir), often shortened to Black Rod is the most senior protocol position in the
Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, t ...
. Black Rod leads the Speaker's Parade at the beginning of each sitting of the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...
and oversees protocol and administrative and logistical details of important events taking place on
Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (french: Colline du Parlement, colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its Gothic revival suite of buildings, and their architect ...
, such as the opening of parliament and the
Speech from the Throne A speech from the throne, or throne speech, is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign, or a representative thereof, reads a prepared speech to members of the nation's legislature when a session is opened, outlining th ...
. The office is modelled on the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod of the
House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...
in the
Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the Parliamentary sovereignty in the United Kingdom, supreme Legislature, legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of We ...
. Upon the appointment of the first woman to the position of Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod on 20 October 1997, the title was changed to ''Usher of the Black Rod''.


The rod

The usher carries an
ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus ''Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when po ...
and gold
staff of office A staff of office is a staff, the carrying of which often denotes an official's position, a social rank or a degree of social prestige. Apart from the ecclesiastical and ceremonial usages mentioned below, there are less formal usages. A gold- or ...
modelled on that used in the House of Lords. Canada's original rod is believed to have been made in the 1840s in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
for the Legislative Assembly of the
Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...
, and then transferred to the Senate after
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 issu ...
in 1867, but it was lost in the 1916 fire that destroyed
Centre Block The Centre Block (french: Édifice du Centre) is the main building of the Canadian parliamentary complex on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario, containing the House of Commons and Senate chambers, as well as the offices of a number of members ...
. The current rod was crafted the same year by then- Crown Jeweller
Garrard & Co Garrard & Co. Limited, formerly Asprey & Garrard Limited, designs and manufactures luxury jewellery and silver. George Wickes founded Garrard in London in 1735 and the brand is headquartered at Albemarle Street in Mayfair, London. Garrard also h ...
.. The rod was snapped in half in 1967, and underwent only amateur repairs at the hands of Senator Henry Davies Hicks in his personal workshop; over the years it has additionally suffered scratching, cracking, and loss of pieces. Accordingly, on the occasion of the
150th anniversary of Canada The 150th anniversary of Canada, also known as the 150th anniversary of Confederation and promoted by the Canadian government as Canada 150, occurred in 2017 as Canada marked the sesquicentennial of Canadian Confederation. Planning Major p ...
in 2016, the Queen bestowed a restoration by artisans and craftspeople at
Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original ...
under the direction of Adrian Smith, L.V.O., which replaced the central ebony rod itself with a 20th-century ebony walking cane. The top consists of a lion on its hind legs displaying a shield decorated with the royal cypher of
George V of the United Kingdom George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...
, the monarch when the rod was crafted, and bearing the motto . Its middle knob is made of silver with
maple leaf The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree. It is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada. History of use in Canada By the early 1700s, the maple leaf had been adopted as an emblem by the French Canadians along th ...
engravings (in contrast to the oak leaves used in its UK counterpart, which is made of gold), and is engraved with the name of Queen Elizabeth II, inscribed during its restoration. The base is set with a 1904
gold sovereign The sovereign is a British gold coin with a nominal value of one pound sterling (£1) and contains 0.2354 troy oz of pure gold. Struck since 1817, it was originally a circulating coin that was accepted in Britain and elsewhere in the world ...
, displaying St. George slaying the Dragon.


List of office holders

From 1867 to 1997, the title of the office was Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod. After the first female (Mary C. McLaren) was appointed to the position, the term ''gentleman'' was dropped from the title. * 1867–1875: René Kimber * 1875–1901: René Edouard Kimber (Son of René Kimber) * 1902–1904: Molyneux St. John * 1904–1925: Ernest John Chambers * 1925–1946: Andrew Ruthven Thompson * 1947–1970: Charles Rock Lamoureux * 1970–1979: A. Guy Vandelac * 1979–1984: Thomas Guy Bowie * 1984–1985: Claude G. Lajoie * 1985–1989: René Marc Jalbert * 1989–1990: Rene Gutknecht * 1990 – 20 October 1997: Jean Doré * 20 October 1997 – 2001: Mary C. McLaren * 2002–2008: Terrance Christopher * 26 May 2008 – 30 September 2013: Kevin S. MacLeod * 1 October 2013 – present: J. Greg Peters


See also

* Procedural officers and senior officials of the parliament of Canada


References


External links

*{{official, https://sencanada.ca/en/about/usher-black-rod/ Ceremonial officers in Canada