The clerk of the Privy Council () is the professional head of 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 ...
. As the
deputy minister for the
Privy Council Office (the
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
's department), the clerk is the senior
civil servant in the
Government of Canada
The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-i ...
and serves as the secretary to the Cabinet ().
The role of the clerk is
nonpartisan; clerks may serve multiple prime ministers and do not belong to any political party. As the secretary to the Cabinet, the role provides impartial advice to the ministry and oversees the advice and policy support given to Cabinet and its committees. As head of the public service,
[Clerk of the Privy Council](_blank)
/ref> the clerk is responsible for other deputy ministers and the provision of non-partisan, expert advice to the government as a whole.
The clerk is a Governor in Council appointment made on the advice of the prime minister. On March 1, 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since ...
announced that Janice Charette would serve as interim clerk of the Privy Council as of March 9, 2021, as incumbent Ian Shugart underwent cancer treatment. She was permanently named to the position on May 25, 2022.
In the provinces and territories, the equivalent position of senior public servant is called the cabinet secretary or clerk of the executive council (in French, or , respectively).
History
The Privy Council for Canada was created and authorized by the '' Constitution Act, 1867'', and there has been a clerk of the Privy Council since then.
The staff of the Privy Council increased from 142 to 352 between 1971 and 1975.["Archives Search"]
at collectionscanada, 2018-05-20
In 1989, reforms initiated by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney ( ; born March 20, 1939) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993.
Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studied political s ...
gave the clerk position its present day responsibilities. Expert Donald Savoie describes these as a combination of three roles: "the secretary of cabinet, the head of the non-partisan public service, and the deputy minister — or top bureaucrat — to the prime minister." One critique of this arrangement is that it could put senior nonpartisan officials in the position of taking partisan positions.[Alex Boutiliero]
Caught in the SNC-Lavalin scandal, Canada’s top civil servant should help us understand his job, expert says
''Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and par ...
''. March 1, 2019 Clerks generally have extensive previous experience in the Public Service of Canada before being appointed.
See also
* Clerk of the Privy Council (United Kingdom)
References
Notes
External links
Clerk of the Privy Council
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Federal departments and agencies of Canada