The lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island () is the viceregal representative in

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

of the , who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada, as well as the other

Commonwealth realm A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealt ...

s and any subdivisions thereof, and resides predominantly in oldest realm, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. The lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island 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. The present lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island is Antoinette Perry, who assumed the role on 20 October 2017.

Role and presence

The lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island is vested with a number of governmental duties and is also expected to undertake various ceremonial roles. For instance, the lieutenant governor acts as patron, honorary president, or an honorary member of certain Prince Edward Island institutions, such as the Prince Edward Island Council of the Arts, the

Royal Commonwealth Society The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) is a non-governmental organisation with a mission to promote the value of the Commonwealth and the values upon which it is based. The Society upholds the values of the Commonwealth Charter, promoting conf ...

of Prince Edward Island, and the

Canadian Cancer Society The Canadian Cancer Society (french: Société canadienne du cancer) is Canada's largest national cancer charity and the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada. History The idea to form the Canadian Cancer Society origin ...

(Prince Edward Island division). Also, The viceroy, him or herself a member and Chancellor of the order, will induct deserving individuals into the Order of Prince Edward Island and, upon installation, automatically becomes a Knight or Dame of Justice and the Vice-Prior in Prince Edward Island of the

Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of c ...

. The viceroy further presents numerous other provincial honours and decorations, as well as various awards that are named for and presented by the lieutenant governor. 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; the lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island undertook an average of 350 engagements in both 2006 and 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 Prince Edward Island surmounted by a crown and surrounded by ten gold maple leaves, symbolizing the ten provinces of Canada. Within Prince Edward Island, the lieutenant governor also follows only the sovereign in the province's order of precedence, preceding even other members of the Canadian Royal Family and the King's federal representative.

History

The lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island came into being in 1786, when the government of William Pitt adopted the idea that Prince Edward Island (then St. John's Island), along with

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, and

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

, should have as their respective governors a single individual. The earlier post of governor of St. John's Island thus came to be occupied by the overreaching authority of the governor-in-chief, who was represented in the colony by a lieutenant. The modern incarnation of the office, however, was established in 1873, upon Prince Edward Island's entry into

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 ...

. Since that date, 27 lieutenant governors have served the province, amongst whom were notable firsts, such as

Marion Reid Marion Loretta Reid, (born January 4, 1929) is a former Canadian politician, the first female Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, and the 24th as well as first female, Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island. Born ...

the first female lieutenant governor of the province and

Joseph Alphonsus Bernard Joseph Alphonse Bernard (March 27, 1881 – September 7, 1962), which later evolved into the anglicized Joseph Alphonsus, was the 16th and first Acadian Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island, serving between 1945 and 1950. Born on Mar ...

the first lieutenant governor of

Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the desc ...

ancestry. The shortest mandate by a lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island was

William Cleaver Francis Robinson Sir William Cleaver Francis Robinson (14 January 1834 – 2 May 1897) was an Irish colonial administrator and musical composer, who wrote several well-known songs. He was born in County Westmeath, Ireland, and was educated at home and at the ...

, from 1 July 1873 to 4 July 1874, while the longest was

Thomas William Lemuel Prowse Thomas William Lemuel Prowse (August 31, 1888 – November 2, 1973) was a businessman and was the 17th Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island from 1950 to 1958. The son of Lemuel Ezra Prowse and Frances J. Stanley, he was born and educate ...

, from 4 October 1950 to 31 March 1958.

References

{{Representatives of the monarch in Commonwealth realms and Dominions *

Role and presence

History

See also

References