This is a list of Canadian royal commissions or commissions of inquiry since

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. In

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, royal commissions and commissions of inquiry are official Government inquiries into matters of national concern, either in order to look into an important general issue or to fully investigate a specific incident. They are appointed by the Governor in Council (

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

) according to the ''Inquiries Act'', and consist of a panel of distinguished individuals, experts, or judges. The

terms of reference Terms of reference (TOR) define the purpose and structures of a project, committee, meeting, negotiation, or any similar collection of people who have agreed to work together to accomplish a shared goal. Terms of reference show how the object ...

for the commission and the powers and the names of the commissioners are officially stated by an

Order-in-Council An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council (''Kin ...

. Once their task is complete, the findings of the commission are reported to Cabinet and 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 ...

for appropriate action. The Crown in right of each province can also appoint a royal commission, although they are not included in this list. Federal inquiries are limited to matters within the constitutional jurisdiction of the

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. They can only look at issues within provincial jurisdiction that are connected to federal jurisdiction, such as policing on-reserve, child welfare on-reserve, etc. While a commission's findings and recommendations are

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, many have a significant impact on public opinion and the shape of

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public ...

. Other types of federal public inquiries include task forces and departmental investigations. Since the 1991–1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, commissions have more commonly been referred to as Commissions of Inquiry. From Confederation till 2013, there have been almost 450 federal commissions of inquiry with and without the royal title; more than 1500 departmental investigations; and an undetermined number of task forces. Commissions are often referred to by the name of the chairperson or commissioner(s). For example, a commission headed by John Doe may commonly be known as the "Doe Commission".

Overview

, royal commissions and commissions of inquiry are official Government inquiries into matters of national concern, either in order to look into and secure advice for an issue of general importance or to fully investigate a specific contentious incident. They are appointed by Governor in Council (

) according to the ''Inquiries Act'' (first passed by Parliament in 1868), and consist of a panel of distinguished individuals, experts, or judges. The

for the commission and the powers and the names of the commissioners are officially stated by an

. Once their task is complete, the findings of the commission are reported to Cabinet and the

for appropriate action. In practice, royal commissions in Canada can be seen as Commissions of Inquiry under the

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that carry a royal title. Though apart from this distinction there is no effective difference between the two, royal commissions tend to be thought of as broader in scope than other public inquiries, often holding nationwide public hearings and publishing associated research reports as well as their formal findings and recommendations. There are several different kinds of Commissions of Inquiry, which can be established under either Part I or Part II of the ''Inquiries Act'', or any one of 87 or more federal statutes. The mandate of a Commission of Inquiry depends on the nature of the issue to be considered. * Advisory Commissions — usually have a broad mandate in order to ensure that commissioners consider all options and consult all parties with an interest in the matter. * Investigative Commissions — usually have a more specific, focused mandate. Commissions of Inquiry created under Part I of the ''Inquiries Act'' are considered to government departments for the purposes of the ''Financial Administration Act'' (FAA). Oftentimes, the Prime Minister is given responsibility for the commission for the purposes of the FAA, thus enabling the commission to receive administrative support from the Privy Council Office. Other types of public inquiry in Canada that are closely related to royal commissions include: * Task forces — Typically composed of knowledgeable practitioners, task forces are often appointed by government departments to conduct concentrated investigations into specific practical matters. In the past, they have been assigned to look into such matters as

privacy Privacy (, ) is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. The domain of privacy partially overlaps with security, which can include the concepts of ...

and computers;

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, ...

procedures, retirement income policy, labour market development,

fisheries Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, ...

policy, and

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

. Though usually not as broad as royal commissions, some task forces have dealt with broad Canadian issues such as

housing Housing, or more generally, living spaces, refers to the construction and assigned usage of houses or buildings individually or collectively, for the purpose of shelter. Housing ensures that members of society have a place to live, whether ...

and

urban development Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of peop ...

, government information, and the structure and foreign ownership of Canadian industry. * Departmental investigations — Investigations can be established by departments and other agencies under statutory powers of the ''Inquiries Act''. The ''Inquiries Act'' provides commissions of inquiry, royal commissions, task forces, and departmental investigations the power to conduct investigations by

subpoena A subpoena (; also subpœna, supenna or subpena) or witness summons is a writ issued by a government agency, most often a court, to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of ...

ing witnesses, taking evidence under oath, requisitioning documents, and hiring expert staff. Federal inquiries are limited to matters within the constitutional jurisdiction of the

. They can only look at issues within provincial jurisdiction that are connected to federal jurisdiction, such as policing on-reserve, child welfare on-reserve, etc.

Royal Commissions

Since the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, commissions have more commonly been referred to as Commissions of Inquiry.

Commissions of Inquiry

Task forces

Task forces are commissions of inquiry often appointed by government departments to conduct concentrated investigations into specific practical matters. In the past, they have been assigned to look into such matters as

and computers;

procedures, retirement income policy, labour market development,

policy, and

. Though usually not as broad as royal commissions, some task forces have dealt with broad Canadian issues such as

and

, government information, and the structure and foreign ownership of Canadian industry.

Other public inquiries

Many of these are task forces in miniature.

Provincial commissions and inquiries

References

{{reflist

External links

*Privy Council Office
Commissions of Inquiry
- Canada.ca, Government of Canada, 18 Nov. 2019 * Canadian Royal Commissions Dynamic lists

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