The registrar general of Canada (french: registraire général du Canada) is responsible for registering all letters patent, commissions,

instruments Instrument may refer to: Science and technology * Flight instruments, the devices used to measure the speed, altitude, and pertinent flight angles of various kinds of aircraft * Laboratory equipment, the measuring tools used in a scientific lab ...

proclamation A proclamation (Lat. ''proclamare'', to make public by announcement) is an official declaration issued by a person of authority to make certain announcements known. Proclamations are currently used within the governing framework of some nations ...

s, and any other documents that may, from time to time, be issued under the

Great Seal of Canada The Great Seal of Canada (french: Grand Sceau du Canada) is a governmental seal used for purposes of state in Canada, being set on letters patent, proclamations and commissions, both to representatives of the monarch and for the appointment of ...

or the Privy Seal of Canada. The current registrar general is François-Philippe Champagne.

Appointment

The registrar general is not appointed directly — rather, a person becomes the registrar general by virtue of being the

minister of industry The industry minister is a cabinet position in a government. The title may refer to the head of the governmental department that specializes in industry. This position may also be responsible for trade and employment, areas that fall under the mini ...

, a

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 * Filing ...

office. Therefore, by proxy, the registrar general is appointed by the

governor general Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

, on the advice of 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 not ...

. The current minister of industry and registrar general of Canada is François-Philippe Champagne, who took office on January 12, 2021. Since November 20, 2019, the ministerial position has been styled as "Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry."

Role and responsibilities

Registering documents

The Office of the Registrar General is responsible for registering documents that have been issued under the Great Seal and the Privy Seal. Such documents can include the appointments of senators,

puisne justice A puisne judge or puisne justice (; from french: puisné or ; , 'since, later' + , 'born', i.e. 'junior') is a dated term for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. Use The term is used almost exclusively in common law ...

s, and governors general. The registrar general maintains a registry of the documents so issued, with the assistance of

Corporations Canada Canadian corporate law concerns the operation of corporations in Canada, which can be established under either federal or provincial authority. Federal incorporation of for-profit corporations is governed by Corporations Canada under the ''Canada ...

Keeping the Great Seal

While the governor general is the keeper of the Great Seal, he or she normally entrusts the Registrar General with the seal's safekeeping. The Great Seal is used to certify official state documents. The current Seal went into use in 1955, after the accession of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

to the Canadian Throne.

History

Before

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 ...

there were two registrars general, appointed as the provincial secretaries of

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

and

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

. After Confederation in 1867, the

secretary of state for Canada The Secretary of State for Canada, established in 1867 with a corresponding department, was a Canadian Cabinet position that served as the official channel of communication between the Dominion of Canada and the Imperial government in London. Scot ...

executed the functions of the registrar general. In 1966, the registrar general was created as a separate ministerial office. The following year in 1967, the Department of Registrar General was abolished and its functions assigned to the

minister of consumer and corporate affairs The Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs was a Government of Canada cabinet position held between 1967 and 1995. The minister was responsible for consumer and corporate issues relating to legislation at the federal level. The minister was al ...

. In 1995, several portfolios were reorganized and the minister of consumer and corporate affairs portfolio was merged with the minister of industry portfolio, which is today responsible for performing the duties of the registrar general.

Provincial or territorial registrars general

Each province and territory has a registrar general responsible for vital statistics, namely birth, marriage and death certificates.

References

Registrar General of Canada
Canadian ministers {{Canada-gov-stub