The lieutenant governor of Quebec (; , ) is the representative in
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
of the monarch, who
operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the
ten other jurisdictions of Canada. The lieutenant governor of Quebec 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 and 30th lieutenant governor of Quebec is
Manon Jeannotte, who has served in the role since January 25, 2024.
Role and presence
The lieutenant governor of
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
is tasked with
a number of governmental duties. Not among them, though, is delivering the
Throne Speech, which sets the lieutenant governor of Quebec apart from the other Canadian viceroys. (Instead, new
parliaments begin with the Opening Speech by the
premier.) The lieutenant governor is also expected to undertake
various ceremonial roles. For instance, upon installation, the lieutenant governor automatically becomes a Knight or Dame of Justice and the Vice-Prior in Quebec of the
Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem. The lieutenant governor will present numerous other
provincial honours and decorations and
various awards that are named for and presented by the lieutenant governor, which were reinstated in 2000 by Lieutenant Governor
Lise Thibault. These honours are presented at official ceremonies, which count among hundreds of other engagements the lieutenant governor takes part in each year, either as host or guest of honour; in 2006, the lieutenant governor of Quebec undertook 400 engagements and 200 in 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 Quebec surmounted by a crown and set within a white disc; the Quebec viceregal flag is only one of two that are significantly different from all the others in Canada. Within Quebec, 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
's federal representative.
It has been argued by Jeremy Webber and Robert Andrew Young that, as the office is the core of authority in the province, the
secession of Quebec from the Confederation would first require the abolition or transformation of the post of lieutenant governor of Quebec; such an amendment to the
constitution of Canada could not be done without, according to Section 41 of the
Constitution Act, 1982, the approval of the
federal parliament and all other provincial legislatures in Canada. Others, such as J. Woehrling, however, have claimed that the legislative process towards Quebec's independence would not require any prior change to the viceregal post. Young also felt that the lieutenant governor could refuse Royal Assent to a bill that proposed to put an unclear question on sovereignty to referendum or was based on the results of a referendum that asked such a question.
History
The lieutenant governor of Quebec came into being in 1867, upon the creation of Quebec at
Confederation
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
. Since that date, 28 lieutenant governors have served the province, amongst whom were notable firsts, such as Lise Thibault—the first female and first disabled lieutenant governor of the province. The shortest mandate by a lieutenant governor of Quebec was that of Sir
Lomer Gouin, from January to March 1929, while the longest was
Hugues Lapointe, from 1966 to 1978.
One of the few examples in Canada of a viceroy exercising the
royal prerogative
The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, Privilege (law), privilege, and immunity recognised in common law (and sometimes in Civil law (legal system), civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy) as belonging to the monarch, so ...
against or without
ministerial advice came in 1887, when Lieutenant Governor
Auguste-Réal Angers dismissed the Cabinet headed by
Premier Honoré Mercier; a report concluded that Mercier's government had benefited from a
kickback scheme with contractors building the
Baie des Chaleurs railway.
The appointment of
Jean-Louis Roux as lieutenant governor of Quebec by Governor General
Roméo LeBlanc
Roméo-Adrien LeBlanc (December 18, 1928June 24, 2009) was a Canadian journalist and politician who served as the 25th governor general of Canada from 1995 to 1999.
LeBlanc was born and educated in New Brunswick, and also studied in France prior ...
, on the advice of
Prime Minister
A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Jean Chrétien, stirred controversy, as Roux was well known as a strong opponent of Quebec independence and, soon after he took up the post, it was revealed that, as a university student in the 1940s, he had worn a
swastika
The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...
on his
lab coat in protest of the
proposal to invoke conscription for service in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and had participated in an antisemitic protest.
Roux had, in an interview after his appointment as lieutenant governor, stated that he might have to use the
reserve powers of the Crown should certain circumstances arise following a referendum result in favour of Quebec's separation from Canada; a statement that displeased Roux's premier at the time,
Lucien Bouchard. The following year, Bouchard tabled in the legislature three motions, calling the Office of the lieutenant governor "a heritage of the colonial past", the appointment process controversial and interfering, and demanding the post be abolished, though, until then, the federal Crown-in-Council should appoint a person "democratically designated by the Quebec Assembly".
Residences and offices
Since 1997 there has been no official residence; the lieutenant governors must instead obtain their own home in or near the capital. However, they still retain an official office at
Édifice André-Laurendeau.
Previous residences includes Maison Sewell at 87, rue Saint-Louis (still standing),
Spencer Wood from 1870 to 1966 (destroyed by fire 1966) and 1010 rue St. Louis (Maison Dunn) from 1967 to 1997.
See also
*
Monarchy in the Canadian provinces
*
Government of Quebec
The Government of Quebec (, ) is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The term is typically used to refer to the executive of the day (i.e. Minister of the Crown, mini ...
*
Lieutenant Governors of Canada
*
List of seignories of Quebec
Notes
References
External links
*
Les lieutenants-gouverneurs depuis 1867
{{Representatives of the monarch in Commonwealth realms and Dominions
*
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
Westminster system in Canada
1867 establishments in Quebec