Executive Council (Commonwealth countries)
Encyclopedia
An Executive Council in Commonwealth
constitutional practice based on the Westminster system
is a constitutional organ which exercises executive power and (notionally) advises the governor or governor-general. Executive Councils often make decisions via Orders in Council.
Executive Councillors are informally called "ministers". Some Executive Councils, especially in Canada and Australia, are chaired by a President
or a Vice-President
. In other Commonwealth countries there is no formal president of the Executive Council, although meetings are held in the presence of the Governor-general or Governor (except in rare cases) and decisions require the Governor-general's assent.
These Councils have almost the same functions as the Privy Council
in the United Kingdom
and Canada
, and accordingly, decisions of the Cabinet
gain legal effect by being formally adopted by the Executive Council.
, the formal body holding executive authority under the Australian constitution.
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
constitutional practice based on the Westminster system
Westminster System
The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
is a constitutional organ which exercises executive power and (notionally) advises the governor or governor-general. Executive Councils often make decisions via Orders in Council.
Executive Councillors are informally called "ministers". Some Executive Councils, especially in Canada and Australia, are chaired by a President
President of the Executive Council
President of the Executive Council may refer to:*The Governor-General or Governors of the Australian states in Australia and New Zealand, although the actual title is not used*A Premier of a Canadian Province...
or a Vice-President
Vice-President of the Executive Council
The Vice-President of the Federal Executive Council is a position in Australian federal governments, whose holder acts as presiding officer of the Federal Executive Council in the absence of the Governor-General....
. In other Commonwealth countries there is no formal president of the Executive Council, although meetings are held in the presence of the Governor-general or Governor (except in rare cases) and decisions require the Governor-general's assent.
These Councils have almost the same functions as the Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Canada
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
, and accordingly, decisions of the Cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
gain legal effect by being formally adopted by the Executive Council.
Current executive councils
: Federal Executive CouncilFederal Executive Council
The Federal Executive Council is the formal body holding executive authority under the Constitution of Australia. It is equivalent to the other Executive Councils in other Commonwealth Realms such as the Executive Council of New Zealand and is equivalent to the Privy councils in Canada and the...
, the formal body holding executive authority under the Australian constitution.
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New South Wales: Executive Council of New South WalesExecutive Council of New South WalesThe Executive Council of New South Wales is the cabinet of that Australian state, consisting of the Ministers, presided over by the Governor .-Role and history:...
, the body which exercises the supreme executive authority in New South Wales.: Executive Council (Canada)Executive Council (Canada)Executive Councils in the provinces and territories of Canada are constitutional organs headed by the Lieutenant Governor.The Cabinet is an informal grouping within the Council, headed by a provincial Premier, whom hold de facto power over the body...
, a constitutional organ headed by the lieutenant governor in the 10 provincesProvinces and territories of CanadaThe provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
and commissioners in the 3 territories.: Executive CouncilExecutive Council (Fiji)The colonial Governors of Fiji relied on the Executive Council for advice on proposals for legislation which, after being discussed in the Executive Council meetings, came before the Legislative Council in the form of bills. In this way, the Executive Council was the chief policy-making body and...
, a form of government in Fiji.: Executive Council of the Isle of ManExecutive Council of the Isle of ManThe Executive Council is the former title of the Council of Ministers, the principal executive body of the Isle of Man Government. Its chairman was the Lieutenant Governor until 1980, when he was replaced by a Chairman elected by Tynwald...
, the fore-runner to the Council of Ministers of the Isle of ManCouncil of Ministers of the Isle of ManThe Council of Ministers ) is the principal executive organ of the Isle of Man Government. Its role is similar to, though not identical with, that of the Cabinet in the United Kingdom...
: Executive Council of New ZealandExecutive Council of New ZealandThe Executive Council of New Zealand is the body which legally serves the functions of the Cabinet. It has a function similar to that served by the Privy Council in the United Kingdom...
, the body which serves the functions of the Cabinet in New Zealand.: Executive Council of the Falkland IslandsExecutive Council of the Falkland IslandsThe Executive Council of the Falkland Islands is the policy making body of the Government of the Falkland Islands, exercising executive power by advising the Governor...
, the policy making body of the Government of the Falkland Islands.
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Former executive councils
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: Executive Council of CeylonExecutive Council of CeylonThe Executive Council of Ceylon was the Executive Council created in Ceylon by the British colonial administration on the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission along with the Legislative Council of Ceylon on March 13, 1833....
(1804 1947) - replaced by the Cabinet of Sri LankaCabinet of Sri LankaThe Cabinet of Sri Lanka is the council of cabinet ministers , responsible to parliament. Cabinet ministers are appointed by the President under the advice of the Prime Minister and serve at his pleasure. Officially the prime minister is the head of the cabinet, but the cabinet is chaired by the...
following independence: British North AmericaBritish North AmericaBritish North America is a historical term. It consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of American independence in 1783.At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 the British...
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United Kingdom: Executive Council of Upper CanadaExecutive Council of Upper CanadaThe Executive Council of Upper Canada had a similar function to the Cabinet in England but was not responsible to the Legislative Assembly. Members of the Executive Council were not necessarily members of the Legislative Assembly but were usually members of the Legislative Council. Members were...
(1792 1841) - United Kingdom: Executive Council of Lower CanadaExecutive Council of Lower CanadaThe Executive Council of Lower Canada was an appointive body created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. Its function was to advise the Governor or his representative on the administration of the colony's public affairs...
(1791 1841) - United Kingdom: Executive Council of the Province of CanadaExecutive Council of the Province of CanadaThe Executive Council of the Province of Canada had a similar function to the Cabinet in England but was not responsible to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from its inception in 1841 to 1848....
(1841 1867) - replace the councils for Upper CanadaUpper CanadaThe Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
and Lower CanadaLower CanadaThe Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
; replaced by the Queen's Privy Council of Canada - United Kingdom: : Executive Council of the Colony of British Columbia 11858-1871
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British Honduras: Executive Council of British HondurasBritish HondurasBritish Honduras was a British colony that is now the independent nation of Belize.First colonised by Spaniards in the 17th century, the territory on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, became a British crown colony from 1862 until 1964, when it became self-governing. Belize became...
1840-1961: Executive Council of the Irish Free StateExecutive Council of the Irish Free StateThe Executive Council was the cabinet and de facto executive branch of government of the 1922–1937 Irish Free State. Formally, the role of the Executive Council was to "aid and advise" the Governor-General who would exercise the executive authority on behalf of the King...
(1922 1937)
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Former Commonwealth executive councils
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: Executive Council of Hong KongExecutive Council of Hong KongThe Executive Council of Hong Kong is a core policy-making organ in the executive branch of the government of Hong Kong.. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong serves as its President.The Executive Council normally meets once a week...
(1841 1997) The body held executive authority in Hong Kong. The council continues to function from 1997 to present, however, Hong Kong withdrew from the Commonwealth in 1997.