Registrar General of Canada
Encyclopedia
The Registrar General of Canada is responsible for registering all letters patent
, commissions
, instruments
, proclamation
s, and any other documents that may, from time to time, be issued under the Great Seal of Canada
or the Privy Seal of Canada. The current Registrar General is Christian Paradis
.
, a Cabinet office. Therefore, by proxy, the Registrar General is appointed by the Governor General
, on the advice of the Prime Minister
. The Registrar General serves until such time as he or she is replaced.
The current Minister of Industry and Registrar General, Christian Paradis
, was sworn in on May 18, 2011
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
s, and governors general
. The Registrar General mainstains a registry of the documents so issued, with the assistance of Corporations Canada
.
to the Canadian Throne
.
there were two registrars general, appointed as the provincial secretaries of Upper Canada
and Lower Canada
. After Confederation, the Secretary of State became the Registrar General, until 1966, when the responsibility was delegated to the Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs
. When this ministerial position was discontinued in 1995, the role of Registrar General was again redelegated, this time to the Minister of Industry.
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
, commissions
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
, instruments
Legal instrument
Legal instrument is a legal term of art that is used for any formally executed written document that can be formally attributed to its author, records and formally expresses a legally enforceable act, process, or contractual duty, obligation, or right, and therefore evidences that act, process, or...
, proclamation
Proclamation
A proclamation is an official declaration.-England and Wales:In English law, a proclamation is a formal announcement , made under the great seal, of some matter which the King in Council or Queen in Council desires to make known to his or her subjects: e.g., the declaration of war, or state of...
s, and any other documents that may, from time to time, be issued under the Great Seal of Canada
Great Seal of Canada
The Great Seal of Canada is a seal used for official purposes of state in Canada such as the certification of Acts of Parliament that have been granted Royal Assent....
or the Privy Seal of Canada. The current Registrar General is Christian Paradis
Christian Paradis
Christian Paradis, PC, MP is a Conservative Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons for Mégantic—L'Érable...
.
Appointment
A person is not appointed as a Registrar General, in particular — rather, a person becomes the Registrar General by virtue of being appointed as the Minister of IndustryMinister of Industry (Canada)
The Minister of Industry is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's economic development and corporate affairs department, Industry Canada. The Minister of Industry is also the minister responsible for Statistics Canada...
, a Cabinet office. Therefore, by proxy, the Registrar General is appointed by the Governor General
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
, on the advice of the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
. The Registrar General serves until such time as he or she is replaced.
The current Minister of Industry and Registrar General, Christian Paradis
Christian Paradis
Christian Paradis, PC, MP is a Conservative Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons for Mégantic—L'Érable...
, was sworn in on May 18, 2011
Registering documents
Puisne Justice
A Puisne Justice or Puisne Judge is the title for a regular member of a Court. This is distinguished from the head of the Court who is known as the Chief Justice or Chief Judge. The term is used almost exclusively in common law jurisdictions such as England, Australia, Kenya, Canada, Sri Lanka,...
s, and governors general
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
. The Registrar General mainstains a registry of the documents so issued, with the assistance of Corporations Canada
Corporations Canada
Corporations Canada is the government agency of Industry Canada responsible for incorporation of Canadian businesses and "corporate laws governing federal companies, except for financial intermediaries".- Statutes :* Canada Business Corporations Act...
.
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 IIElizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
to the Canadian Throne
Monarchy in Canada
The monarchy of Canada is the core of both Canada's federalism and its Westminster-style parliamentary democracy, being the foundation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the Canadian government and each provincial government...
.
History
Before ConfederationCanadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
there were two registrars general, appointed as the provincial secretaries of Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The 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 Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
. After Confederation, the Secretary of State became the Registrar General, until 1966, when the responsibility was delegated to the Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs
Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs
The Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs was a Canadian cabinet position held between 1967 to 1995. The minister was responsible for consumer and corporate issues relating to legislation at the federal level....
. When this ministerial position was discontinued in 1995, the role of Registrar General was again redelegated, this time to the Minister of Industry.