President of the Privy Council
| President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Queen's Privy Council for Canada | |
| Style | The Honourable |
| Member of | |
| Appointer | Governor General of Canada |
| Term length | At Her Majesty's pleasure |
| Inaugural holder | Adam Johnston Fergusson Blair |
| Formation | 1 July 1867 |
In the Canadian cabinet, the President of The Queen's Privy Council for Canada (French: President du Conseil privé de la Reine pour le Canada) is nominally in charge of the Privy Council Office. The President of the Privy Council also has the largely ceremonial duty of presiding over meetings of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, a body which only convenes in full for affairs of state such as the accession of a new Sovereign or the marriage of the Prince of Wales or heir presumptive to the Throne (see Monarchy in Canada). Accordingly, the last time the President of the Privy Council had to preside over a meeting of the Privy Council was in 1981 on the occasion of Charles, Prince of Wales' engagement to Lady Diana Spencer. It is the equivalent of the office of Lord President of the Council in the United Kingdom.
Under Prime Ministers Pierre Trudeau and Joe Clark the position was synonymous with that of Government House Leader. In 1989 the Government House Leader became a separate position and the President of the Privy Council became a largely honorary title (not unlike that of Deputy Prime Minister of Canada) given to a senior minister in addition to other portfolios. From 1993 it has regularly been held by whoever holds the portfolio of Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. In the past decade the position has generally been seen to be the closest thing to a sinecure posting within the Cabinet. The current President, Karina Gould, holds the position of Minister of Democratic Institutions.
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