Registrar General of Canada

The Registrar General of Canada (French: Registraire général du Canada) is responsible for registering all letters patent, commissions, instruments, proclamations, 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.

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 Industry, 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

Role and responsibilities

Registering documents

The Great Seal.

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 justices, and governors general. The Registrar General mainstains a registry of the documents so issued, with the assistance of Corporations 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 to the Canadian Throne.

History

Before Confederation 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.

See also

• Keeper of the seals

References

• Registrar General of Canada