- Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
Infobox vice-regal
province = Alberta
shield = Shield-Alberta.png
incumbent =Norman Kwong
his/her = His
appointed_by =Michaëlle Jean
first_lg =George H. V. Bulyea
date =September 1 ,1905 The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta is the vice-regal representative of the Queen of Canada in the province of
Alberta . The role of the Lieutenant Governor is to carry out the constitutional and ceremonial duties of the monarch in the province.The Governor General appoints the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta on the advice of the Prime Minister, and in consultation with the
Premier of Alberta . There is no set limit to a Lieutenant Governor's term, the traditional description being "at Her Majesty's pleasure."The present Lieutenant Governor of Alberta is
Norman Kwong , who has served in the role sinceJanuary 20 ,2005 .History
Since 1905, sixteen lieutenants governor have served Alberta; previously, what is now Alberta was part of the
Northwest Territories , under the direction of theLieutenant-Governors of Northwest Territories (1869-1905).One of the few examples in
Canada of the lieutenant governor exercising theRoyal Prerogative against or without ministerial advice came whenJohn C. Bowen , Lieutenant Governor of Alberta in 1937, deniedRoyal Assent to three bills passed through the Legislative Assembly; two of the bills would have put the province's banks under the control of the provincial government, while a third, the Accurate News and Information Act, would have forced newspapers to print government rebuttals to stories the provincialCabinet objected to. All three bills were later declared unconstitutional by theSupreme Court of Canada and theJudicial Committee of the Privy Council . In retaliation for this move by Bowen, then Premier,William Aberhart , closed the vice-regal residence, removed the Lieutenant Governor's secretary and support offices, and took away his official car. [McWhinney, Edward; "The Governor General and the Prime Ministers"; Ronsdale Press, Vancouver; 2005; pg. 38-39]Nearly seven decades later,
Lois Hole , who served as Lieutenant Governor from 2000 until her death in 2005, publicly stated that she wished to discuss with her Premier,Ralph Klein , the proposed Bill 11, which was meant to allow privatehealth care to compete with the public health care system. From this it was suspected that Hole might reserve Royal Assent to the bill; however, Hole eventually did allow the bill to pass. [McWhinney; pg. 94]Lois Hole , a politician, businesswoman and educator, was the second woman to serve as Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, between 2000 and 2005; the first beingHelen Hunley between 1985 and 1991.Norman Kwong , a formerCanadian Football League player and national chairman of the Canadian Consultative Council on Multiculturalism, was the first vice-regal of Chinese-Canadian descent in Alberta, from 2005 to present. The shortest mandate by a Lieutenant Governor of Alberta wasPhilip Primrose , fromOctober 1 ,1936 , to his death onMarch 17 ,1937 . The longest wasJohn C. Bowen , fromMarch 23 ,1937 , toFebruary 1 ,1950 .Duties
The Lieutenant Governor, him or herself a recipient of the award as Chancellor of the Order, bestows the
Alberta Order of Excellence on deserving Alberta citizens. Similarly, the viceroy becomes the Vice-Prior of, and is also appointed a Knight or Dame of, the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem upon their swearing in as Lieutenant Governor. The Lieutenant Governor also attends various functions throughout the province and abroad, either as the host or a guest of honour. In 2002 the Lieutenant Governor undertook 435 engagements, 332 in 2003, and 326 in 2004. [ [http://www.monarchist.ca/new/docs/Report.pdf Guthrie, Gavin and Aimers, John; "$1.54 per Canadian: The cost of Canada's constitutional monarchy, 2005"] ]For more detailed information on the Vice-regal's responsibilities in Alberta see:
Lieutenant Governor (Canada) ymbols
The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta bears a personal flag that consists of a blue field bearing the shield of the Arms of Her Majesty in Right of Alberta, surmounted by a crown, and surrounded by ten gold maple leafs, symbolizing the ten provinces.
ee also
*
List of Lieutenant Governors of Alberta
*Governor General of Canada
*Monarchy in Canada References
External links
* [http://www.lieutenantgovernor.ab.ca/ Lieutenant Governor of Alberta]
* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/infoparl/30/4/30n4_07e_Neitsch.pdf/ Canadian Parliamentary Review]
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