List of Canadian Royal Commissions
Encyclopedia
This is an incomplete list of Canadian Royal Commissions since Confederation
. Royal Commission
s typically consist of a panel of experts appointed by the Governor General
-in-Council
to carry out full investigations into specific national problems. When this task is complete, the findings of the commission are then reported to the Cabinet
for appropriate action. The Crown in right of each province
can also appoint a Royal Commission, although they are not included in this list.
Canadian 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...
. Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
s typically consist of a panel of experts 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...
-in-Council
Queen-in-Council
The Queen-in-Council is, in each of the Commonwealth realms, the technical term of constitutional law that refers to the exercise of executive authority, denoting the monarch acting by and with the advice and consent of his or her privy council or executive council The Queen-in-Council (during...
to carry out full investigations into specific national problems. When this task is complete, the findings of the commission are then reported to the Cabinet
Cabinet of Canada
The Cabinet of Canada is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada...
for appropriate action. The Crown in right of each province
Monarchy in the Canadian provinces
The monarchy of Canada forms the core of each Canadian provincial jurisdiction's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy, being the foundation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government in each province...
can also appoint a Royal Commission, although they are not included in this list.
Royal Commissions
- 1868 Royal Commission to Inquire into the Present State and Probable Requirements of the Civil Service
- 1869 Royal Commission to Inquire into the Cause and Nature of the Obstruction Offered in the North-West Territories to the Peaceable Ingress of the Honourable William McDougall
- 1870 Commission to Inquire into the State of the Laws Connected with the Administration of Justice in Rupert's Land and the North-West Territories
- 1870 Royal Commission to Inquire into the Best Means for the Improvement of the Water Communications of the Dominion and the Development of the Trade with the North-Eastern Portion of North America
- 1873 Royal Commission Relating to Canadian Pacific Railway
- 1885 Royal Commission on Chinese Immigration
- 1887 Royal Commission on RailwaysRoyal Commission on RailwaysThe Royal Commission on Railways was a royal commission established in 1886 to address issues affecting rail commerce in Canada. The Commission was chaired by Alexander Galt and released its final report in 1887....
- 1887 Royal Commission on the Relations of Labour and Capital
- 1902 Royal Commission on Chinese and Japanese Immigration
- 1905 Royal Commission on Transportation of Canadian Goods through Canadian Ports
- 1912 Royal Commission on Indian Affairs for the Province of British Columbia (The McKenna-McBride Commission)
- 1929 Royal Commission on Radio BroadcastingRoyal Commission on Radio BroadcastingThe Royal Commission on Radio Broadcasting, otherwise known as the Aird Commission, was chaired by John Aird and examined Canada's broadcasting industry. The report released its findings in 1929 when it concluded that Canada was in need of a publicly funded radio broadcast system...
(The Aird Commission) - 1933 Royal Commission on Banking and Finance (The Macmillan Commission)
- 1938 Royal Commission to Investigate the Penal System of Canada (The Archambault Report)
- 1937-1940 Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations (The Rowell-Sirois Commission)
- 1945 Royal Commission on the Halifax Disorders, May 7th-8th, 1945
- 1946 Royal Commission on Administrative Classifications in the Public Service
- 1946 Royal Commission to Investigate the Facts Relating to and the Circumstances Surrounding the Communication, by Public Officials and Other Persons in Positions of Trust, of Secret and Confidential Information to Agents of a Foreign Power (The KellockRoy KellockRoy Lindsay Kellock, was a Canadian Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Born in Perth, Ontario, he graduated from McMaster University with a B.A. in 1915. Justice Kellock was called to bar in 1920 and appointed to the Court of Appeal for Ontario in 1942...
-TaschereauRobert TaschereauRobert Taschereau, CC, PC was a lawyer who became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and who briefly served as acting Governor General of Canada following the death of Georges Vanier in 1967.-Biography:...
Commission) - 1949-1951 Royal Commission on Transportation
- 1949-1951 Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and SciencesRoyal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and SciencesThe Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences, otherwise known as the Massey–Lévesque Commission, chaired by Vincent Massey, examined Canada's cultural sovereignty from the United States and various other nations. The report released its findings in 1951 when it...
(The Massey-Lévesque Commission) - 1954 Royal Commission on the Revision of the Criminal Code
- 1954-1960 Royal Commission on Patents, Copyright and Industrial Designs
- 1955-1958 Royal Commission on Canada's Economic ProspectsRoyal Commission on Canada's Economic ProspectsThe Royal Commission on Canada's Economic Prospects was initiated by the Louis St. Laurent government in order to develop recommendations regarding the Canadian economy. Chaired by Walter L...
(The Gordon Commission) - 1955 Royal Commission on Broadcasting (The Fowler Commission)
- 1957-1959 Royal Commission on Energy (The Borden Commission)
- 1960-1962 Royal Commission on Government Organization (The Glassco Commission) Royal Commission on Transportation (The MacPherson Commission) Royal Commission on Publications (The O'Leary Commission)
- 1961-1964 Royal Commission on Health Services (The Hall Report)
- 1962-1966 Royal Commission on Taxation
- 1963-1967 Royal Commission on Bilingualism and BiculturalismRoyal Commission on Bilingualism and BiculturalismThe Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism was a Canadian royal commission established on 19 July 1963, by the government of Prime Minister Lester B...
(The Laurendeau-Dunton Commission) - 1968 Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Cape Breton coal industry (The Donald Commission)
- 1967-1970 Royal Commission on the Status of WomenRoyal Commission on the Status of WomenThe Royal Commission on the Status of Women was a Canadian Royal Commission that examined the status of women and recommended steps that might be taken by the federal government to ensure equal opportunities with men and women in all aspects of Canadian society. The Commission commenced on 16...
- 1969-1973 Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs (The Le Dain Commission)
- 1975-1978 Royal Commission on Corporate Concentration
- 1981 Royal Commission on NewspapersRoyal Commission on NewspapersThe Royal Commission on Newspapers, popularly known as the Kent Commission, was a Canadian Royal Commission chaired by Tom Kent. It was created in 1980 in response to growing concerns over concentration of media ownership in Canada...
(The Kent Commission) - 1977-1981 Royal Commission of Inquiry into Certain Activities of the RCMPRoyal Commission of Inquiry into Certain Activities of the RCMPThe Royal Commission of Inquiry into Certain Activities of the RCMP, better known as the McDonald Commission, was a Royal Commission called by the Canadian government of Pierre Trudeau to investigate the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after a number of illegal activities by the RCMP Security Service...
(The McDonald Commission) - 1982-1985 Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects for Canada (MacDonald CommissionMacDonald CommissionThe Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects for Canada, known as the Macdonald Commission, was a historic landmark in Canadian economy policy. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau appointed the commission in 1982 and it presented its recommendations to Prime Minister Brian...
) - 1986 Royal Commission on Seals and the Sealing Industry in Canada
- 1991 Royal Commission on Electoral Reform and Party FinancingRoyal Commission on Electoral Reform and Party FinancingThe Royal Commission on Electoral Reform and Party Financing or RCERPF, also known as the Lortie Commission, was a Royal Commission established to investigate changes to Canadian election laws defined in the Canada Elections Act...
- 1991-1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal PeoplesRoyal Commission on Aboriginal PeoplesThe Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples was a Canadian Royal Commission established in 1991 to address many issues of aboriginal status that had come to light with recent events such as the Oka Crisis and the Meech Lake Accord. The commission culminated in a final report of 4000 pages,...
- 1993-1994 Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technologies
- 1995-1997 Royal Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in CanadaRoyal Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in CanadaThe Royal Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada, more commonly referred to as the Krever Commission or Krever Inquiry, was a Royal commission headed by Mr Justice Horace Krever established by the Canadian Government in October 1993...
(The Krever Commission) - 2000-2002 Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada (The Romanow Report)
- 2004-2006 Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising ActivitiesGomery CommissionThe Gomery Commission, formally the Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities, was a federal Canadian Royal Commission headed by the retired Justice John Gomery for the purpose of investigating the sponsorship scandal, which involved allegations of corruption...
(Gomery Commission) - September 2006-February 2008 Commission of Inquiry into the Investigation of the Bombing of Air India Flight 182 (The Major Commission)dick shirvles from coldwater