Canadian parliamentary office holder
The
clerk of the House of Commons
is the senior procedural and administrative officer in the
House of Commons of Canada
.
The duties performed by the Clerk of the House of Commons include advising the
Speaker of the House of Commons
and
Members of Parliament
on matters of
parliamentary procedure
. As well, the Clerk is involved in the management of the House of Commons. The office is modelled on the
Clerk of the House of Commons
of the United Kingdom. Prior to the establishment of this office, there was the Clerk of the
Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
.
The current Clerk is Eric Janse.
History
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The thirteenth century saw the emergence of the Clerk as a profession in England.
[1]
At that time, they were employed to record the decisions made by kings and kings' advisors. It was not until 1361 that the first Clerk of the House of Commons was officially appointed by the Crown.
[2]
The main duty of the early Clerks of the House consisted of reading petitions and bills,
[2]
while later they started to record the House's proceedings.
[3]
Notes on proceedings evolved to journals, which aim to keep track of the decisions and other important transaction of the House.
[4]
The House of Commons of Canada inherited the British parliamentary tradition. In 1867,
William Burns Lindsay
became the first Clerk of the House of Commons of Canada. Before Confederation, he served as the Clerk of the
Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
.
[5]
From 2014 to 2016, the
Deputy Clerk
Marc Bosc
served the role of the Acting Clerk on an interim basis during the House of Commons Clerk Audrey O'Brien's medical leave period.
[6]
He continued to remain in that position until the appointment of
Charles Robert
in 2017.
Appointment and duties
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The Clerk of the House of Commons are filled through governor-in-council appointments, pursuant to the
Public Service Employment Act
. In 2001, the House made a modification to the appointment process according to a recommendation contained in the First Report of the Special Committee on the Modernization and Improvement of the Procedures of the House of Commons. From then on, the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs needs to conduct a review of the proposed appointee after the government makes the nomination. This committee then reports to the House of Commons, followed by a ratification vote by the House. This process was first applied when proposing the appointment of
Audrey O'Brien
in 2005.
[7]
As well as advising the
Speaker of the House of Commons
and
Members of Parliament
on matters of
parliamentary procedure
, the Clerk is involved in the management of the House of Commons. The procedural responsibility of the Clerk is to maintain and keep custody of the House's proceedings and other important documents. Before each sitting of the House, the Clerk is required to provide the official agenda for the day’s proceedings to the Speaker.
[8]
At the beginning of a Parliament, all duly elected Members and the Members appointed to the
Board of Internal Economy
need to swear an oath of allegiance administered by the Clerk. With the aim of providing assistance to all Members regardless of party affiliation, the Clerk is expected to act with impartiality and discretion all the time.
[9]
The
Clerk of the Senate
fulfills a similar role in the
Senate of Canada
.
In the House of Commons Chamber, the Clerk’s Table is at the north end of the floor, in front of the Speaker’s Chair. The Clerk of the House of Commons sits at the head of the Table, with
Clerks-at-the-Table
on either side.
[10]
The dress code of the Clerk is to wear a black robe.
[9]
Incumbent
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The office is currently held by Eric Janse who replaced Charles Robert as Clerk in February 2023.
List of Clerks of the House of Commons
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References
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External links
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