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lieutenant governorAll the functions of
head of state
for the Province of
British Columbia are performed by the lieutenant governor of
British Columbia in the name of the
Crown
. The lieutenant governor is
appointed (and can be removed) by the
governor general
of Canada (see
The Constitution Act, 1867 (Canada)
section 59). The appointment (or removal) is made on the advice of
the prime minister of Canada.
The formal powers of the lieutenant governor are
very extensive and include the power to
commission
governments, to appoint
all important
executive
and judicial officers in
the province, to initiate
legislation
, to endorse all laws
passed by the provincial
legislature
, and to summon and
dissolve
parliaments (note the
Constitution Act (British Columbia),
sections 7, 9, 13, 21, 23, 46, 48). These powers are, on almost all
occasions, exercised on the advice of the
premier
or the executive council (a
formal meeting of the premier and one or more
ministers
). The current
role of the lieutenant governor is to perform official governmental
duties as the representative of the Crown, and to represent the
Province at a wide range of community functions throughout British
Columbia.
The relationships between the lieutenant governor, the premier,
the executive council, ministers and parliament are not well
specified in provincial constitutional documents and rely heavily
on customary practices (often called
constitutional conventions
) rather
than constitutional law (see
constitution
;
Constitution Act (British Columbia)
).
In relation to the electoral process, the lieutenant governor has a formal role in setting in process the procedures for holding legislative assembly elections, but is not otherwise involved. If, after an election, no party gains a majority of seats in the legislative assembly , the lieutenant governor may play an important role in the selection of the premier and the formation of a government . The lieutenant governor may also play in role in the choice of premier if a premier resigns in mid-term. |
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