Document Information
Date: 1946-04-01
By: Canada (Parliament)
Citation: Canada, House of Commons Debates, 20th Parl, 2nd Sess, 1946 at 433-434.
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PRIME MINISTER’S SPECIAL PREROGATIVES
Mr. DESMOND:
For a copy of all orders in council prescribing the special prerogatives of the Prime Minister.
Mr. MACKENZIE KING: The motion is for a copy of all orders in council prescribing the special prerogatives of the Prime Minister. I may say there is nothing unusual about this particular order. It is one that was first adopted by Sir Charles Tupper when he came into office. It has been part of the normal procedure as each new administration came into office to enact similar orders. I have here the various orders that have been passed on May 1, 1896. Then there was one by Sir Wilfrid Laurier on July 13, 1896, one by Sir Robert Borden, on October 10th, 1911, and another by Sir Robert Borden when he was head of the Union government. Then there is one by the Right Hon. Arthur Meighen, approved on July 19, 1920, and one by Mr. Bennet, approved on August 7, 1930. Then there is one by myself, approved on October 25, 1935.
I seem to have overlooked passing a similar order between 1921 and 1926. Mr. Meighen also overlooked his opportunity from June to September of 1926. Again I recommended no order from 1926 to 1930. I am told that the clerk of the privy council has assumed that where a prime minister has been in office on a previous occasion, and is returned and continues in office, the old order still has force.
The only variation in the orders passed by myself and by my predecessors since the time of Sir Charles Tupper has been that in the original recommendation of Sir Charles the railway committee was included in the list of appointments designated as the prerogative of the Prime Minister in section 4 of the first two orders in council. This committee was deleted for obvious reasons from the list of appointments, under P.C. 2437 of October 10, 1911, and from subsequent orders in council.
Then in the case of the last two orders in council, namely P.C. 1930 of 1930 and P.C. 3374 of 1935, the original wording of section 3 has been slightly altered to read “recommendations affecting the discipline of the department of another minister” instead of “the discipline of another department”.
That is the extent of the changes made. I have been told to be sure to inform the house that this list does not include all the prerogatives of the Prime Minister.
Mr. Coldwell: Is the list being tabled?
Mr. Mackenzie King: I am tabling all the orders.
Motions agreed to.