Administrator of the Government of Québec

Section 67 of the Constitution Act of  1867 states that:

The Governor General in Council may from Time to Time appoint an Administrator to execute the Office and Functions of Lieutenant Governor during his Absence, Illness, or other Inability.

In fact, a standing appointment is made by Order-in-Council of the federal government’s Treasury Board assented to by the Governor General. The Administrator of the Government of Québec can therefore act in place of the Lieutenant Governor in the event of the inability of the latter to perform the required duties.

Since 1958, the Administrator of the Government of Québec has been chosen among the senior judges of the Court of Appeal of Québec.

Current Administrator

Since 2000, the Administrator of the Government of Québec has been the Honourable Mr. Justice Paul-Arthur Gendreau. He has assented to a number of bills and ratified Orders-in-Council when the Lieutenant Governor was outside Québec or was ill.

The Honourable Paul-Arthur Gendreau was named a justice of the Court of Appeal of Québec on April 16, 1986, and was sworn in on May 6 of the same year. In 2000, he became a coordinating judge of this court.