Elizabeth Dowdeswell. Photo credit: lgontario.ca
Osgoode Hall Law School played host to Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Elizabeth Dowdeswell, on Wednesday, January 28, 2015. Her Honour participated on a panel entitled “The Monarchy in Action: Canada’s Vice-Regals at Work” as part of the Crown & Constitution Speakers’ Series organized by the Osgoode Constitutional Law Society. Political Science Emeritus Professor, Peter Russell, and Historian and Jesuit Priest, Father Jacques Monet, also participated on the panel.
As the physical embodiment of the supreme constitutional power of Ontario, Lt.-Gov Dowdeswell spoke humbly and enthusiastically about assuming her relatively new role as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s representative in Ontario. Lt.-Gov Dowdeswell was appointed to the position in September 2014. Professor Russell presented on the relative merits of the monarchical parliamentary system, and Father Monet spoke about the importance of monarchy for French Canada, and his role as a member of the Vice-Regal appointment advisory committee.
While the panellists argued in favour of the continued presence and relevance of the monarchy, perhaps the strongest argument against it was the turnout to the event. Her Honour was greeted to a half-empty Paul B. Helliwell Centre. To her credit, the holder of constitutional authority for Ontario did not seem bothered by the thin crowd.
This was not the first time the Vice-Regal has visited Osgoode. In 1978, then Lt.-Gov Pauline McGibbon visited Osgoode to a glowing reception according to Obiter Dicta writer James Sprague. In addition, three Osgoode alumni have served as the Queen’s representative for Ontario: William Ross Macdonald (class of 1919, Lt.-Gov 1968-1974); John Black Aird (class of 1949, Lt.-Gov 1980-1985); and Lincoln Alexander (class of 1953, Lt.-Gov 1985-1991).
The Lieutenant Governors are appointed by the Governor General based on advice from the Prime Minister, and typically serve a five-year term. In 2012, Prime Minister Stephen Harper established a Vice-Regal Advisory Committee that provides a five-person shortlist from which the appointee is chosen. Prior to becoming Lt.-Gov of Ontario, Dowdeswell was a high school teacher, a high-ranking civil servant, and an under-secretary-general for the United Nations. She has yet to set a theme for her tenure; she explained at the Osgoode panel that she wished to further listen to Ontarians before doing so.
The next edition of the Crown & Constitutional Speakers’ Series will feature counsel who argued McAteer v Canada, 2014 ONCA 578, the case challenging the constitutionality of requiring an oath to the Queen during citizenship ceremonies. The event is scheduled for March.