Selection and Designation

Until 2015, the choice of Lieutenant Governor was made by the Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments. Its mandate was to make recommendations to the Prime Minister of Canada following consultations with a number of individuals and organizations. At the time, the committee consisted of five people: three permanent members and two temporary members from Québec.

The Lieutenant Governor is appointed by the Governor General of Canada, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Canada.

In practice, it is the Prime Minister of Canada who, in consultation with his provincial counterpart, appoints the successor to the Lieutenant Governor. The Governor General then officially confirms the appointment.

After taking the oaths of office and allegiance, the Lieutenant Governor assumes the title of “Honour,” which is retained for the term of office. The Lieutenant Governor is also entitled to the title “Honourable,” which is retained for life.

The designation for the current Lieutenant Governor is “His Honour The Honourable J. Michel Doyon, Lieutenant Governor of Québec.”

Since May 1985, the spouse of the Lieutenant Governor has also held the “Honour” title during the Lieutenant Governor’s term of office. As a result, the wife of the current Lieutenant Governor is referred to as “Her Honour Madam Pauline Théberge.”

To refer to both the Lieutenant Governor and his spouse at the same time, we say “Their Honours.” The current vice-regal couple is therefore called “Their Honours The Honourable J. Michel Doyon, Lieutenant Governor of Québec, and Madam Pauline Théberge.”

For more information, consult the Canadian Heritage website on the subject of protocol guidelines in the presence of the lieutenant governor.

The Lieutenant Governor has had no official residence since the 1997 sale of the residence at 1010 Chemin Saint-Louis, known as “Maison Dunn,” which had been the Lieutenant Governor’s official residence since 1967. Previously, the Lieutenant Governor and his family lived at Spencer Wood, in Bois-de-Coulonge, which was the vice-regal residence for over a hundred years until it was totally destroyed by fire in 1966.

The only location now at the disposition of the Lieutenant Governor of Québec are the offices at 1050 Rue des Parlementaires.