NEWS
Monday, February 23, 2015 7
The Crown in Ontario Visits Osgoode
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Speaks
at Osgoode as part of “Crown & Constitution Speakers’ Series”
henry limheng › contributor
O
s g o ode h a l l l aw 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 ViceRegal 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
2015_Dean for a day ad_Obiter.pdf 1 27/01/2015 10:48:22 AM
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 fiveperson 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 citizensh