Table of Precedence for British Columbia

  1. The Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia([1] and [2])
  2. The Premier of British Columbia[3]
  3. The Chief Justice of British Columbia[4]
  4. The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
  5. The Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia[5]
  6. The Leader of the Official Opposition of British Columbia [6]
  7. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia
  8. Church representatives of faith communities[7]
  9. The Justices of the Court of Appeal of British Columbia with precedence to be governed by the date of appointment
  10. The Puisne Justices of the Supreme Court of British Columbia with precedence to be governed by the date of appointment
  11. The Judges of the County Courts of British Columbia with precedence to be governed by the date of appointment
  12. The Members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia with precedence to be governed by the date of their first election to the legislature[8] (Subject to Note [6])
  13. The Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of British Columbia
  14. The Commander Maritime Forces Pacific
  15. The Heads of Consular Posts with jurisdiction in British Columbia with precedence to be governed by Article 16 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations
  16. The Mayor of Victoria
  17. The Mayor of Vancouver
  18. The Chancellors of the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria and Simon Fraser University, respectively.

NOTES

The Table of Precedence for British Columbia lists categories in their order of precedence as they apply to ceremonies and occasions of a provincial nature. At provincial functions where federal, foreign or diplomatic dignitaries are present, circumstances may dictate that provisions of the Table of Precedence of Canada or international rules of protocol be observed thus giving these dignitaries precedence over certain provincial categories. Similarly, circumstances may also dictate that precedence be given to host officials of lesser rank than dignitaries who may be present. When the date of appointment or election to office is the same, precedence within each category is determined by alphabetical order.

  • [1] In the absence of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia the Administrator of British Columbia assumes the role.
  • [2] Former Lieutenant Governors of British Columbia take precedence after the Chief Justice of British Columbia. Precedence among former Lieutenant Governors is governed by the date of their Commissions.
  • [3] Former Premiers of British Columbia take precedence after former Lieutenant Governors. Precedence among former Premiers is determined by the date of their accession to office.
  • [4] Subject to Notes 2 and 3, Heads of Accredited Diplomatic Missions in Ottawa take precedence after the Chief Justice of British Columbia.
  • [5] Members of the Executive Council take precedence from the Ministry for which they are responsible. Precedence of Ministries in British Columbia is determined by the date of origin of the Ministry.
  • [6] Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada who reside in British Columbia take precedence after the Leader of the Official Opposition of British Columbia. Privy Councillors who are members of the Cabinet take precedence over those who are not members of the Cabinet by order of their first appointment to the Cabinet. Other Privy Councillors take precedence by order of their appointment to the Queen's Privy Council for Canada.
  • [7] Precedence among ecclesiastical dignitaries is to be governed by the date of their accession to their present office.
  • [8] Members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia are followed in precedence by:
    • Members of the Senate who represent British Columbia by order of their appointments; and
    • Members of the House of Commons who represent British Columbia ridings by order of their first election to the House of Commons.

Information received from the Protocol Office of British Columbia, December 1991.

[ Table of Contents ]