Governor General

Submitting a proposal for vice-regal patronage

The Governor General actively endorses the objectives of select organizations by formally granting them patronage, thereby providing them with the name and prestige of the vice-regal office.

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean has established the following criteria for patronage under her mandate. Organizations seeking vice-regal patronage should:

have aims and objectives which are aligned with the institutional or personal themes and interests of the Governor General;
be national (or international) in scope;
have active programs which are implemented on an annual basis;
be financially responsible
not be directly associated with fundraising activities.

Organizations which formerly enjoyed patronage but which no longer qualify under these criteria will continue to be accepted under the "grandfather clause" if their association with the vice-regal office has stretched over an unbroken period of fifty years or more.

Please note that there is no specific form to complete in order to request vice-regal patronage. If your organization would like to forward a request for honorary status under the mandate of Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean and/or His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond, kindly submit a formal application by letter (not e-mail) with supporting documentation such as a brief history of the organization and its objectives, details on its sources of funding, a list of its patrons (if any) and Members of the Board of Directors, a short financial report and any other information which you consider to be relevant to the request.

Should you have any questions about vice-regal patronage, please do not hesitate to contact Rosemary Doyle-Morier, Advisor, Protocol and Special Programs, at (613) 991-0016.