University of Guelph Library
Royal Commissions / Commissions of Inquiry
Federal and Provincial levels may establish a Royal Commission / Commission of Inquiry under the Federal Inquiries Act. The commissions are appointed by the Governor-in-Council (the Cabinet). There are essentially two categories of inquiries — those concerned with one time specific problems and those concerned with recurring issues.
The terms of reference for the commission and the powers and the names of the commissioners are officially stated by an Order-in-Council published in the Canada Gazette Part I. Findings are reported to Cabinet and the Prime Minister for appropriate action. The government is not required to accept the recommendations or pass any legislation as a result of the report.
Most Royal Commission Reports are multi-volume. Frequently, each volume is devoted to a particular part of the inquiry. Royal Commissions are often referred to by the name of the chairperson or commissioner(s). Recently, the name Commission of Inquiry is a new name accorded to Royal Commissions.
- Index to Federal Royal Commissions
- Royal Commissions and Commissions of Inquiry for the Provinces of Upper Canada, Canada and Ontario, 1792-1991. GOVREF CA2ON YL 92R51
- Provincial Royal Commissions and Commission of Inquiry, 1867-1982: a Selective Bibliography. GOVREF CA1 LC 85P66
- Canadian Federal Royal Commissions, 1978-1988: an Update. GOVREF CA2ON UH75 89C12
To locate Royal Commissions/Commissions of Inquiry:
- Use the terms "Royal Commission" or "Commission of Inquiry" and another keyword describing the commission of interest (ie: Aboriginal) in a SEARCH TERM in Primo or a KEYWORD search inthe Canadian Research Index.
- Use the name of the chairperson or commissioners in a search term OR keyword search.
Task Forces
Established under the Inquiries Act, members are appointed by the Governor-in-Council (the Cabinet). Task Forces are established to study matters considered to be less important than those studied by Royal Commissions.
The investigations undertaken by Task Forces are less formal and less extensive than those undertaken by Royal Commissions and, consequently, their budgets are less generous. Their reports are not as lengthy and do not have to be made public. The Government is not obliged to follow the advice of a Task Force, nor even to comment on its report.
Use the terms "Task Force" and another keyword describing the Task Force of interest (ie: Aboriginal) in a SEARCH TERM search in Primo or a KEYWORD search in the Canadian Research Index.
