Our Work

The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General (OSGG) supports the Governor General in fulfilling his/her constitutional, State and ceremonial responsibilities.

We are also responsible for planning and implementing the Governor General’s program and the many activities he/she undertakes with, and on behalf of, Canadians in communities across the country and abroad, as well as with the Canadian Forces as Commander-in-Chief. These activities serve to recognize outstanding achievement and the pursuit of excellence by Canadians, and to foster national identity, unity and pride. They also promote Canadian values such as respect for diversity, community participation and public education.

To help Canadians understand the roles and responsibilities of the Governor General and how he/she fulfills them, the Office offers both a public information program and extensive visitor and interpretation programs at the Governor General’s historic official residences at Rideau Hall in Ottawa and at La Citadelle in Quebec City. Together, close to 335,000 people visit these sites each year.

Through the Chancellery of Honours, we administer all aspects of the Canadian Honours System, including the Order of Canada, the Decorations for Bravery, the Meritorious Service Decorations, Military Valour Decorations, the Polar Medal and the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers. The Chancellery is also home to the Canadian Heraldic Authority, which is headed by the Governor General, and which creates and records armorial bearings in Canada.

The Operating Budget of the OSGG is approved by Parliament and the OSGG is therefore accountable to Parliament for its expenditures. These expenditures are made public through the Public Accounts process at the end of every year.

Our Vision and Mission

Our Office is responsible for supporting the governor general in fulfilling the constitutional, State, ceremonial and other responsibilities of the position.

Our vision is to connect, honour and inspire Canadians.

Our mission is to support the governor general as The Queen’s representative in Canada and to serve Canadians.

We are responsible for planning and implementing the governor general’s programs and the many activities undertaken across Canada and abroad.

Our activities focus on:

Showcasing Canada on the world stage
Recognizing outstanding achievement by Canadians
Encouraging the pursuit of excellence
Supporting the governor general as the commander-in-chief of Canada
Fostering national identity, unity and pride in Canadian values.

Website

We currently use Drupal 7 for our public facing website (www.gg.ca) and for our Intranet site.

Office of the Secretary to the Governor General of Canada

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Project maintenance