Secretary to the Governor General of Canada

The Secretary to the Governor General is the administrative head of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General of Canada and is based at Rideau Hall, Ottawa. The position is one of the oldest public service appointments in Canada and holds the courtesy rank of deputy minister within the Public Service of Canada. Since Confederation, every office holder has been appointed by order-in-council. The first post-Confederation incumbent, Dennis Godley, initially assumed his post in 1861 and would continue on into the post-Confederation period, departing in November 1868. The current secretary is Stephen Wallace, appointed in 2011.

The Secretary to the Governor General holds a number of ex officio positions. Since the establishment of the Order of Canada in 1967, the secretary has served as secretary general of the Order of Canada. The secretary also serves as secretary general of the Order of Military Merit and the Order of Merit of the Police Forces. Following the creation of the Canadian Heraldic Authority in 1988, the secretary became Herald Chancellor of Canada.