Governor General special warrants

Governor General special warrants are used by the government to obtain funds when Parliament is dissolved due to an election.

Special warrants allow organizations to continue to do the work that is essential to the normal operation of government until a new Parliament is formed and the next appropriation act is granted royal assent.

For a special warrant to be used, a minister must report that an expenditure is urgently required for the public good, and the President of the Treasury Board must report that there is no funding available through current appropriations to make the payment.

Any initiative that is to be considered for funding through a special warrant must have received the appropriate Cabinet and Treasury Board approvals.

Every special warrant must be published in the Canada Gazette within 30 days after it is issued. In addition, within 15 days of a new Parliament, the government must table a statement in the House of Commons that shows all of Governor General special warrants that were issued while Parliament was not in session.

In accordance with subsection 30(4) of the Financial Administration Act, the amounts of these warrants will be included in the next appropriation act for the fiscal year but will not be voted on.

The most recent Statements on the Use of Governor General Special Warrants are as follows:

Archived Statements on the Use of Governor General Special Warrants

2011–12

• Statement on the Use of Governor General Special Warrants (for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012) (PDF 840 KB)

2006–07 and 2005–06

• Statement on the Use of Governor General Special Warrants (for the fiscal years ending March 31, 2006, and March 31, 2007) (PDF 833 KB)