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67-666: The Colorado PUC consists of a director and three commissioners appointed by the Governor of Colorado and confirmed by the Colorado State Senate . The director is Rebecca White and the incumbent commissioners are: Fixed utilities regulated by the Colorado PUC include electric power utilities , natural gas utilities , intrastate natural gas pipelines , district heating utilities , drinking water utilities , and telecommunications utilities . Transportation utilities regulated by

134-615: A commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to include a variety of senior officials, often sitting on a specific commission. In particular, the commissioner frequently refers to senior police or government officials. A high commissioner is equivalent to an ambassador , originally between the United Kingdom and the Dominions and now between all Commonwealth states, whether Commonwealth realms , republics or countries having

201-424: A constituency (the equivalent of a member of parliament in the contemporaneous Parliament of England ). There were burgh commissioners and shire or stewartry commissioners. In many U.S. states , the legislative and executive decision-making bodies of counties are called the board of commissioners or county commission . In Minnesota , Alaska , New Hampshire , New York , Texas and Tennessee ,

268-475: A province ). Unlike the governor general or a lieutenant governor , commissioners are not viceregal representatives of the Canadian monarch ; rather, they are delegates of the federal Crown-in-Council and, under federal statutes governing the territories, act following written instructions from Cabinet or the minister responsible (currently the minister of northern affairs ). While commissioners formerly had

335-404: A French military governor, in 1950 also restyled résident) to independence as a united monarchy in 1951. From the mid-19th century until 1939, two U.S. government cabinet departments used the title "commissioner" for officials posted abroad who did not enjoy diplomatic status . U.S. federal agencies have not titled officials posted abroad as commissioners since 1939. During the 19th century,

402-512: A bill has been approved by both the House of Commons and the Senate, royal assent is required to make the bill become law. The laws are then the responsibility of the government to oversee and enforce. Under Canada's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy , the terms government and Government of Canada refer specifically to the prime minister, Cabinet, and other members of the governing party inside

469-633: A commissioner upon its founding later that year. The use of "commissioner" has been less prevalent in top-level women's leagues. When the NBA founded the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 1996, it chose to use the title of "president" for that league's chief executive, and did not use the title of "commissioner" for that position until 2019. The National Women's Soccer League , founded in 2012 with play starting in 2013, initially called its chief executive "commissioner", but that position had been vacant after

536-404: A direct day-to-day role in administration and government and chaired the territory's executive council, today they are under instruction to act more like provincial lieutenant governors, as territorial assemblies have taken on more responsibility. Commissioners thus perform ceremonial duties similar to those of the monarch and viceroys, including reading the speech from the throne at the opening of

603-538: A gentleman who had "COMMISSIONER OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO EUROPE, ASIA, AND AFRICA" thundering after his name in one awful blast! I had carefully prepared myself to take rather a back seat in that ship because of the uncommonly select material that would alone be permitted to pass through the camel's eye of that committee on credentials; I had schooled myself to expect an imposing array of military and naval heroes and to have to set that back seat still further back in consequence of it may be, but I state frankly that I

670-454: A limited number of members from the Senate ). During its term, the government must retain the confidence of the House of Commons and certain important motions , such as money bills and the speech from the throne , are considered as confidence motions . Laws are formed by the passage of bills through Parliament, which are either sponsored by the government or individual members of Parliament. Once

737-533: A majority of seats in Parliament, forming a governing party . Further elements of governance are outlined in the rest of the Canadian constitution , which includes written statutes in addition to court rulings and unwritten conventions developed over centuries. Constitutionally, the King's Privy Council for Canada is the body that advises the sovereign or their representative on the exercise of executive power. This task

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804-739: A monarch other than that of the realms. The title is sometimes given to senior officials in the private sector; for instance, many North American sports leagues. There is some confusion between commissioners and commissaries because other European languages use the same word for both. Therefore titles such as commissaire in French, Kommissar in German and comisario in Spanish or commissario in Italian, can mean either commissioner or commissary in English, depending on

871-539: A single commissar of the provisional government (October 1917 – 16 March 1918 Aleksey Aleksandrovich Turchaninov) until czarist rule collapsed for good, giving way to the Soviet regime A UN commissioner appointed in 1949 supervised the transition of the UN Trust territory of Libya (a former Italian colony; actually Tripolitania and Cyrenaica each was under a British administrator, in 1949 restyled Resident , Fezzan under

938-558: Is head of state and is personally represented by a governor general (currently Mary Simon ). A prime minister (currently Justin Trudeau ) is the head of government , who is invited by the Crown to form a government after securing the confidence of the House of Commons , which is typically determined through the election of enough members of a single political party in a federal election to provide

1005-510: Is carried out nearly exclusively by the Cabinet, which functions as the executive committee of the Privy Council that sets the government's policies and priorities for the country and is chaired by the prime minister. The sovereign appoints the members of Cabinet on the advice of the prime minister who, by convention, are generally selected primarily from the House of Commons (although often include

1072-580: Is that most European sports (including those in Great Britain) include powerful governing bodies that operate independently of and hold some power over the professional leagues, whereas in North America the equivalent governing bodies' de facto authority is mostly confined to amateur sport. For example, while the Premier League is roughly as lucrative and wealthy as the "Big Four" North American leagues,

1139-566: Is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada . The term Government of Canada refers specifically to the executive, which includes ministers of the Crown (together in the Cabinet ) and the federal civil service (whom the Cabinet direct); it is alternatively known as His Majesty's Government (French: Gouvernement de Sa Majesté ) and is corporately branded as the Government of Canada . There are over 100 departments and agencies, as well as over 300,000 persons employed in

1206-535: The Australian state of New South Wales . The title of commissioner or district commissioner , as such, was used by the (gubernatorial) chief British official in: The title of commissioner was also used by the senior diplomatic representatives of Commonwealth countries in British colonies , such as: Canada calls its government officials in charge of export promotion " trade commissioners ". There are 150 offices of

1273-833: The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service in Canada and abroad, and they "assist with export advice and guidance to help [Canadians] achieve [their] international business goals". The website devoted to the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service uses the Internet domain www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca . The European commissioners are the members of the European Commission , the cabinet of the European Union . Commissioners’ role closely resembles that of

1340-525: The House of Commons , but typically includes the federal public service and federal departments and agencies when used elsewhere. This differs from the United States , where the executive branch is referred to as an administration and the federal government encompasses executive, legislative, and judicial powers, similar to the Canadian Crown . In press releases issued by federal departments,

1407-517: The King-in-Council . On the advice of the Canadian prime minister, the sovereign appoints a federal viceregal representative —the governor general (currently Mary Simon )—who, since 1947, is permitted to exercise almost all of the monarch's royal prerogative ; though, there are some duties which must be specifically performed by the monarch themselves (such as assent of certain bills). In case of

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1474-523: The Public Service of Canada , and the Canadian Armed Forces . One of the main duties of the Crown is to ensure that a democratic government is always in place, which includes the appointment of a prime minister , who heads the Cabinet and directs the activities of the government. Not outlined in any constitutional document, the office exists in long-established convention , which stipulates

1541-439: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) began sending employees, called "agricultural commissioners", abroad to investigate foreign agriculture. These appointments were of a roving nature, as the officials were not assigned to a particular country or city. In 1919 USDA posted to London an agricultural commissioner without diplomatic status, Edward Foley, to report on British agriculture. Additional commissioners were posted through

1608-467: The advice of the King's Privy Council for Canada , referred to as the King-in-Council . However, the Privy Council—consisting mostly of former ministers, chief justices , and other elder statesmen—rarely meets in full. In the construct of constitutional monarchy and responsible government , the advice tendered is typically binding, meaning the monarch reigns but does not rule , with

1675-494: The football commissioner until 1970 when the merger was finalized and the AFL was fully absorbed into the NFL. No rival U.S. football league has recognized the NFL commissioner's authority since 1970, although no such league has lasted longer than three seasons. In Canadian football , the title of commissioner dates to no later than the 1940s. Like many of the NFL's rivals south of the border,

1742-447: The local government system of the Isle of Man , a commissioner is an elected representative equivalent to a councillor . All town, village, district and parish local government bodies consist of commissioners, except for Douglas , which has a council and councillors. Malawi 's position of district commissioner refers to the person that is appointed by the president of Malawi to oversee

1809-526: The 1920s to Buenos Aires, Berlin, and Shanghai. The title began to be phased out in 1930 with the passage of the Foreign Agricultural Service Act, which granted USDA authority to use the diplomatic title " attaché ". The last USDA employee to bear the title "agricultural commissioner" was Owen Dawson, agricultural commissioner at the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai, who received diplomatic status and

1876-419: The Cabinet ruling "in trust" for the monarch. However, the royal prerogative belongs to the Crown and not to any of the ministers, and there are rare exceptions where the monarch may be obliged to act unilaterally to prevent manifestly unconstitutional acts. The stipulations of responsible government require that those who directly advise the Crown on the exercise the royal prerogative be accountable to

1943-484: The Colorado PUC include railroads , taxis , limousines , shuttles, charters, and sightseeing carriers. The Public Utilities Commission is an independent constitutional commission which operates within the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA). Commissioners A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r ) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given

2010-625: The Commonwealth of Nations and the United States, the title of commissioner typically designates the head of an entire police force. In other countries, such as Latin American countries, France, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, etc., a commissioner is typically the commander of a major police station or a locally/regionally important police service. The equivalent ranks in

2077-465: The Crown must select as prime minister the person most likely to command the confidence of the elected House of Commons , who, in practice, is typically the leader of the political party that holds more seats than any other party in that chamber (currently the Liberal Party , led by Justin Trudeau ). Should no particular party hold a majority in the House of Commons, the leader of one party—either

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2144-565: The Departments of State, Agriculture and Commerce) were merged in 1939 under Reorganization Plan No. II . In The Salvation Army , the rank of commissioner is the second-highest attainable rank and the highest rank by appointment, as the rank of general is attained by election by the High Council . It is one of the original ranks of the Army and has been in use since 1880, the first commissioner

2211-559: The Football Association nevertheless has the power to veto the appointment of that league's chief executive. The Australian Football League is governed by the AFL Commission , whose members are called commissioners. However, the head of the commission, who is the closest equivalent to a North American sports commissioner, is formally titled the chairman, and is never referred to as a commissioner . Current commissioners of

2278-600: The Government of Canada. These institutions carry out the programs and enforce the laws established by the Parliament of Canada . The federal government's organization and structure was established at Confederation , through the Constitution Act, 1867 , wherein the Canadian Crown acts as the core, or "the most basic building block", of its Westminster-style parliamentary democracy . The monarch, King  Charles III

2345-496: The NBA in 1976. The National Hockey League did not follow suit when the rival World Hockey Association commenced playing, as then-NHL president Clarence Campbell , who was openly hostile to the WHA's very existence, made clear he was not interested in any change to his own title. The NHL finally appointed a commissioner in 1993 (long after merging with the WHA ) when incumbent Gary Bettman assumed office. Major League Soccer appointed

2412-575: The NFL commissioner's authority). Finally in 1966, the American Football League agreed to abolish their commissioner's office and recognize the authority of then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle in exchange for the NFL agreeing to a merger with its most successful rival. This did not result in any formal change to Rozelle's title or even in his powers, since the NFL constitution already purportedly granted him extensive power over other professional leagues. Nevertheless he became informally known as

2479-1011: The North American professional leagues are Roger Goodell in the NFL, Rob Manfred in MLB (and Minor League Baseball ), Adam Silver in the NBA, Gary Bettman in the NHL, Don Garber in MLS, Randy Ambrosie in the CFL, Oliver Luck in the XFL , Cathy Engelbert in the WNBA, and Lisa Baird in the NWSL. In many cases, the term commissioner is part of a more specific title, including English renditions of such titles in other languages. Examples (in some cases there are further compounds) include: Government of Canada#Executive power The Government of Canada ( French : Gouvernement du Canada )

2546-536: The United States to " trade commissioners " employed by the U.S. Department of Commerce . Most but not all trade commissioners were retitled commercial attachés upon creation of the Foreign Commerce Service ( viz. ) in 1927. The title "trade commissioner" went out of use in the United States when Commerce's overseas officials were transferred to the Department of State and all three U.S. foreign services (of

2613-602: The administration of any of its 28 districts . One commissioner is appointed per district. The position was created during the British colonial era, sustained during the Kamuzu Banda era and continues as a prominent position in democratic era in Malawi. Prior to the Acts of Union 1707 , an elected member of the Estates (parliament) of Scotland held the office of commissioner, representing

2680-679: The aftermath of the Black Sox Scandal . Landis was titled "commissioner" partly to distinguish his office from that of the "president" of the American and National Leagues . Landis' title derived from the National Commission , the ruling body for baseball established in 1903, when the two leagues were largely autonomous organizations. The commission originally consisted of three members. Desperate to restore public confidence in their sport's integrity, baseball owners agreed to appoint Landis as

2747-433: The colonial administration in several French-ruled countries. After on 17 April 1914 Tannu Tuva (ethnically Mongolian) was declared a Russian 'protected' area ( Uryanhay [Urjanhaj] kray ), two subsequent Russian commissioners for the affairs of Urjanhai Kray (1914–1915 A.P. Cererin (Tsererin) and 1915–1917 Yu.V. Grigoryev) were appointed, alongside the last native tribal paramount chief (title Ambyn-noyon ), followed by

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2814-494: The commissioner or appointing a commissioner and reducing the position of league president to a mere figurehead role. The National Football League appointed its first commissioner in 1941. The NFL, which in its early years faced several rival leagues, intended its commissioner's office to be analogous to the one then held by Landis in baseball, with authority over all of professional football. The NFL's rivals responded by appointing their own commissioners (thereby explicitly rejecting

2881-527: The commissioners' powers and responsibilities in the NFL, NBA and NHL are not substantially different from those of the presidents that preceded them. Although baseball's subsequent commissioners have not had the absolute power that Landis did, former Commissioner Bud Selig has succeeded in centralizing authority over Major League Baseball in the commissioner's office, relegating the position of league president to an honorary title and giving baseball's commissioner competencies similar to those of his colleagues in

2948-477: The context. A commissioner within a modern state generally holds his or her office by a commission from the head of state or a council of elected representatives (or appointed by non-elected officials in the case of dictatorships). Commissioners are the formal heads of the territories in Canada (those areas under the formal jurisdiction of the federal Crown- in-Council without separate constitutional status of

3015-415: The conventional stipulations of a constitutional monarchy, the sovereign's direct participation in any of these areas of governance is limited. The term Government of Canada , or more formally, His Majesty's Government refers to the activities of the King-in-Council . The day-to-day operation and activities of the Government of Canada are performed by the federal departments and agencies , staffed by

3082-466: The elected House of Commons and the day-to-day operation of government is guided only by a sub-group of the Privy Council made up of individuals who hold seats in Parliament, known as the Cabinet . The monarch and governor general typically follow the near-binding advice of their ministers. The royal prerogative, however, belongs to the Crown and not to any of the ministers, who only rule "in trust" for

3149-451: The game's sole commissioner after he rebuffed their offer of a position at the head of a reformed commission. Baseball owners also gave Landis absolute power and a lifetime contract, which permitted the former judge to assume more power over the sport than a commissioner in any sport has held since. The other major professional sports leagues of North America followed suit, either replacing their positions of league president with that of

3216-662: The government has sometimes been referred to as the current prime minister's government (e.g. the Trudeau Government ). This terminology has been commonly employed in the media. In late 2010, an informal instruction from the Office of the Prime Minister urged government departments to consistently use, in all department communications, such phrasing (i.e., Harper Government , at the time), in place of Government of Canada . The same Cabinet earlier directed its press department to use

3283-448: The governor general's absence or incapacitation, the administrator of Canada performs the Crown's most basic functions. As part of the royal prerogative, the royal sign-manual gives authority to letters patent and orders-in-Council . Much of the royal prerogative is only exercised in-council, meaning on the advice of the King's Privy Council for Canada ( ministers of the Crown formed in Cabinet in conventional practice); within

3350-442: The heads of some statewide departments are called "commissioners". In California , court commissioners are subordinate judicial officers granted many of the same authorities as judges, though not all. In some states certain municipalities may have a planning or zoning authority composed of local officials or members of the public. These authorities can be called commissions with the members addressed as "commissioners". In

3417-753: The ministers of the Union’s member states; each is assigned a portfolio under the authority of the president of the EU Commission, but they make important decisions collegially, often subject to approval by the European Parliament and/or the Council of the European Union , the two organs of the EU’s bicameral legislature. The French equivalent, commissaire , was used for various officials employed at different levels of

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3484-400: The monarch and who must relinquish the Crown's power back to it upon losing the confidence of the commons, whereupon a new government, which can hold the lower chamber 's confidence, is installed by the governor general. The royal and vice-royal figures may unilaterally use these powers in exceptional constitutional crisis situations (an exercise of the reserve powers ), thereby allowing

3551-405: The other major sports. Many minor professional and amateur leagues throughout the United States and Canada have also appointed commissioners. The title has not caught on outside North America. In Great Britain, the title chief executive is used for the most closely equivalent position in that country's professional leagues. A key difference between the state of affairs in North America and Europe

3618-449: The owners of the league's clubs or board of directors/governors, and function as executive directors of the various owner's associations describing themselves as Leagues and handle matters such as discipline, arbitration of disputes between the clubs, etc. in the interests of the owners. The title was first used in 1920, when Kenesaw Mountain Landis was appointed Commissioner of Baseball in

3685-460: The party with the most seats or one supported by other parties—will be called by the governor general to form a minority government . Once sworn in, the prime minister holds office until their resignation or removal by the governor general, after either a motion of no confidence or defeat in a general election . The executive is defined in the Constitution Act, 1867 as the Crown acting on

3752-547: The past, the U.S. government-appointed special commissioners for a variety of tasks. For example, the head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1862 to 1889 was a commissioner, not a Cabinet secretary. Until 1968, federal courts appointed commissioners to perform routine judicial duties such as taking testimony, taking bail, and even enforcing laws such as the Fugitive Slave Act . These commissioners were replaced by United States magistrates . In police services in

3819-430: The phrase Canada's New Government . Canada is a constitutional monarchy, wherein the role of the reigning sovereign is both legal and practical, but not political. The monarch is vested with all powers of state and sits at the centre of a construct in which the power of the whole is shared by multiple institutions of government acting under the sovereign's authority. The executive is thus formally referred to as

3886-525: The police forces of the United States and the United Kingdom are respectively captain and superintendent. In firefighting services in the Commonwealth of Nations, the title of commissioner typically designates the head of an entire fire service in a particular jurisdiction, such as the commissioner of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service or the commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW , two separate fire authorities that operate within

3953-465: The resignation of the league's second commissioner, Jeff Plush , shortly before the 2017 season. The NWSL's highest office was styled as "president" until the "commissioner" title was reinstated when Lisa Baird filled that post in 2020. Due to the unique ownership structure of the Professional Women's Hockey League , the organization has no current plans to appoint a commissioner. In general,

4020-468: The standards of the Boy Scouts of America. In some sports leagues , including all four North American professional major sports the commissioner is the highest executive position in the league. The exact powers of the commissioner depend on the constitution and/or rules of the league, and are invariably limited by State and Federal Law and collective bargaining agreements. Commissioners are elected by

4087-592: The territorial legislature and presenting commendations to Canadian Forces members for long-term or outstanding service to the office. Possible candidates for the position are selected by the Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments . The official appointment is made by the Governor General-in-Council (the federal government ). Senior public servants, commissioners and other high-ranking bureaucrats referred to collectively as mandarins . In

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4154-502: The title agricultural attaché in 1939 when USDA's overseas officers were transferred to the Department of State. Noted American author Mark Twain recounted meeting one of the 19th-century roving agricultural commissioners in Innocents Abroad : I was proud to observe that among our excursionists were three ministers of the gospel, eight doctors, sixteen or eighteen ladies, several military and naval chieftains with sounding titles, an ample crop of "Professors" of various kinds, and

4221-445: The top Canadian football leagues then in existence (the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union and Western Interprovincial Football Union ) appointed commissioners in a bid to assert their leagues' independence from the NFL commissioner. When the two leagues formed an umbrella organization (the Canadian Football Council) in 1956, the posts of IRFU commissioner and WIFU commissioner were abolished and former WIFU Commissioner Sydney Halter

4288-462: Was George Scott Railton . Within the Scout Movement , a commissioner is a senior adult leader who is responsible for the management of an aspect of Scouting and/or the leadership of other adults, as opposed to adult leaders who lead youth members. Commissioners are district and council leaders who help Scout units succeed. They coach and consult with adult leaders of Cub Scout packs, Boy Scout troops, and Venturing crews. Commissioners help maintain

4355-452: Was all unprepared for this crusher. I fell under that titular avalanche a torn and blighted thing. I said that if that potentate must go over in our ship, why, I supposed he must – but that to my thinking, when the United States considered it necessary to send a dignitary of that tonnage across the ocean, it would be in better taste, and safer, to take him apart and cart him over in sections in several ships. Ah, if I had only known then that he

4422-474: Was appointed commissioner of the CFC. When the CFC itself evolved into the modern Canadian Football League in 1958, Halter carried on in the office as that league's first commissioner. The National Basketball Association followed suit by appointing a commissioner in 1967, largely in response to a rival league that commenced play that year. The ABA did not recognize the NBA commissioner's authority and maintained its own commissioner's office until merging with

4489-442: Was only a common mortal, and that his mission had nothing more overpowering about it than the collecting of seeds and uncommon yams and extraordinary cabbages and peculiar bullfrogs for that poor, useless, innocent, mildewed old fossil the Smithsonian Institute [sic], I would have felt so much relieved. Following unification of the U.S. Foreign Service under the Rogers Act in 1924, overseas trade promotion shifted from consuls of

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