Executive Council (Commonwealth countries)

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This article is about the constitutional organ in Commonwealth countries. For other uses, see Executive Council.

An Executive Council in Commonwealth constitutional practice based on the Westminster system is a constitutional organ which exercises executive power and (notionally) advises the governor or governor-general. Executive Councils have the power to make far-reaching administrative and legal decisions affecting their jurisdictions known as Orders-in-Council.

Executive Councils have a President and Executive Councillors ("ministers"). A Vice-President might chair instead of the President.

These Councils have almost the same functions as the Privy Council in the United Kingdom, and accordingly, decisions of the Cabinet gain legal effect by being formally adopted by the Executive Council.

Individual Executive Councils

At the federal level, Canada does not have an Executive Council but the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, modelled on the Privy Council of the United Kingdom with the Canadian Cabinet technically being a committee of the Privy Council.

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