Commissioner 431272 219737975 2008-06-16T17:40:38Z Whpq 643450 /* India */ removed section copied from http://jalandhar.nic.in/html/jalandhar_division_commissioner_functioning.htm {{Unreferenced|date=July 2007}} '''Commissioner''' is a designation that may be used for a variety of official positions, especially referring to a high-ranked public (administrative or [[police]]) official, or an analogous official in the private sector (e.g. the highest executive position of many [[North America]]n [[sport]]s leagues). ==Domestic public official== A Commissioner within a modern [[state]] generally holds his office by virtue of a [[Letters patent|commission]] from the [[head of state]] or a Council of Elected Representatives (or appointed by non-elected officials in the case of dictatorships). ===Imperial China=== Senior Public Servants, Commissioners and other high ranking bureaucrats referred to collectively as [[Mandarin (bureaucrat)|Mandarins]]. ===Canadian territories===<!-- This section is linked from [[Provinces and territories of Canada]] --> A Commissioner is the formal head of one of the [[Provinces of Canada#Territories of Canada|territories]] of [[Canada]] (i.e. those areas within the country without the [[Constitution Act, 1867|constitutional]] status of a [[Provinces and territories of Canada|province]]). Unlike the [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General]] or a [[Lieutenant-Governor (Canada)|Lieutenant-Governor]], who are representatives of the [[Monarchy of Canada|Queen of Canada]], Commissioners are not vice-regal representatives, although they too perform duties akin to such including reading the [[Speech from the Throne]] at the opening of the territorial Legislature. They are appointed by the [[Government of Canada|federal government]] as a delegate of [[Cabinet of Canada|cabinet]]. Under the federal [[statute]]s[http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/N-27/252179.html][http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/Y-2.01/265655.html][http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/N-28.6/index.html] governing the territories, the Commissioners act in accordance with written instructions from cabinet or the minister responsible (currently the [[Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (Canada)|Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]]). While commissioners used to have a direct day-to-day role in administration and government and chaired the Executive Council of the territory, today they are under instruction to act more like a provincial Lieutenant-Governor, as territorial assemblies have taken on more responsibility. A Commissioner of a Territory is eligible to present the Vice-Regal Commendation to any [[Canadian Forces]] Members as any Lieutenant-Governors for long-term or outstanding service to the Office of a Lieutenant-Governor or Commissioner. <ref> [http://www.dnd.ca/dhh/honours_awards/chart/engraph/chart_display_e.asp?cat=3&ref=Vice_Regal_Commendation Vice-Regal Commendation]</ref> ==== Current Canadian commissioners ==== {| class="wikitable" ! Territory ! Current commissioner ! Commissioner since ! Website |- | [[Commissioners of Northwest Territories|Northwest Territories]] | The Honourable [[Tony Whitford]] | [[April 29]], [[2005]] | [http://www.commissioner.gov.nt.ca/ Website] |- | [[Commissioners of Nunavut|Nunavut]] | The Honourable [[Ann Meekitjuk Hanson]] | [[April 21]], [[2005]] | [http://www.gov.nu.ca/commissioner/ Website] |- | [[Commissioners of Yukon|Yukon]] | The Honourable [[Geraldine Van Bibber]] | [[December 1]], [[2005]] | [http://www.gov.yk.ca/commissioner/ Website] |} ===Police=== {{main|Police commissioner}} ===Scotland=== Prior to the [[Acts of Union 1707]], an [[elect]]ed member of the [[Estates of Scotland|Estates]] (parliament) of [[Scotland]] held the office of Commissioner, representing a [[constituency]] (the equivalent of a [[Member of Parliament]] in the contemporaneous [[Parliament of England]]). There were [[Burgh]] Commissioners and [[Shire or Stewartry]] Commissioners. ===United States===<!-- This section is linked from [[List of counties in Texas]] --> In many [[U.S. state]]s, the legislative and executive decision-making bodies of [[county|counties]] are called the '''board of commissioners''' or '''county commission'''. In [[Minnesota]], [[Alaska]], [[New York]] and [[Tennessee]], the heads of statewide [[cabinet]]-level departments are called "commissioners". ==International public and colonial context== ===British and Commonwealth overseas possessions=== The title of Commissioner, as such, was used by the (gubernatorial) chief British official in: * [[British Central Africa]] * Territories of [[Rhodesia (disambiguation)|Zambesia and Rhodesia]], administered under charter by the [[British South Africa Company]] * the [[Oil Rivers Protectorate]] (from 5 June 1885 under a [[consul-general]]; soon renamed [[Niger Coast Protectorate]]), from 3 August 1891 till 1 January 1900 when it became the [[Protectorate of Southern Nigeria]], hence under a [[High Commissioner]] * the Caribbean [[Turks and Caicos Islands]], 1874 - 4 July 1959, as a dependency under the Governor of [[Jamaica]] colony * the [[Weihaiwei]] [[concession territory]] (held from [[China]]) from 1902 to 1938 * [[Kamaran Island]], in June 1915 taken from the Ottoman Empire and subordinated to [[Aden colony]], but not incorporated, till on 30 November 1967 it became part of the newly independent [[People's Republic of South Yemen]]. * the [[UN trust territory]] of [[British Cameroons]], only two incumbents, from 1 October 1954 (the only [[Special Resident]] succeeding himself till 1956) to 1 October 1961 when Southern British Cameroons is incorporated into the independent Republic of Cameroon (former French mandate of Cameroun), after the northern part united with Nigeria on 1 June 1961 ===European Union=== The '''[[European Commissioner]]s''' are the members of the [[European Commission]], the highest executive organ of the [[European Union]], which is the closest EU equivalent to a government. Each Commissioner is assigned a portfolio, but they make most important decisions collegially, often subject to approval by the [[European Parliament]] and/or the [[Council of the European Union]]. ===French colonies=== The [[French language|French]] equivalent, ''Commissaire'', was used for various officials employed at different levels of the colonial administration in several French-ruled countries. ===Russian Empire=== After on 17 April 1914 [[Tannu Tuva]] (ethnically Mongolian) was declared a Russian [[protectorate|'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 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 ===United Nations administration=== 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 were under a British Administrator, in 1949 restyled [[Resident (title)|Resident]], [[Fezzan]] under a French Military Governor, in 1950 also restyled Résident) to independence as a united monarchy in 1951 ==Sports==<!-- This section is linked from [[Mexico National Trios Championship]] --> In many North American [[sports league]]s, including nearly all [[professional sport|professional]] leagues, the commissioner is the highest executive position. The exact powers of the commissioner depend on the constitution and/or rules of the league. Commissioners are elected by the owners of the league's clubs, and handle matters such as discipline, arbitration of disputes between the clubs, etc. The title was first used in 1920, when [[Kenesaw Mountain Landis]] was appointed [[Commissioner of Baseball]] in the aftermath of the [[Black Sox Scandal]]. Landis was titled "Commissioner" partly to distinguish his office from that of the "President" of the [[American League|American]] and [[National League]]s. Landis' title derived from the ''[[National Commission (baseball)|National Commission]]'', the ruling body for baseball established in 1903, which were largely autonomous organizations at the time. Eager to restore public confidence in their sport's integrity, [[baseball]] owners 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.{{Fact|date=June 2007}} The other [[major professional sports league]]s of North America followed suit, replacing their positions of league president with that of commissioner. The [[National Football League]] appointed its first commissioner in 1941, the [[National Basketball Association]] in 1967, and the [[National Hockey League]] in 1993. However, the commissioners' powers and responsibilities in these leagues 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, current 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 the other major sports.{{Fact|date=June 2007}} 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 addition to Selig, the other current commissioners of the North American major professional leagues are [[Roger Goodell]] in the NFL, [[David Stern]] in the NBA and [[Gary Bettman]] in the NHL. ==References== {{reflist}} ==Compound titles== 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: *[[Assistant Commissioner]] *[[Chief Commissioner]] *[[Civil Commissioner]] *[[Commissioner of Public Works]] *[[Commissioner of Legal Services]] *[[Commissioner of Business Services]] *[[Commissioner of Finance]] *[[Commissioner-General]] *[[Deputy Commissioner]] *[[District Commissioner]] *[[Divisional Commissioner]] *[[Extraordinary Commissioner]] *[[Federal Commissioner]] *[[Fire Commissioner]] *[[Government Commissioner]] *[[High Commissioner]] *[[Imperial Commissioner]] *[[Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty]] *[[Lord High Commissioner]] and its further compounds, notably [[Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland]] and [[Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland]] *[[Military and Civil Commissioner]] *[[Provincial Commissioner]] *[[Resident Commissioner]] *[[Royal commissioner]] *[[Special Commissioner]] *[[State Commissioner]] and [[Commissioner of State]] *[[Traveling Commissioner]] ==See also== *[[Ombudsman]] *[[List of Commissioners of New South Wales Police]] *[[List of Northwest Territories commissioners]] *[[List of Nunavut commissioners]] *[[List of Yukon commissioners]] *[[Scout Commissioner]] ==External links== *[http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ps/nap/comm_e.html Official Handbook for Commissioners of the Territories (Canada)] *[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/ WorldStatesmen] [[Category:Gubernatorial titles]] [[Category:Legal occupations]] [[Category:Sport in Canada]] [[Category:Sports in the United States]] [[Category:Sports terminology]] [[Category:Titles]] [[de:Kommissar]] [[fr:Commissaire]] [[it:Commissario]]