Usher of the Black Rod receives new sword from King Charles

Usher of the Black Rod Greg Peters speaks at the start of the Parliamentary session in the House of Commons, Monday, November 22, 2021 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

A senior officer in Canada’s Parliament received a rare honour this week: in an audience with King Charles, Usher of the Black Rod J. Greg Peters received a new ceremonial sword.

The usher is a 600-year-old position in Westminster-style parliaments, tasked with a combination of ceremonial and administrative duties including to lead the Speaker’s parade at the beginning and ending of Canadian Senate sittings. The usher also serves as an attendant to a sovereign or governor-general when they are present in parliament, and oversees the parliamentary page program, the Senate’s official website notes.

The role’s title is drawn from the ebony cane the usher carries in addition to their sword, a “symbol of authority” they use to knock on the doors of the House of Commons, should they be asked to summon members on behalf of the Senate, such as to attend a throne speech.

Peters attended Buckingham Palace for a meeting with the king earlier this week, alongside Senate Speaker Raymonde Gagne. King Charles presented Peters with the new dress sword, traditionally made of silver with the sovereign’s cypher decorating the base.

The audience was not the first time Peters, a retired member of the RCMP and Canada’s 17th usher to serve in the role, has received new equipment from the Crown.

In 2014, shortly after taking up the role, Peters oversaw the creation of a silver medallion and chain of office, originally designed in the 1960s. Two years later, Queen Elizabeth II gifted Peters with a restored ebony rod, following years of damage and repair including an unfortunate snapping in half in 1967, and the original’s disappearance in the 1916 fire at Parliament’s Centre Block.

Speaking about the presentation of the silver chain in a 2022 article for the Senate’s website, Peters described the royal items as a symbol of connection.

“Tradition, ceremony and regalia galvanize the relationship between the Crown and Parliament,” the usher was quoted to say. “It’s essential to nourish that connection.”