Editing Governor General of Canada

{{Short description|Federal representative of the Canadian monarch}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=October 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}<!--Article created using myd first-->
{{Infobox official post
| post = Governor General
| body = Canada
| native_name = {{smaller|{{nobold|{{lang|fr|Gouverneure générale du Canada}}}}}}
| insignia = Badge of the Governor-General of Canada.svg
| insigniasize = 
| insigniacaption = Badge of the governor general
| flag = Flag of the Governor-General of Canada.svg
| flagsize = 
| flagborder = yes
| flagcaption = [[Flag of the governor general of Canada|Flag of the governor general]]
| image = Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada.jpg
| imagesize = 
| alt = 
| imagecaption = 
| incumbent = [[Mary Simon]]
| acting = 
| incumbentsince = {{nobold|26 July 2021}}
| department = 
| style = {{plainlist|
* [[Excellency|Her Excellency]] [[the Right Honourable]]
}}
| type = 
| status = 
| abbreviation = GG
| member_of = 
| reports_to = 
| residence = {{plainlist|
* [[Rideau Hall]], [[Ottawa]], Ontario
* [[Citadelle of Quebec|La Citadelle]], [[Quebec City]], Quebec
}}
| seat = 
| appointer = [[Monarch of Canada]]
| appointer_qualified = on the [[Advice (constitutional law)|advice]] of the [[prime minister of Canada|prime minister]]
| termlength = [[At {{ucfirst:{{Canadian monarch, current|genderp=~}}}} Majesty's pleasure]] (generally 3 to 7 years)
| termlength_qualified = 
| constituting_instrument = 
| precursor = 
| formation = 1 July 1867
| first = [[Charles Monck, 4th Viscount Monck|The Viscount Monck]]
| last = 
| abolished = 
| succession = 
| unofficial_names = 
| deputy = [[Deputy of the Governor General of Canada|Deputies of the governor general]]
{{bulleted list|[[Secretary to the Governor General of Canada|Secretary to the governor general]]|[[List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada|Justices of the Supreme Court]]
}}
| salary = $342,100 annually
| website = {{Official URL}}
}}
{{Monarchy of Canada sidebar|viceroys}}

The '''governor general of Canada''' ({{langx|fr|gouverneure générale du Canada}}){{refn|When the position is held by a male, the French title is {{lang|fr|Gouverneur général du Canada}}.|group=n}} is the federal representative of the {{Canadian monarch, current|, currently}}. The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other [[Commonwealth realm]]s and resides in the [[United Kingdom]]. The monarch, on the [[Advice (constitutional law)|advice]] of his or her [[Canadian prime minister]],<ref>{{citation| url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/TheQueensroleinCanada.aspx| author=The Royal Household| title=The Queen and the Commonwealth > Queen and Canada > The Queen's role in Canada| publisher=Queen's Printer| access-date=2 June 2009| archive-date=20 February 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220102227/http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/TheQueensroleinCanada.aspx| url-status=dead}}</ref> appoints a [[governor general]] to administer the [[government of Canada]] in the monarch's name. The commission is for an indefinite period—known as serving ''[[at His Majesty's pleasure]]''—though five years is the usual length of term. Since 1959, it has also been traditional to alternate between [[French language in Canada|francophone]] and [[English language in Canada|anglophone]] officeholders. The 30th and current governor general is [[Mary Simon]], who was sworn in on 26 July 2021. An [[Inuk]] leader from [[Nunavik]] in [[Quebec]], Simon is the first [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous person]] to hold the office.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Aiello|first=Rachel|date=2021-07-26|title=Mary Simon installed as Canada's 30th Governor General|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/mary-simon-installed-as-canada-s-30th-governor-general-1.5523074|access-date=2021-07-26|website=CTVNews|language=en|archive-date=26 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726153446/https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/mary-simon-installed-as-canada-s-30th-governor-general-1.5523074|url-status=dead}}</ref>

As the sovereign's representative, the governor general carries out the day-to-day constitutional and ceremonial duties of the monarch. The constitutional duties include appointing [[Lieutenant governor (Canada)|lieutenant governors]], [[Supreme Court of Canada|Supreme Court]] justices, and [[Senate of Canada|senators]]; signing [[orders-in-council]]; summoning, [[Prorogation in Canada|proroguing]], and dissolving the [[Parliament of Canada|federal parliament]]; granting [[royal assent]] to bills; calling elections; and signing commissions for officers of the [[Canadian Armed Forces]]. The ceremonial duties include delivering the [[Speech from the throne#Commonwealth realms|speech from the throne]] at the [[Opening of the Canadian parliament|state opening of parliament]]; accepting [[letters of credence]] from incoming ambassadors; and distributing [[Orders, decorations, and medals of Canada|honours, decorations, and medals]]. Per the tenets of [[responsible government]], the governor general acts almost always (except on the matter of honours) on the advice of the prime minister.

The office began in the 17th century, when the French Crown appointed governors of the [[Canada (New France)|colony of Canada]] and, following the British conquest of the colony in 1763, the British monarch appointed governors of the [[Province of Quebec (1763–1791)|Province of Quebec]] (later [[the Canadas]]). Consequently, the office is, along with the Crown, the oldest continuous institution in Canada.<ref name=MacLeod34>{{citation| url=https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/pch/documents/services/royal-symbols-titles/crnMpls-eng.pdf| last=MacLeod| first=Kevin S.| author-link=Kevin S. MacLeod| title=A Crown of Maples| page=34| year=2015| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| place=Ottawa| isbn=978-0-662-46012-1| access-date=15 March 2024| archive-date=6 September 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906040901/https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/pch/documents/services/royal-symbols-titles/crnMpls-eng.pdf| url-status=dead}}</ref> The present version of the office emerged with [[Canadian Confederation]] and the passing of the ''[[British North America Act, 1867]]''.<ref>{{wikicite| ref={{harvid|Constitution Act|1867}}|reference={{Cite canlaw| link=https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/Const/page-1.html| linkloc=Government of Canada| short title=Constitution Act, 1867| abbr=S.C.| chapter=III| section=10| wikilink=Constitution Act, 1867| type=Constitutional| year=1867| amended1=R.S.C. 1985, App. II, No. 5}}}}</ref>

Although the post initially still represented the [[government of the United Kingdom]] (that is, the monarch [[King-in-Council|in his British council]]), the office was gradually Canadianized until, with the passage of the ''[[Statute of Westminster, 1931]]'', and the establishment of a separate and uniquely Canadian monarchy, the governor general became the direct personal representative of the independently Canadian sovereign (the monarch in his Canadian council).<ref>{{Harvnb| MacLeod| 2015| pp=34–35}}</ref><ref name=GGParl>{{cite web| url=http://www.collineduparlement-parliamenthill.gc.ca/histoire-history/est-east/gov-gen-eng.html| last=Public Works and Government Services Canada| author-link=Public Works and Government Services Canada| title=Parliament Hill > The History of Parliament Hill > East Block > Office of the Governor General| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=3 June 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706181851/http://www.collineduparlement-parliamenthill.gc.ca/histoire-history/est-east/gov-gen-eng.html| archive-date=6 July 2011}}</ref><ref name=MacLeod35>{{Harvnb| MacLeod| 2015| p=35}}</ref><ref name=DCH3>{{Cite book|url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/101/101-eng.pd|title=Canada: Symbols of Canada|last=Department of Canadian Heritage|publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada|year=2008|page=3|author-link=Department of Canadian Heritage|place=Ottawa|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217120855/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/101/101-eng.pd|archive-date=17 February 2015}}</ref> Throughout this process of gradually increasing Canadian independence, the role of governor general took on additional responsibilities, such as acting as [[Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces|commander-in-chief of the Canadian militia]] in the monarch's stead,<ref name=GGCinC>{{citation| url=http://www.gg.ca/gg/rr/cc/hist_e.asp| author=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Commander in Chief| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| accessdate=5 November 2007| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930061019/http://www.gg.ca/gg/rr/cc/hist_e.asp| archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref><ref name=CA1867-15>{{harvnb|Constitution Act|1867|loc=S. 15}}</ref> and, in 1927, the first official international visit by a governor general was made.<ref name=Hubbard166>{{cite book| last=Hubbard| first=R.H.| title=Rideau Hall| publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press| year=1977| location=Montreal and London| page=[https://archive.org/details/rideauhallillust00hubb/page/166 166]| isbn=978-0-7735-0310-6| url=https://archive.org/details/rideauhallillust00hubb/page/166}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=55&lan=eng| last=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Governor General > Former Governors General > The Marquess of Willingdon| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=28 May 2009}}</ref> In 1947, King [[George VI]] issued [[Letters Patent, 1947|letters patent]] allowing the [[viceroy]] to exercise almost all powers on behalf of the monarch. As a matter of law, however, the governor general is not in the same constitutional position as the sovereign;<ref name=walters>{{cite journal| url=http://law.queensu.ca/sites/webpublish.queensu.ca.lawwww/files/files/Faculty%20%26%20Research/Faculty%20Profile%20Documents/waltersLawBehindConventionsConstitution.pdf| title=The Law behind the Conventions of the Constitution: Reassessing the Prorogation Debate| last=Walters| first=Mark D.| journal=Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law| year=2011| volume=5| pages=131–154| accessdate=26 September 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510165157/http://law.queensu.ca/sites/webpublish.queensu.ca.lawwww/files/files/Faculty%20%26%20Research/Faculty%20Profile%20Documents/waltersLawBehindConventionsConstitution.pdf| archive-date=10 May 2017}}</ref> the office itself does not independently possess any powers of the [[royal prerogative]]. Any constitutional amendment that affects [[the Crown]], including the office of governor general, requires the unanimous consent of each provincial legislative assembly as well as the [[Senate of Canada|Senate]] and [[House of Commons of Canada]].

==Appointment==
[[File:Letters Patent 1947 page1.png|thumb|alt=Letters Patent 1947|First page of the proclamation of the ''[[Letters Patent, 1947]]'', as published in the [[Canada Gazette]]]]

The position of governor general is mandated by both the ''[[Constitution Act, 1867]]'' (formerly known as the ''British North America Act, 1867''), and the ''[[Letters Patent, 1947]]'' by King [[George VI]].<ref name=GVII/> As such, on the recommendation of the [[Canadian prime minister]], the Canadian monarch appoints the governor general by commission, prepared in Canada, and issued under the [[Great Seal of Canada]] and with the [[royal sign-manual]].<ref name=GoC105>{{citation| url=https://jameswjbowden.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/6-governor-general.pdf| author=Government of Canada| title=Governor General| page=105| year=1970| publisher=WordPress| accessdate=14 March 2024}}</ref> (Until the appointment of [[Vincent Massey]] in 1952, the royal commission was authorized by the monarch's signature and [[Seal (emblem)|signet]].<ref name="GoC105" />) That individual is, from then until being sworn in, referred to as the ''governor general-designate''.{{refn|<ref name=GVII /><ref>{{citation|last=Elizabeth II| author-link=Elizabeth II| title=Royal Commission| date=10 September 2005| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| url=http://canadagazette.gc.ca/archives/p1/2005/2005-09-27-x8/html/extra-eng.html| access-date=13 July 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813031800/http://canadagazette.gc.ca/archives/p1/2005/2005-09-27-x8/html/extra-eng.html| archive-date=13 August 2011}}</ref><ref name=DCHGGDes>{{cite web| url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/fr-rf/ggd/index-eng.cfm| last=Department of Canadian Heritage| author-link=Department of Canadian Heritage| title=Monarchy in Canada > Governor General Designate| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=13 July 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714043753/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/fr-rf/ggd/index-eng.cfm | archive-date=14 July 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=Gov. Gen. designate denies separatist link| publisher=CTV| date=18 August 2005| url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20050817_jean_comments_050816/?hub=TopStories| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060211150338/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20050817_jean_comments_050816/?hub=TopStories| archive-date=11 February 2006| access-date=29 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Haitian community holds special church service for the governor general-designate| publisher=CBC| date=27 August 2005| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/haitian-community-holds-special-church-service-for-the-governor-general-designate-1.568043?print| access-date=29 May 2009|url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203045923/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/08/27/haitian-church-service-michaelle-jean-080527.html?print| archive-date=3 December 2010 }}</ref>}}

Besides the administration of the oaths of office, there is no set formula for the swearing-in of a governor general-designate.<ref name=DCHGGDes/> Though there may therefore be variations to the following, the appointee will usually travel to [[Ottawa]], there receiving an official welcome and taking up residence at [[7 Rideau Gate]],<ref name=DCHGGDes /><ref>{{cite journal|last=Fidelis| title=The Installation of the Governor General in 2005: Innovation and Evolution?| journal=Canadian Monarchist News| volume=Fall-Winter 2005| issue=24| page=4| publisher=Monarchist League of Canada| location=Toronto| year=2005| url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2005/AutumnWinter_2005_CMN.pdf| access-date=29 May 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326043230/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2005/AutumnWinter_2005_CMN.pdf | archive-date=26 March 2009 }}</ref> and will begin preparations for their upcoming role, meeting with various high-level officials to ensure a smooth transition between governors general. The sovereign will also hold an [[Audience (meeting)|audience]] with the appointee and will at that time induct both the governor general-designate and their spouse into the [[Order of Canada]] as Companions, as well as appointing the former as a Commander of both the [[Order of Military Merit (Canada)|Order of Military Merit]] and the [[Order of Merit of the Police Forces]] (should either person not have already received either of those honours).<ref name=DCHGGDes/>

The incumbent will generally serve for at least five years; though, this is only a developed [[Constitutional convention (political custom)|convention]] and has been criticized as too short for an office meant to represent a Crown and sovereign meant to embody continuity.<ref>{{citation| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nHebDwAAQBAJ| editor-last=Jackson| editor-first=D. Michael| last=Joyal| first=Serge| title=Royal Progress: Canada's Monarchy in the Age of Disruption| chapter=The Changing Role of the Governor General, or How the Personality of the Office Holder is Changing the Perception of the Monarchy| year=2020| publisher=Dundern| location=Toronto| isbn=978-1-4597-4575-9| access-date=30 April 2023}}</ref> The governor general serves "[[at His Majesty's pleasure]]" (or the ''royal pleasure''),<ref name=Gaz139>{{Cite news| date=27 September 2005| periodical=[[Canada Gazette]]| volume=Extra 139| issue=8| title=Part I > Proclamation| page=1| url=http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection/SP2-3-139-8.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection/SP2-3-139-8.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live| access-date=2 June 2009}}</ref> meaning the prime minister may recommend to the King that the viceroy remain in his service for a longer period of time; some governors general have been in office for more than seven years.{{refn|[[Georges Vanier]] served as governor general between 15 September 1959 and 5 March 1967 and [[Roland Michener]] served for just under seven years, from 17 April 1967 to 14 January 1974.|group=n|name=Term1}} No additional formalities are necessary for such an "extension"; the governor general carries on until death,{{refn|Lord Tweedsmuir died at the [[Montreal Neurological Institute|Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital]] on 11 February 1940 and [[Georges Vanier]] died at [[Rideau Hall]] on 5 March 1967.|group=n|name=Term3}} resignation,{{refn|[[Roméo LeBlanc]] resigned the viceregal post in 1999 and [[Julie Payette]] resigned in 2021.|group=n|name=Term2}} or the appointment of his or her successor.<ref name=GoC106>{{harvnb| Government of Canada| 1970| p=106}}</ref> Only once, with the [[Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis|Earl Alexander of Tunis]], has a royal proclamation been issued to end a governor general's incumbency.{{refn|As Alexander was to be appointed to the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|British Cabinet]] and the announcement made while he was still in Canada, the Canadian Cabinet felt it necessary to end Alexander's service as viceroy immediately, while sparing him the indignity of resignation.<ref name=GoC106/>|group=n|name=Alex}}

Should a governor general die, resign, or leave the country for longer than one month, the [[chief justice of Canada]] (or, if that position is vacant or unavailable, the senior puisne justice of the Supreme Court) serves as the [[Administrator of the Government of Canada|administrator of the government of Canada]] and exercises all powers of the governor general.{{refn|The only individuals to serve as administrators of the government of Canada due to the deaths in office of governors general were Chief Justice Sir [[Lyman Poore Duff]] in 1940 and Chief Justice [[Robert Taschereau]] in 1967.|group=n|name=Admin}}

===Selection===
In a speech on the subject of [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]], made in 1866 to the [[Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada]], [[John A. Macdonald]] said of the planned governor, "we place no restriction on Her Majesty's prerogative in the selection of her representative&nbsp;... The sovereign has unrestricted freedom of choice&nbsp;... We leave that to Her Majesty in all confidence."<ref>{{Cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bmOi8a9V14sC| last1=Copeland| first1=Lewis| last2=Lamm| first2=Lawrence W.| last3=McKenna| first3=Stephen J.| title=The World's Great Speeches| page=381| publisher=Courier Dover Publications| location=Mineola| year=1999| isbn=978-0-486-40903-0}}</ref> However, between 1867 and 1931, governors general were appointed by the monarch on the advice of the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|British Cabinet]]; until 1890, by the [[secretary of state for the colonies]] for approval by the prime minister. After that, a policy of consulting the Canadian Cabinet was established; though, this process was not always followed.<ref name=Lib>{{citation| url=https://hillnotes.ca/2021/04/19/the-evolution-of-the-selection-and-appointment-of-the-governor-general/| last=Feldman| first=Stephanie| title=The Evolution of the Selection and Appointment of the Governor General| date=19 April 2021| publisher=Library of Parliament| access-date=11 August 2023}}</ref>

The [[Balfour Declaration of 1926]] recognized the governor general as no longer a stand-in for the British government, but, rather a direct representative of the Crown. At the [[1930 Imperial Conference|Imperial Conference in 1930]], it was decided that the Commonwealth ministers would "tender their formal advice after informal consultation with His Majesty", thereby settling the current procedure wherein the monarch appoints the governor general on the advice of the Canadian prime minister only.<ref name=Lib/> This was codified in the ''[[Statute of Westminster, 1931]]''.

How many names the prime minister puts forward to the sovereign has varied. [[R. B. Bennett|Richard Bennett]] suggested a number of names in an informal letter to King [[George V]] in 1930, all of which the King approved, leading Bennett to pick [[Vere Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough]]. [[Mackenzie King]] in 1945 gave three names to King George VI, who chose [[Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis|Harold Alexander]] (later the Viscount Alexander of Tunis). Mackenzie King then made the formal recommendation to the King, which was accepted. [[Louis St. Laurent]], however, gave only one name—Massey's—to George VI.<ref name=GoC105/> There is typically informal consultation between the prime minister and sovereign, either directly or via the incumbent governor general, on the appointment of the next viceroy before the prime minister gives his official advice to the monarch.<ref name=GoC105/>
[[File:RoyalVisitChateauLaurier.jpg|thumb|(Left to right) [[Thomas Crerar]], King [[George VI]], Prime Minister [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]], [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Queen Elizabeth]], and Governor General [[John Buchan|Lord Tweedsmuir]] at the [[Château Laurier]] hotel in Ottawa, 1939. Mackenzie King was the only leader of the opposition to ever be involved in the appointment of a governor general, in 1935 deciding with then-Prime Minister [[R. B. Bennett|Richard Bennett]] to choose Tweedsmuir.]]

The only time the [[Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada)|leader of the opposition]] was consulted on the choice of name to put forward to the monarch for appointment as viceroy was when [[John Buchan|Lord Tweedsmuir]]'s predecessor, Bessborough, wished to resign as governor general coincidentally just ahead of Parliament reaching the end of its maximum five year life in July 1935, after which an election was required. Mackenzie King, at the time leader of the opposition, expected to win a majority in the upcoming election and stated he would not accept a governor general recommended by then-Prime Minister Bennett, which was a constitutionally unjustifiable position for Mackenzie King to take. King George V became concerned and instructed Bessborough to either remain in office until after the election or bring Bennett and Mackenzie King together to agree on a nominee for his replacement. The governor general consulted with the prime minister and leader of the opposition and settled on Tweedsmuir.<ref>{{harvnb| Government of Canada| 1970| p=104}}</ref>

Until 1952, all governors general were members of the British aristocracy or former British military officers, diplomats, or politicians raised to the [[Peerage of the United Kingdom|peerage]]. These viceroys had spent no or little time in Canada prior to their appointment; though it was claimed as their travel schedules were so extensive that they could "learn more about Canada in five years than many Canadians in a lifetime".<ref>{{Harvnb| Hubbard| 1977| p=145}}</ref> The idea of a Canadian being appointed governor general was raised as early as 1919, when, at the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]], Canadian prime minister Sir [[Robert Borden]], consulted with South African prime minister [[Louis Botha]], and the two agreed that the viceregal appointees should be long-term residents of their respective [[dominion]]s.<ref>{{Harvnb| Hubbard| 1977| p=147}}</ref> Calls for just such an individual to be made viceroy came again in the late 1930s,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/rebellions-of-1837| last=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Governor General > Former Governors General > Major General The Earl of Athlone| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=29 May 2009}}</ref> but, it was not until Massey's appointment by King George VI in 1952 that the position was filled by a Canadian-born individual. The prime minister at the time, Louis St. Laurent, wrote in a letter to the media, "[i]t seems to me no one of the King's subjects, wherever he resides, should be considered unworthy to represent the King, provided he has the personal qualifications and a position in the community which are consonant with the dignity and responsibility of that office."<ref name=Lib/> Massey stated of this, "a Canadian [as governor general] makes it far easier to look on the Crown as our own and on the Sovereign as Queen of Canada."<ref>{{cite book| last=Trepanier| first=Peter| editor-last=Coates| editor-first=Colin M.| date=2006| title=Majesty in Canada| contribution=A Not Unwilling Subject: Canada and Her Queen| publisher=Dundurn Press| location=Hamilton| page=143| isbn=978-1-55002-586-6| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FhFyvhpPx8MC| access-date=16 October 2012}}</ref>

This practice continued until 1999, when Queen [[Elizabeth II]] commissioned as her representative [[Adrienne Clarkson]], a [[Hong Kong]]-born [[refugee]] to Canada. Moreover, the practice of alternating between [[French Canadian|francophone]] and [[English Canadian|anglophone]] Canadians was instituted with the appointment of Vanier, a francophone who succeeded the anglophone Massey. All persons whose names are put forward to the {{Canadian monarch, current|title=~}} for approval must first undergo [[background check]]s by the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] and the [[Canadian Security Intelligence Service]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=LeBlanc| first=Daniel| title=Martin defends viceregal couple's loyalty| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| date=13 August 2005| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050812.wxlafond13/BNStory/National/| access-date=22 February 2009| location=Toronto| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050815011917/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050812.wxlafond13/BNStory/National/ | archive-date=15 August 2005}}</ref><ref name=CBCPremiers>{{cite news|title=New governor general must clarify sovereignty position, premiers say| publisher=CBC| date=12 August 2005| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-governor-general-must-clarify-sovereignty-position-premiers-say-1.566449| access-date=12 August 2005|url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204114544/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/08/12/jean-sovereignty050812.html | archive-date=4 February 2007 }}</ref>
[[File:Massey-moccasins.jpg|thumb|left|[[Vincent Massey]] (left), the first Canadian-born viceroy since [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]]]]

Although required by the tenets of [[constitutional monarchy]] to be [[Nonpartisan politician|nonpartisan]] while in office, governors general were often former politicians; a number held seats in the British [[House of Lords]] by virtue of their inclusion in the peerage. Appointments of former ministers of the Crown in the 1980s and 1990s were criticized by [[Peter H. Russell]], who stated in 2009: "much of [the] advantage of the monarchical system is lost in Canada when prime ministers recommend partisan colleagues to be appointed governor general and represent [the {{Canadian monarch, current|title=~}}]."<ref>{{Citation| last=Russell| first=Peter H.| author-link=Peter H. Russell| year=2009| publication-date=10 June 2010| editor-last=Joyal| editor-first=Serge| editor-link=Serge Joyal| title=Diminishing the Crown| periodical=The Globe and Mail| location=Toronto| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/diminishing-the-crown/article1598033/| access-date=13 August 2010| archive-date=12 August 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812141544/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/diminishing-the-crown/article1598033/}}</ref> Clarkson was the first governor general in Canadian history without either a political or military background, as well as the first [[Asian-Canadian]] and the second woman, following on [[Jeanne Sauvé]]. The third woman to hold this position was also the first [[Black Canadians|Caribbean-Canadian]] governor general, [[Michaëlle Jean]].

There have been, from time to time, proposals put forward for modifications to the selection process. [[Citizens for a Canadian Republic]] has advocated the election of the nominee to the sovereign, either by [[Universal suffrage|popular]] or parliamentary vote;<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.canadian-republic.ca/goals.html| title=Our Goals > A Solution| publisher=Citizens for a Canadian Republic| access-date=7 June 2009}}</ref> a proposal echoed by Clarkson, who called for the prime minister's choice to not only be vetted by a parliamentary committee,<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090417.wclarkson17art021492/BNStory/politics/home| last=Valpy| first=Michael| author-link=Michael Valpy| title=Let MPs vet G-G candidates, and show hearings, Clarkson says| date=17 April 2009| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| accessdate=23 April 2009| location=Toronto| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090420040141/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090417.wclarkson17art021492/BNStory/politics/home| archive-date=20 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.thestar.com/printArticle/620500| last=Ferguson| first=Rob| title=Crisis showed Parliamentary system not understood: Clarkson| date=17 April 2009| newspaper=Toronto Star| accessdate=7 June 2009| archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912064451/http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/620500| archive-date=12 September 2012}}</ref> but, also submit to a televised quiz on [[Canadiana]].<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://windsorstar.com/News/Clarkson+backs+test/1509256/story.html| last=Canwest News Service| title=Clarkson backs test| date=18 April 2009| newspaper=Windsor Star| accessdate=23 April 2009}}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Constitutional scholars, editorial boards, and the [[Monarchist League of Canada]] have argued against any such constitutional tinkering with the viceregal appointment process, stating that the position being "not elected is an asset, not a handicap", and that an election would politicize the office, thereby undermining the impartiality necessary to the proper functioning of the governor general.<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/thing+Ottawa+that+doesn+need+fixing/1524583/story.html| title=One thing in Ottawa that doesn't need fixing| date=23 April 2009| newspaper=The Gazette| accessdate=23 April 2009}}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{citation| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/article893164.ece| last=McCreery| first=Christopher| title=Christopher McCreery| date=22 July 2005| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| accessdate=10 May 2012| location=Toronto}}{{dead link|date=June 2015}}</ref> Retired [[University of Ottawa]] professor John E. Trent proposed the governor general be head of state and selected by the Officers of the [[Order of Canada]],<ref>{{citation| url=https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/trent-how-canada-can-shift-from-constitutional-monarchy-to-constitutional-democracy?_gl=1*amj4yw*_ga*NTgxNDY1NDE4LjE2NzgwMTQzNjg.*_ga_72QH41ZTMR*MTY3OTg5ODgwMy4yOS4wLjE2Nzk4OTg4MDQuNTkuMC4w&_ga=2.183032294.1917567572.1679631451-581465418.1678014368#Echobox=1663866026| last=Trent| first=John E.| title= How Canada can shift from constitutional monarchy to constitutional democracy| date=22 September 2022| newspaper=Ottawa Citizen| accessdate=27 March 2023}}</ref> something Chris Selley argued would politicize both the head of state and the Order of Canada, itself.<ref>{{citation| url=https://nationalpost.com/opinion/chris-selley-what-happened-to-canadas-anti-monarchist-moment| last=Selley| first=Chris| title=What happened to Canada's anti-monarchist moment?| date=28 September 2022| newspaper=National Post| accessdate=27 March 2023}}</ref> In 2021, [[Treaty 6#Grand chiefs of the Confederacy|Grand Chief]] Vernon Watchmaker and Chief Germaine Anderson of the [[Six Nations of the Grand River]] wrote to Queen Elizabeth II, suggesting that the federal Cabinet consult [[First Nations in Canada|treaty nations]] before the appointment of a new governor general, stating, "we are [[Monarchy of Canada and the Indigenous peoples of Canada|partners with the Crown]]."<ref>{{citation| url=https://www.windspeaker.com/news/windspeaker-news/buckingham-palace-throws-cold-water-treaty-chiefs-request-intervene-governor| last=Ball| first=David P.| title=Buckingham Palace throws cold water on Treaty chiefs' request to intervene in Governor General replacement| date=3 February 2021| publisher=Windspeaker| accessdate=15 March 2024}}</ref>

A new approach was used in 2010 for the selection of [[David Johnston (governor general)|David Johnston]] as governor general-designate. For the task, Prime Minister [[Stephen Harper]] convened a special search group—the Governor General Consultation Committee<ref>{{cite web| url=http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do?m=/index&nid=546739| author=Canada News Centre| title=Governor General Consultation Committee| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| accessdate=6 August 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928040711/http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do?m=%2Findex&nid=546739| archive-date=28 September 2011}}</ref>—which was instructed to find a non-partisan candidate who would respect the monarchical aspects of the viceregal office and conducted extensive consultations with more than 200 people across the country.{{refn|<ref>{{Citation| url=http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/selection-panel-ordered-to-find-non-partisan-governor-general-pmo/article1636004/?service=mobile| last=Curry| first=Bill| title=Selection panel ordered to find non-partisan governor-general: PMO| date=11 July 2010| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| accessdate=11 July 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716075324/http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/selection-panel-ordered-to-find-non-partisan-governor-general-pmo/article1636004/?service=mobile| archive-date=16 July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Citation| url=http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/tight-circle-of-monarchists-helping-harper-pick-next-governor-general-97341094.html| last=Ditchburn| first=Jennifer| title=Tight circle of monarchists helping Harper pick next Governor General| date=28 June 2010| newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press| accessdate=10 July 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100708072815/http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/tight-circle-of-monarchists-helping-harper-pick-next-governor-general-97341094.html| archive-date=8 July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Citation| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/david-johnston-a-worthy-viceroy/article1633550/| title=David Johnston: a worthy viceroy| date=9 July 2010| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| accessdate=9 July 2010| location=Toronto| archive-date=10 September 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100910100727/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/david-johnston-a-worthy-viceroy/article1633550/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=1&id=3536&featureId=6&pageId=26| last=Office of the Prime Minister of Canada| author-link=Office of the Prime Minister (Canada)| title=PM welcomes appointment of David Johnston as Governor General Designate| date=8 July 2010| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| accessdate=8 July 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712125419/http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=1&id=3536&featureId=6&pageId=26| archive-date=12 July 2010}}</ref>}} In 2012, the committee was made permanent and renamed as the [[Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments]], with a modified membership and its scope broadened to include the appointment of provincial [[Lieutenant governor (Canada)|lieutenant governors]] and territorial [[Commissioner#Canadian territories|commissioners]] (though, the latter are not personal representatives of the monarch).<ref>{{citation| url=http://home.mytelus.com/telusen/portal/NewsChannel.aspx?ArticleID=news%2Fcapfeed%2Fnational%2F20654467.xml&CatID=National| last=Cheadle| first=Bruce| title=Harper creates new panel to ensure 'non-partisan' vice regal appointments| date=4 November 2012| publisher=The Canadian Press| accessdate=4 November 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130207122847/http://home.mytelus.com/telusen/portal/NewsChannel.aspx?ArticleID=news%2Fcapfeed%2Fnational%2F20654467.xml&CatID=National| archive-date=7 February 2013}}</ref> However, the next ministry, headed by [[Justin Trudeau]], disbanded the committee in 2017,<ref>{{citation| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/queen-canadian-secretary-royal-visits-heritage-1.4295322| last=Beeby| first=Dean| title=Liberals leave royal position vacant in Queen's Sapphire Jubilee year| date=19 September 2017| publisher=CBC News| access-date=11 August 2023}}</ref> before he recommended Payette as Johnston's successor that year.<ref>{{citation| url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/payette-vetting-trudeau-wednesday-1.4213743| last=Press| first=Jordan| title=Julie Payette's vetting for governor general questioned amid 'disquieting' revelations| date=20 July 2017| publisher=The Canadian Press| accessdate=20 July 2017}}</ref> Following Payette's resignation, Trudeau formed the Advisory Group on the Selection of the Next Governor General,<ref name=Lib/> which selected [[Mary Simon]] for appointment as vicereine.<ref>{{citation| url=https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2021/07/06/prime-minister-announces-queens-approval-canadas-next-governor| author=Office of the Prime Minister of Canada| title=Prime Minister announces The Queen's approval of Canada's next Governor General| date=6 July 2021| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| accessdate=11 August 2023}}</ref>

===Swearing-in ceremony===
[[File:Jean-Oath.jpg|thumb|[[Michaëlle Jean]] swearing the oaths of office as administered by Puisne Justice [[Michel Bastarache]], 27 September 2005]]

The swearing-in ceremony begins with the arrival at [[7 Rideau Gate]] of one of the [[ministers of the Crown]], who then accompanies the governor general-designate to [[Parliament Hill]], where a [[Canadian Forces]] [[guard of honour]] (consisting of the [[Canadian Army|Army]] Guard, [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] Guard, and Flag Party of the [[Royal Canadian Navy]]) awaits to give a [[general salute]]. From there, the party is led by the {{Canadian monarch, current|title=~}}'s parliamentary messenger—the [[Usher of the Black Rod of the Senate of Canada|usher of the Black Rod]]—to the [[Senate of Canada|Senate chamber]], wherein all [[List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada|justices of the Supreme Court]], senators, [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|members of parliament]], and other guests are assembled. The {{Canadian monarch, current|title=~}}'s commission for the governor general-designate is then read aloud by the [[Secretary to the Governor General of Canada|secretary to the governor general]] and the required oaths are administered to the appointee by either the [[Chief Justice of Canada|chief justice]] or one of the [[List of Puisne Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada|puisne justices]] of the [[Supreme Court of Canada|Supreme Court]]; the three oaths are: the [[Oath of Allegiance (Canada)|Oath of Allegiance]], the Oath of Office as Governor General and Commander-in-Chief, and the Oath as Keeper of the [[Great Seal of Canada]]. With the affixing of their signature to these three solemn promises, the individual is officially the governor general, and at that moment the [[flag of the governor general of Canada]] is raised on the [[Peace Tower]],<ref name=DCHGGDes /> the "[[Vice Regal Salute]]" is played by the [[Central Band of the Canadian Armed Forces]], and a [[21-gun salute]] is conducted by the [[Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery]]. The governor general is seated on the throne while a prayer is read, and then receives the Great Seal of Canada (which is passed to the [[Registrar General of Canada|registrar general]] for protection),<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=8&lan=eng| last=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Media > Fact Sheets > The Great Seal of Canada| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=30 May 2009}}</ref> as well as the chains of both the chancellor of the Order of Canada and of the [[Order of Military Merit (Canada)|Order of Military Merit]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Adrienne Clarkson Installed as Governor General| journal=Canadian Monarchist News| volume=Autumn 1999| issue=3| publisher=Monarchist League of Canada| location=Toronto| year=1999| url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/1999/installed.htm| access-date=29 May 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090708023432/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/1999/installed.htm | archive-date=8 July 2009 }}</ref> The governor general then gives a speech, outlining causes they will champion during their time as viceroy.<ref name=DCHGGDes />

==Role==
{{Further|Monarchy of Canada#International and domestic aspects}}
[[File:Vladimir Putin in Canada 18-19 December 2000-2.jpg|thumb|right|Governor General [[Adrienne Clarkson]] (right) meets with [[President of Russia|Russian President]] [[Vladimir Putin]] (left) in the governor general's study of [[Rideau Hall]], 18 December 2000]]

{{Quote box| width=250px| border=1px| align=right| bgcolor=#F5F5DC| quote=If, and because your Governor-General is in the service of the Crown, he is, therefore&nbsp;... in the service of Canada&nbsp;... [A]loof though he be from actual executive responsibility, his attitude must be that of ceaseless and watchful readiness to take part&nbsp;... in the fostering of every influence that will sweeten and elevate public life; to&nbsp;... join in making known the resources and developments of the country; to vindicate, if required, the rights of the people and the ordinariness and Constitution, and lastly, to promote by all means in his power, without reference to class or creed, every movement and every institution calculated to forward the social, moral, and religious welfare of the inhabitants of the Dominion.<ref>{{Cite news| last=Hamilton-Gordon| first=John| author-link=John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair| year=1960| publication-date=17 September 1893| title=We Twa| editor-last=Hamilton-Gordon| editor-first=Ishbel| editor-link=Ishbel Hamilton-Gordon, Marchioness of Aberdeen and Temair| periodical=The Canadian Journal of Lady Aberdeen, 1893–1898| volume=2| pages=13–15| location=Montreal| publisher=Champlain Society}}</ref>| salign=right| source=Governor General [[John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair|the Marquess of Aberdeen]], 1893}}

Canada [[Personal union|shares the person of the sovereign]] equally with [[Commonwealth realm|14 other countries]] in the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] and that individual, in the monarch's capacity as the Canadian sovereign, has [[Monarchy of Canada#Federal and provincial aspects|10 other legal personas]] within the [[Canadian federalism|Canadian federation]]. As the sovereign works and resides in the United Kingdom, the governor general's primary task is to perform federal constitutional duties on behalf of the monarch.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://canadiancrown.gc.ca/eng/1396354959162#a1| author=Government of Canada| title=The Governor General| date=2 October 2014| publisher=Her Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=28 November 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151114211942/http://canadiancrown.gc.ca/eng/1396354959162#a1| archive-date=14 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://canadiancrown.gc.ca/eng/1396015117980| author=Government of Canada| title=The Crown| date=24 September 2014| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=28 November 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101230729/http://canadiancrown.gc.ca/eng/1396015117980| archive-date=1 January 2016}}</ref> As such, the governor general carries on "the government of Canada on behalf and in the name of the sovereign".<ref>{{Cite canlaw|short title  =Interpretation Act|abbr =RSC|year =1985|chapter =I-21|section =35|subsection =1|link =https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/i-21/section-35.html#h-279462}}.</ref>

The governor general acts within the principles of [[parliamentary democracy]] and [[responsible government]] as a guarantor of continuous and stable governance and as a [[Nonpartisanism|nonpartisan]] safeguard against the abuse of power.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Roberts |first=Edward |author-link=Edward Roberts (Canadian politician) |title=Ensuring Constitutional Wisdom During Unconventional Times |journal=Canadian Parliamentary Review |volume=23 |issue=1 |page=15 |publisher=Commonwealth Parliamentary Association |location=Ottawa |year=2009 |url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/Infoparl/32/1/32n1_09e_Roberts.pdf |access-date=21 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426045234/http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/Infoparl/32/1/32n1_09e_Roberts.pdf |archive-date=26 April 2012}}</ref><ref name=GGDuties>{{cite web| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=13288| last=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Governor General > Role and Responsibilities > A Modern Governor General – Active and Engaged| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=30 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb| MacLeod| 2015| pp=16, 20}}</ref> For the most part, however, the powers of the Crown are exercised on a day-to-day basis by elected and appointed individuals, leaving the governor general to perform the various ceremonial duties the sovereign otherwise carries out when in the country; at such a moment, the governor general removes him or herself from public,{{refn|Governor General the Lord Tweedsmuir said of King George VI being in the Senate in 1939 to grant Royal Assent to bills: "[When the King of Canada is present] I cease to exist as Viceroy, and retain only a shadowy legal existence as Governor General in Council."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Galbraith |first=William |title=Fiftieth Anniversary of the 1939 Royal Visit |journal=Canadian Parliamentary Review |volume=12 |issue=3 |page=9 |publisher=Commonwealth Parliamentary Association |location=Ottawa |year=1989 |url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/Infoparl/12/3/12n3_89e.pdf |access-date=22 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314112621/http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/Infoparl/12/3/12n3_89e.pdf |archive-date=14 March 2011}}</ref>|group=n|name=GGMon}} though the presence of the monarch does not affect the governor general's ability to perform governmental roles.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Department of National Defence |author-link=Department of National Defence (Canada) |title=The Honours, Flags and Heritage Structure of the Canadian Forces |place=Ottawa |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |date=1 April 1999 |page=1A-3 |url=http://www.saskd.ca/heritage.pdf |id=A-AD-200-000/AG-000 |access-date=23 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325162006/http://www.saskd.ca/heritage.pdf |archive-date=25 March 2009}}</ref><ref name=Heard>{{Citation| first=Andrew| last=Heard| title=Canadian Independence| year=1990| place=Vancouver| publisher=Simon Fraser University| url=https://www.sfu.ca/~aheard/324/Independence.html| access-date=25 August 2010}}</ref>

Past governor general [[John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll|John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne]], said of the job, "it is no easy thing to be a governor general of Canada. You must have the patience of a saint, the smile of a [[cherub]], the generosity of an Indian prince, and the back of a camel",<ref>{{Cite book| last=Campbell| first=John| author-link=John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll| date=c. 1880| publication-date=1955| editor-last=MacNutt| editor-first=W. Stewart| title=Days of Lorne: Impressions of a Governor-General| page=201| place=Ottawa| publication-place=Fredericton| publisher=Brunswick Press| ref={{harvid|MacNutt|1955}}}}</ref> and the [[Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava|Earl of Dufferin]] stated that the governor general is "a representative of all that is august, stable, and sedate in the government, the history and the traditions of the country; incapable of partizanship and lifted far above the atmosphere of faction; without adherents to reward or opponents to oust from office; docile to the suggestions of his Ministers and, yet, securing to the people the certainty of being able to get rid of an administration or parliament the moment either had forfeited their confidence."<ref>{{Cite book| last=Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood| first=Frederick| author-link=Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava| date=12 January 1877| publication-date=1877| contribution=Speech| editor-last=Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood| editor-first=Frederick| title=Visit of his Excellency the Governor-General to the National Club| page=10| location=Toronto| publisher=Hunter Rose & Co.| isbn=978-0-665-41480-0| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=25UtAAAAYAAJ&q=%22august%2C+stable%2C+and+sedate%22&pg=PA10}}</ref>

===Constitutional role===
{{Further|Monarchy of Canada#Federal constitutional role}}

All [[Executive (government)|executive]], [[legislative]], and [[judicial]] power in and over Canada is vested in the monarch.<ref>{{harvnb|Constitution Act|1867|loc=Ss. 9, 17}}</ref><ref name=MacLeod17>{{Harvnb| MacLeod| 2015| p=17}}</ref> The governor general is permitted to exercise most of this power, including the [[royal prerogative]], in the sovereign's name; some as outlined in the ''Constitution Act, 1867'', and some through various [[letters patent]] issued over the decades, particularly [[Letters Patent, 1947|those from 1947]] that constitute the Office of Governor General of Canada.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/executive-decree/023004-2020-e.html| last=Library and Archives Canada| author-link=Library and Archives Canada| title=Politics and Government > By Executive Decree > The Governor General| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=4 June 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090811074157/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/executive-decree/023004-2020-e.html| archive-date=11 August 2009}}</ref> The 1947 letters patent state, "and We do hereby authorize and empower Our Governor General, with the advice of [[King's Privy Council for Canada|Our Privy Council for Canada]] or of any members thereof or individually, as the case requires, to exercise all powers and authorities lawfully belonging to Us in respect of Canada."<ref>{{Harvnb| George VI| 1947| loc=II}}</ref> The office itself does not, however, independently possess any powers of the royal prerogative, only exercising the Crown's powers with its permission; a fact the ''Constitution Act, 1867'', left unchanged.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/14732/index.do |title=''Windsor & Annapolis Railway Co. v. The Queen and the Western Counties Railway Co.'' (1885), 10 SCR 389. |access-date=22 September 2021 |archive-date=22 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922043514/https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/14732/index.do |url-status=dead }}</ref> Among other duties, the monarch retains the sole right to appoint the governor general.<ref name=MacLeod35/> It is also stipulated that the governor general [[Deputy of the Governor General of Canada|may appoint deputies]]—usually Supreme Court justices and the secretary to the governor general—who can perform some of the viceroy's constitutional duties in the governor general's absence,<ref>{{Harvnb| George VI| 1947| loc=VII}}</ref> and the chief justice of the Supreme Court (or a puisne justice in the chief justice's absence) will act as the administrator of the government upon the death or removal, as well as the incapacitation, or absence of the governor general for more than one month.<ref>{{Harvnb| George VI| 1947| loc=VIII}}</ref>
[[File:Swearing In - Assermentation (36647507344).jpg|thumb|[[Andrew Scheer]] (right), then [[Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada)|Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition]], being admitted to the [[Queen's Privy Council for Canada]] by Governor General [[David Johnston (governor general)|David Johnston]] (centre) at [[Rideau Hall]], 25 September 2017]]

The governor general is required by the ''Constitution Act, 1867'', to appoint for life persons to the [[King's Privy Council for Canada]],<ref>{{harvnb|Constitution Act|1867|loc=S. 11}}</ref> who are all technically tasked with tendering to the monarch and viceroy guidance on the exercise of the royal prerogative. [[Convention (norm)#Government|Convention]] dictates, though, that the governor general must draw from the Privy Council an individual to appoint as prime minister. In almost all cases, this is the member of Parliament who commands the [[Confidence and supply|confidence]] of the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]], whom the governor general must appoint to the Privy Council, if that person is not already a member, so the individual can be appointed prime minister. The prime minister then advises the governor general to appoint other members of parliament to a committee of the Privy Council known as the [[Cabinet of Canada|Cabinet]] and it is, in practice, only from this group of [[ministers of the Crown]] that the king and governor general will take [[Advice (constitutional law)|advice]] on the use of executive power;<ref>{{Harvnb| MacLeod| 2015| pp=24, 27}}</ref> an arrangement called the ''[[king-in-Council]]'' or,<ref name=MacLeod17/> more specifically, the ''governor-in-Council''. In this capacity, the governor general will issue royal [[proclamation]]s and sign [[orders in council]]. The governor-in-Council is also specifically tasked by the ''Constitution Act, 1867'', to appoint in the monarch's name, the [[Lieutenant Governor (Canada)|lieutenant governors of the provinces]],<ref>{{harvnb|Constitution Act|1867|loc=S. 58}}</ref> [[Senate of Canada|senators]],<ref>{{harvnb|Constitution Act|1867|loc=S. 24}}</ref> the [[Speaker of the Senate of Canada|speaker of the Senate]],<ref>{{harvnb|Constitution Act|1867|loc=S. 34}}</ref> [[Superior court|superior]], district, and county court judges in each province, except those of the Courts of Probate in [[Nova Scotia]] and [[New Brunswick]],<ref>{{harvnb|Constitution Act|1867|loc=S. 96}}</ref> and [[High commissioner (Commonwealth)|high commissioners]] and ambassadors.<ref name=GoC152>{{harvnb| Government of Canada| 1970| p=152}}</ref> The advice given by the Cabinet is, in order to ensure the stability of government, by political convention typically binding. The governor general has mainly only the right to advise, encourage, and warn; to offer valued counsel to the prime minister.<ref>{{citation| url=https://www.gg.ca/en/governor-general/role-and-responsibilities/constitutional-duties| author=Office of the Secretary to the Governor General| title=Constitutional Duties| date=22 December 2016| publisher=Governor General of Canada| accessdate=1 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{citation| url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/governor-general| last1=McIntosh| first1=Andrew| last2=Monet| first2=Jacques| last3=Bishop| first3=Paul| last4=McIntosh| first4=Andrew| title=Governor General of Canada| date=29 March 2023| encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia| publisher=Historica Canada| access-date=1 March 2024}}</ref>

Both the King and his viceroy, however, may in exceptional circumstances invoke the [[reserve powers]], which remain the Crown's final check against a ministry's abuse of power.{{refn|See [[King's Privy Council for Canada#cite note-RP-13|Note 2]] at [[King's Privy Council for Canada]].|group=n|name=RP}}<ref name=Commons>{{cite web|url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=1276961&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=37&Ses=3| last=House of Commons| title=The Governor General of Canada: Role, Duties and Funding for Activities| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=9 October 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614024528/http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=1276961&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=37&Ses=3 | archive-date=14 June 2012 }}</ref> The reserve power of dismissal has never been used in Canada, although other reserve powers have been employed to force the prime minister to resign on two occasions: In 1896, Prime Minister [[Charles Tupper]] refused to step down after his party failed to win a majority in the House of Commons during [[1896 Canadian federal election|that year's election]], leading Governor General the [[John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair|Earl of Aberdeen]] to no longer recognize Tupper as prime minister and disapprove of several appointments Tupper had recommended. In 1925, the [[King–Byng affair]] took place, in which Prime Minister Mackenzie King, facing a [[Motion of no confidence|non-confidence motion]] in the House of Commons, advised Governor General the Viscount Byng of Vimy to [[Dissolution of parliament|dissolve]] the new parliament, but Byng refused.

[[Peter Hogg]], a constitutional scholar, has opined that "a system of responsible government cannot work without a formal head of state who is possessed of certain reserve powers." Further, [[Eugene Forsey]] stated "the reserve power is indeed, under our Constitution, an absolutely essential safeguard of democracy. It takes the place of the legal and judicial safeguards provided in the United States by written Constitutions, enforceable in the courts."

Within the dominions, until the 1920s, most reserve powers were exercised by a governor-general on the advice of either the local or the British Cabinet, with the latter taking precedence. After the [[1926 Imperial Conference|Imperial Conference of 1926]] produced the [[Balfour Declaration of 1926|Balfour Declaration]], formally establishing the autonomy and equal status of Commonwealth governments, governors general ceased to be advised in any way by British ministers.

It was decided at the same Imperial Conference that the governor general "should be kept as fully informed as His Majesty the King in Great Britain of Cabinet business and public affairs."<ref>{{citation| title=Imperial Conference 1926: Summary of Proceedings| location=Ottawa| year=1926| page=14}}</ref> How frequently governors general and their prime ministers conversed has varied;<ref name=GoC152/> some prime ministers have valued their meetings with the viceroy at the time.{{refn|Robert Borden said, "it would be an absolute mistake to regard the governor general as a mere figurehead, a mere rubber stamp. During nine years of premiership, I had the opportunity of realizing how helpful may be the advice and counsel of a governor general in matters of delicacy and difficulty".<ref>{{citation| title=The Imperial Conference| journal=Journal of the Royal Institute of International Affairs| date=July 1927| page=204}}</ref>|group=n}} However, the practice is usually informal<ref name=GoC152/> and the prime minister will typically schedule a telephone call to request the governor general perform a significant task.{{refn|[[Pierre Trudeau]] called [[Roland Michener]] in 1970 to request an authorization to invoke the ''[[War Measures Act]]''.<ref name=Hopper/>}}<ref name=Hopper>{{citation| url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/what-does-the-governor-general-do-all-day| last=Hopper| first=Tristan| title=What does the Governor General do all day?| date=27 July 2021| newspaper=National Post| accessdate=15 March 2024}}</ref> The governor general regularly receives the [[minutes]] from cabinet meetings and any documents referred to in those minutes.<ref>{{harvnb| Government of Canada| 1970| p=153}}</ref> 
[[File:Tweedsmuir speech.jpg|thumb|left|[[John Buchan|Lord Tweedsmuir]] gives the [[Speech from the throne|Throne Speech]] at the opening of the third session of the [[18th Canadian Parliament]], 27 January 1938]]

The governor general also summons parliament, reads the [[speech from the throne]], and [[Prorogation in Canada|prorogues]] and [[Dissolution of parliament|dissolves]] parliament. The governor general grants [[royal assent]] in the king's name; legally, the governor general has three options: grant royal assent (making the bill a law), withhold royal assent (vetoing the bill), or reserve the bill for the signification of the king's pleasure (allowing the sovereign to personally grant or withhold assent).<ref>{{harvnb|Constitution Act|1867|loc=S. 55}}</ref> If the governor general withholds the king's assent, the sovereign may within two years [[Disallowance and reservation in Canada|disallow]] the bill, thereby annulling the law in question. No governor general has denied royal assent to a bill. Provincial viceroys, however, are able to reserve royal assent to provincial bills for the governor general, which was last invoked in 1961 by the [[Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan]].<ref>{{Harvnb| MacLeod| 2015| p=25}}</ref>

===Ceremonial role===
{{Further|Monarchy of Canada#Cultural role}}

With most constitutional functions lent to Cabinet, the governor general acts in a primarily ceremonial fashion. The governor general will host members of [[Canada's royal family]], as well as foreign royalty and heads of state, and will represent the {{Canadian monarch, current|title=~}} and country abroad on [[List of state and official visits by Canada|state visits to other nations]],<ref name=GGrole>{{cite web| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=13288| last=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Governor General > Role and Responsibilities| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=2 June 2009}}</ref><ref name=Commons /> though the monarch's permission is necessary, via the prime minister, for the viceroy to leave Canada.<ref>{{Harvnb| George VI| 1947| loc=XIV}}</ref> Also as part of international relations, the governor general issues [[Letter of credence|letters of credence and of recall]] for Canadian [[ambassador]]s and [[High commissioner (Commonwealth)|high commissioners]] and receives the same from foreign ambassadors and other Commonwealth countries' high commissioners appointed to Canada.
[[File:The Governor General David Johnston greets more people on Canada Day (28014776516).jpg|thumb|Governor General David Johnston greeting a crowd during Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa, July 2016]]

The governor general is also tasked with fostering national unity and pride.<ref name=Boyce>{{Cite news|last=Boyce |first=Peter |year=2008 |publication-date=October 2009 |isbn=978-1-86287-700-9 |editor-last=Jackson |editor-first=Michael D. |title=The Senior Realms of the Queen > The Queen's Other Realms: The Crown and its Legacy in Australia, Canada and New Zealand |periodical=Canadian Monarchist News |volume=Autumn 2009 |issue=30 |page=10 |place=Sydney |publication-place=Toronto |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2009/Autumn_2009_CMN.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091229100400/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2009/Autumn_2009_CMN.pdf |archive-date=29 December 2009 |access-date=22 October 2009 }}</ref> Queen Elizabeth II stated in 1959, to then-Governor General Vincent Massey, "maintain[ing] the right relationship between the Crown and the people of Canada [is] the most important function among the many duties of the appointment which you have held with such distinction."<ref>{{citation| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0baizU0hFpIC| last=McCreery| first=Christopher| title=On Her Majesty's Service: Royal Honours and Recognition in Canada| page=54| publisher=Dundurn| year=2008| location=Toronto| isbn=978-1-4597-1224-9| access-date=11 November 2015}}</ref> One way in which this is carried out is travelling the country and meeting with Canadians from [[List of regions of Canada|all regions]] and [[ethnic groups in Canada]],<ref name=GGrole/> continuing the tradition begun in 1869 by Governor General [[John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar|the Lord Lisgar]].<ref>{{Harvnb| Hubbard| 1977| p=16}}</ref> The governor general will also induct individuals into the various [[Orders, decorations, and medals of Canada|national orders]] and present national medals and decorations. Similarly, the viceroy administers and distributes the [[Governor General's Awards]], and will also give out [[List of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada|awards associated with private organizations]], some of which are named for past governors general.<ref name=GGrole /> During a federal election, the governor general will curtail these public duties, so as not to appear as though they are involving themselves in political affairs.

Although the constitution of Canada states that the "Command-in-Chief of the Land and Naval Militia, and of all Naval and Military Forces, of and in Canada, is hereby declared to continue and be vested in the Queen,"<ref name=CA1867-15/> the governor general acts in {{Canadian monarch, current|genderp=~}} place as [[Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces|commander-in-chief of the Canadian Forces]] and is permitted through the 1947 letters patent to use the title ''Commander-in-Chief in and over Canada''.<ref name=GGCinC /><ref name=GVII /> The position technically involves issuing commands for Canadian troops, airmen, and sailors, but is predominantly a ceremonial role in which the viceroy will visit [[Canadian Forces base]]s across Canada and abroad to take part in military ceremonies, see troops off to and return from active duty, and encourage excellence and morale amongst the forces.<ref name=GGCinC /> The governor general also serves as honorary [[Colonel]] of three [[Household Division|household regiments]]: the [[Governor General's Horse Guards]], [[Governor General's Foot Guards]] and [[Canadian Grenadier Guards]]. This ceremonial position is directly under that of [[Colonel-in-Chief]], which is held by the {{Canadian monarch, current|title=~}}. Since 1910, the governor general was also always made the chief scout for Canada, which was renamed ''Chief Scout of Canada'' after 1946 and again in 2011 as ''[[Scouts Canada#Organizational structure|Patron Scout]]''.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.scouts.ca/ca/management-team/board-governors| title=About > Management Team > Board of Governors| publisher=Scouts Canada| access-date=2 March 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111029155917/http://www.scouts.ca/ca/management-team/board-governors| archive-date=29 October 2011}}</ref>

==Residences and household==
[[Rideau Hall]], located in Ottawa, is the official residence of the Canadian monarch<ref>
* {{harvnb| MacLeod| 2015| p=34}}
* {{Harvnb| Galbraith| 1989| p=9}}
* {{cite journal|last=Aimers |first=John |author-link=John Aimers |title=The Palace on the Rideau |journal=Monarchy Canada |issue=Spring 1996 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=April 1996 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/mc/palace.htm |access-date=20 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090131134713/http://www.monarchist.ca/mc/palace.htm |archive-date=31 January 2009}}
* {{cite book| last=Lanctot| first=Gustave| author-link=Gustave Lanctot| title=Royal Tour of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Canada and the United States of America 1939| publisher=E.P. Taylor Foundation| year=1964| location=Toronto| id=ASIN B0006EB752}}</ref><ref name=Toffoli>{{cite journal|last=Toffoli |first=Gary |title=The Hnatyshyn Years |journal=Monarchy Canada |issue=Spring 1995 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=April 1995 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/mc/hnatysh.htm |access-date=20 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061012021157/http://www.monarchist.ca/mc/hnatysh.htm |archive-date=12 October 2006}}</ref> and of the governor general and is thus the location of the viceregal household and the Chancellery of Honours. For a part of each year since 1872, governors general have also resided at [[Citadelle of Quebec|the Citadel]] ({{Lang|fr|La Citadelle}}) in [[Quebec City, Quebec]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=95| last=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=La Citadelle > An Official Residence at the Heart of the Old Capital| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=3 June 2009}}</ref> A [[Viceregal consort of Canada|governor general's wife]] is known as the {{Lang|fr|chatelaine}} of Rideau Hall, though there is no equivalent term for a governor general's husband.
{{multiple image
 | align = left
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 | image1 = 10 Rideau Hall P1350151.jpg
 | width1 = 180
 | caption1 = [[Rideau Hall]], the primary residence of the governor general
 | image2 = Residence of the Governor General (Quebec) 01.jpg
 | width2 = 150
 | caption2 = Secondary residence at the [[Citadelle of Quebec]]
}}

The viceregal household aids the governor general in the execution of the royal constitutional and ceremonial duties and is managed by the [[Secretary to the Governor General of Canada|secretary to the governor general]].<ref name=OSTGG>{{cite web| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=12| last=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| accessdate=3 June 2009}}</ref> The Chancellery of Honours depends from the {{Canadian monarch, current|title=~}} and is thus also located at Rideau Hall and administered by the governor general. As such, the viceroy's secretary ''ex officio'' holds the position of [[Herald Chancellor of Canada]],<ref name=Herald>{{cite web| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=2| last=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Heraldry > The Canadian Heraldic Authority| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=3 June 2009}}</ref> overseeing the [[Canadian Heraldic Authority]]—the mechanism of the Canadian honours system by which [[Coat of arms|armorial bearings]] are granted to Canadians by the governor general in the name of the sovereign.<ref name=Herald/> These organized offices and support systems include [[Aide-de-camp#Canada|aides-de-camp]], [[News media|press officers]], financial managers,<ref name=OSTGG/> speech writers, trip organizers, event planners, protocol officers, chefs and other kitchen employees, waiters, and various cleaning staff, as well as visitors' centre staff and tour guides at both official residences. In this official and bureaucratic capacity, the entire household is often referred to as ''[[Government Houses in Canada|Government House]]''<ref name=Gaz143>{{Cite news| date=25 April 2009| periodical=Canada Gazette| volume=143| issue=17| title=Part I > Government House|  page=1200| url=http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2009/2009-04-25/pdf/g1-14317.pdf| access-date=3 June 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706181950/http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2009/2009-04-25/pdf/g1-14317.pdf| archive-date=6 July 2011}}</ref> and its departments are funded through the normal [[Canadian federal budget|federal budgetary process]],<ref>{{Cite book| last=Office of the Secretary to the Governor General| title=Annual Report 2006–07| year=2007| page=6| id=Appendix B.2.a| place=Ottawa| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| url=http://www.gg.ca/osgg-bsgg/fin/2006-07_e.pdf| access-date=3 June 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604190458/http://www.gg.ca/osgg-bsgg/fin/2006-07_e.pdf| archive-date=4 June 2011}}</ref> as is the governor general's salary of [[Canadian dollar|CAD$]]288,900,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/parlinfo/compilations/GovernorGeneral/GovernorGeneral_Salaries.aspx| last=Parliament of Canada| author-link=Parliament of Canada| title=Salaries of the Governors General of Canada – 1869 To Date| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=13 January 2017| archive-date=29 November 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151129002001/http://www.parl.gc.ca/parlinfo/compilations/governorgeneral/GovernorGeneral_Salaries.aspx}}</ref> which has been taxed since 2013.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.budget.gc.ca/2012/plan/anx4-eng.html#PITM8| last=Department of Finance Canada| author-link=Department of Finance Canada| title=Budget 2012 – Annex 4| date=29 March 2012| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=4 April 2012| archive-date=1 April 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401231509/http://www.budget.gc.ca/2012/plan/anx4-eng.html#PITM8| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| last=The Canadian Press| title=Governor General's salary to be taxed, but it won't cost him a dime| newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press| date=29 March 2012| url=http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/governor-generals-salary-to-be-taxed-but-it-wont-cost-him-a-dime-144958495.html| access-date=4 April 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401010444/http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/governor-generals-salary-to-be-taxed-but-it-wont-cost-him-a-dime-144958495.html | archive-date=1 April 2012}}</ref> Additional costs are incurred from separate ministries and organizations such as the [[National Capital Commission]], the [[Department of National Defence (Canada)|Department of National Defence]], and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.<ref>{{Harvnb| Office of the Secretary to the Governor General| 2007| p=3}}</ref>

[[Royal Canadian Air Force VIP aircraft|The governor general's air transportation]] is assigned to [[412 Transport Squadron]] of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The squadron uses [[Bombardier Challenger 600]] VIP jets to transport the governor general to locations within and outside of Canada.

==Symbols and protocol==
As the personal representative of the monarch, the governor general follows only the sovereign in the [[Canadian order of precedence]], preceding even other members of the Royal Family. Though the federal viceroy is considered ''[[primus inter pares]]'' amongst provincial counterparts, the governor general also outranks the lieutenant governors in the federal sphere; at provincial functions, however, the relevant lieutenant governor, as the {{Canadian monarch, current|title=~}}'s representative in the province, precedes the governor general.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/atc-ac/partic-eng.cfm| last=Department of Canadian Heritage| author-link=Department of Canadian Heritage| title=Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > Across Canada > Standards| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=19 June 2009| archive-date=3 January 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100103031618/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/atc-ac/partic-eng.cfm| url-status=dead}}</ref> The incumbent governor general and their spouse are also the only people in Canada, other than serving [[Ambassadors and High Commissioners from Canada|Canadian ambassadors and high commissioners]], entitled to the use of the [[Style (manner of address)|style]] ''His'' or ''Her [[Excellency]]'' and the governor general is granted the additional honorific of ''[[the Right Honourable]]'' for their time in office and for life afterwards.<ref name=DND11-2>{{Harvnb| Department of National Defence| 1999| pp=11–2}}</ref><ref name=MacLeod37>{{Harvnb| MacLeod| 2015| p=37}}</ref><ref name="PCH Titles">{{cite web| url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/prtcl/titre-eng.cfm| last=Department of Canadian Heritage| author-link=Department of Canadian Heritage| title=Table of titles to be used in Canada (as revised on June&nbsp;18, 1993)| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=21 August 2009| archive-date=14 May 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090514093458/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/prtcl/titre-eng.cfm| url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Michaëlle Jean 11-11-2007.jpg|thumb|left|[[Michaëlle Jean]] wearing the insignia of the [[Order of Canada]] and [[Order of Military Merit (Canada)|Order of Military Merit]] along with the [[Canadian Forces' Decoration]]]]

Until 1952, all governors general of Canada were members of the [[peerage]] or heir apparent to a peerage. Typically, individuals appointed as federal viceroy were already a peer, either by inheriting the title, such as the [[Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire|Duke of Devonshire]], or by prior elevation by the sovereign in their own right, as was the case with [[Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis|Earl Alexander of Tunis]]. None were [[life peer]]s, the [[Life Peerages Act 1958]] postdating the beginning of the tradition of appointing Canadian citizens as governor general. John Buchan was, in preparation for his appointment as governor general, made the Baron Tweedsmuir of Elsfield in the County of Oxford by King [[George V]], six months before Buchan was sworn in as viceroy. The leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition at the time, Mackenzie King, felt Buchan should serve as governor general as a commoner.<ref>{{Cite book| last=Reynolds| first=Louise| title=Mackenzie King: Friends & Lovers| publisher=Trafford Publishing| year=2005| location=Victoria| page=124| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8eZJQJOcTJkC| isbn=978-1-4120-5985-5}}</ref> However, George V insisted he be represented by a peer. With the appointment of Massey as governor general in 1952, governors general ceased to be members of the peerage; successive prime ministers since that date have held to the non-binding and defeated (in 1934) principles of the 1919 [[Canadian titles debate#The Nickle Resolution|Nickle Resolution]].

Under the orders' constitutions, the governor general serves as Chancellor and Principal Companion of the [[Order of Canada]],<ref>{{Cite book| last=Elizabeth II| author-link=Elizabeth II| date=28 October 2004| title=The Constitution of the Order of Canada| series=3| location=Ottawa| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=72| access-date=2 June 2009}}</ref> Chancellor of the [[Order of Military Merit (Canada)|Order of Military Merit]],<ref>{{Cite book|last=Elizabeth II |author-link=Elizabeth II |year=1997 |publication-date=1 April 1999 |contribution=Constitution of the Order of Canada |editor-last=Department of National Defence |editor-link=Department of National Defence (Canada) |title=The Honours, Flags and Heritage Structure of the Canadian Forces |pages=2C1–1 |location=Ottawa |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |id=A-AD-200-000/AG-000 |url=http://www.saskd.ca/heritage.pdf |access-date=2 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325162006/http://www.saskd.ca/heritage.pdf |archive-date=25 March 2009}}</ref> and Chancellor of the [[Order of Merit of the Police Forces]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=72| last=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Honours > National Orders > Order of Merit of the Police Forces| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=2 June 2009}}</ref> The governor general also upon installation automatically becomes a Knight or Dame of Justice and the Prior and Chief Officer in Canada of the [[Venerable Order of Saint John|Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.sja.ca/Canada/AboutUs/TheOrder/Pages/TheOrderofStJohninCanada.aspx| title=Canada Wide > About Us > The Order of St. John > The Order of St. John in Canada| publisher=St. John Ambulance Canada| access-date=2 June 2009| archive-date=4 October 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004014456/http://www.sja.ca/CANADA/ABOUTUS/THEORDER/Pages/TheOrderofStJohninCanada.aspx}}</ref> As acting commander-in-chief, the governor general is further routinely granted the [[Canadian Forces' Decoration]] by the [[Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada)|chief of the Defence Staff]] on behalf of the monarch. All of these honours are retained following an incumbent's departure from office, with the individual remaining in the highest categories of the orders, and they may also be further distinguished with induction into other orders or the receipt of other awards.{{refn|Some seven years after he left office, the Earl Alexander of Tunis was appointed as a Member of the [[Order of Merit]]. Similarly, Massey was awarded the [[Royal Victorian Chain]] by Queen Elizabeth II approximately six months after leaving the viceregal post and was in 1967 invested into the Order of Canada.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.answers.com/topic/vincent-massey| title=Library > Miscellaneous > Biographies > Vincent Massey| publisher=Answers Corporation| access-date=16 March 2009}}</ref> ichener was presented with the Royal Victorian Chain a few months before he retired as governor general.|group=n|name=Hons}}

The [[Honors music|Viceregal Salute]] — composed of the first six [[Bar (music)|bars]] of the Royal Anthem ("[[God Save the {{Canadian monarch, current|title=~}}]]") followed by the first and last four bars of the [[national anthem]] ("[[O Canada]]") — is the [[salute]] used to greet the governor general upon arrival and departure from most official events.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/prtcl/salut-eng.cfm#a6| last=Department of Canadian Heritage| title=Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > Honours and salutes > Musical salute| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=3 June 2009| archive-date=3 April 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403180222/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/prtcl/salut-eng.cfm#a6| url-status=dead}}</ref> To mark the viceroy's presence at any building, ship, airplane, or car in Canada, the [[Flag of the governor general of Canada|governor general's flag]] is employed. The present form was adopted on 23 February 1981 and,<ref name=Flag>{{cite web| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=2| last=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Heraldry > Emblems of Canada and of Government House > Symbols of the Governor General > The Governor General's Flag| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=3 June 2009}}</ref> in the federal jurisdiction, takes precedence over all other flags except for the [[Royal flags of Canada|sovereign's flag for Canada]].<ref>{{Harvnb| Department of National Defence| 1999| p=14-2-2}}</ref> When the governor general undertakes a state visit, however, the [[Flag of Canada|national flag]] is generally employed to mark governor general's presence.<ref name=Flag /> This flag is also, along with all flags on Canadian Forces property, flown at half-mast upon the death of an incumbent or former governor general.<ref>{{Harvnb| Department of National Defence| 1999| p=4-2-6}}</ref>
[[File:Governor General of Canada Flag - Drapeau de la gouverneure générale du Canada (2138897131).jpg|thumb|The present [[Flag of the Governor General of Canada|flag of the governor general]] was adopted in 1981.]] 
The [[Crest (heraldry)|crest]] of the Royal [[Arms of Canada]] is employed as the badge of the governor general, appearing on the viceroy's flag and on other objects associated with the person or the office. This is the fourth such incarnation of the governor general's mark since confederation.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ca-govg.html| last=Nelson| first=Phil| title=Governor General of Canada (Canada)| publisher=Flags of the World| access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref>

{| border="0" class="center" style="margin:1em auto; width:55%; table-layout:fixed"
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[File:Crest of the Governor General of Canada 1901-1921.svg|70px]]
| [[File:Arms of Canada (1921–1957) (crowned).svg|70px]]
| [[File:Crest of the Governor General of Canada 1931-1953.svg|125px]]
| [[File:Crest of the Governor General of Canada 1953-1981.svg|125px]]
| [[File:Badge of the Governor-General of Canada.svg|150px]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1901
| 1921
| 1931
| 1953
| 1981
|}

The governor general may also wear the uniform and corresponding cap or hat badge of a flag or general officer, with a special flag or general officer sleeve braid embellished with the governor general's badge, and a large embroidered governor general's badge on the [[Shoulder mark|shoulder straps or boards]], facing forward.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2024-02-01 |title=Dress instructions {{!}} Section 2 Rank insignia and appointment badges |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/services/defence/caf/military-identity-system/dress-manual/chapter-3/section-2.html |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=canada.ca}}</ref>
{| style="margin:1em auto; border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%;"
|- align="center" style="background-color:#CCCCCC; width: 100%"
! colspan="2" |Royal Canadian Navy
! colspan="2" |Canadian Army
! colspan="2" |Royal Canadian Air Force
|-
|[[File:Royal_Canadian_Navy_(Commander-in-Chief_of_the_Canadian_Armed_Forces).svg|191x191px]]
|[[File:Royal_Canadian_Navy_sleeves_(Commander-in-Chief_of_the_Canadian_Armed_Forces).svg|191x191px]]
|[[File:Canadian_Army_(Commander-in-Chief_of_the_Canadian_Armed_Forces).svg|191x191px]]
|[[File:Canadian_Army_sleeves_(Commander-in-Chief_of_the_Canadian_Armed_Forces).svg|191x191px]]
|[[File:Royal_Canadian_Air_Force_(Commander-in-Chief_of_the_Canadian_Armed_Forces).svg|191x191px]]
|[[File:Royal_Canadian_Air_Force_sleeves_(Commander-in-Chief_of_the_Canadian_Armed_Forces).svg|191x191px]]
|-
| align="center" |Board
| align="center" |Sleeve
| align="center" |Board
| align="center" |Sleeve
| align="center" |Board
| align="center" |Sleeve
|}

==History==
{{Further|List of Governors General of Canada}}

===French and British colonies===
[[France|French]] colonization of [[North America]] began in the 1580s and [[Aymar Chaste|Aymar de Chaste]] was appointed in 1602 by King [[Henry IV of France|Henry IV]] as Viceroy of Canada.<ref>{{cite book| last=Hoxie| first=Frederick E.| title=Encyclopedia of North American Indians| publisher=Diane Publishing Company| date=September 1999| location=Darby| page=284| isbn=978-0-7881-6690-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| last=Tidridge| first=Nathan| title=Canada's Constitutional Monarchy: An Introduction to Our Form of Government| page=26| publisher=Dundurn Press| location=Toronto| year=2011| isbn=978-1-4597-0084-0| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JvGsvHsAtDgC}}</ref> The explorer [[Samuel de Champlain]] became the first unofficial [[Governor of New France]] in the early 17th century,{{refn|[[Kevin S. MacLeod|Kevin MacLeod]], in his book ''A Crown of Maples'', pegs the start date of Champlain's governorship at 1627,<ref name=MacLeod34/> whereas the official website of the Governor General of Canada puts it at 1608.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=3| last=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Governor General > Role and Responsibilities > Role and Responsibilities of the Governor General| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=29 May 2009}}</ref>|group=n|name=GGdate}} serving until [[Charles Huault de Montmagny]] was in 1636 formally appointed to the post by King [[Louis XIII]]. The French [[Company of One Hundred Associates]] then administered New France until King [[Louis XIV]] took control of the colony and appointed [[Augustin de Saffray de Mésy]] as the first [[Governor General of New France|governor general]] in 1663,<ref>{{cite DCB |title=Saffray de Mézy (Mésy), Augustin de |first=W.J. |last=Eccles |volume=1 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/saffray_de_mezy_augustin_de_1E.html}}</ref> after whom 12 more people served in the post.
[[File:Louis de Buade de Frontenac 02.jpg|thumb|left|Statue of [[Louis de Buade de Frontenac]], the third and sixth [[Governor General of New France]], at the [[Parliament Building (Quebec)|Quebec Parliament Building]].]]
With the signing of the [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|Treaty of Paris]] in 1763, France relinquished most of its North American territories, including Canada, to [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]].<ref>{{cite book| last=Emerich| first=John Edward|author2=Acton, Dalberg| author3=Benians, Ernest Alfred| author4=Ward, Adolphus William| author5= Prothero George Walter|  title=The Cambridge Modern History| volume=8| publisher=Cambridge University Press| date=29 October 1976| location=London| pages=346–347| isbn=978-0-521-29108-8}}</ref> King [[George III]] then issued in that same year [[Royal Proclamation of 1763|a royal proclamation]] establishing, amongst other regulations, the Office of the Governor of Quebec to preside over the new [[Province of Quebec (1763-1791)|Province of Quebec]].<ref>[http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/PreConfederation/rp_1763.html Royal Proclamation, 1763, RSC 1985, App. II, No. 1).]</ref> [[Nova Scotia]] and [[New Brunswick]] remained completely separate colonies, each with their own governor, until the cabinet of [[William Pitt the Younger|William Pitt]] adopted in the 1780s the idea that they, along with Quebec and [[Prince Edward Island]], should have as their respective governors a single individual styled as ''governor-in-chief''. The post was created in 1786, with [[Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester]] as its first occupant. However, the governor-in-chief directly governed only Quebec. It was not until the splitting in 1791 of the Province of Quebec, to accommodate the influx of [[United Empire Loyalist]]s fleeing the [[American Revolution|American revolutionary war]], that the king's representative, with a change in title to ''Governor General'', directly governed [[Lower Canada]], while the other three colonies were each administered by a lieutenant governor in his stead.

Following the 1783 recognition of the independence of the 13 continental colonies that became the [[United States]] of America and the transfer of [[East Florida]] and [[West Florida]] to Spain, the remaining British colonies of North America, including [[Bermuda]], were partly integrated as [[British North America]]. During the [[War of 1812]], Lieutenant-General Sir [[George Prevost]] was appointed as "Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief in and Over the Provinces of Upper-Canada, Lower-Canada, Nova-Scotia, and New-Brunswick, and Their Several Dependencies, Vice-Admiral of the Same, Lieutenant-General and Commander of all His Majesty's Forces in the Said Provinces of Lower Canada and Upper-Canada, Nova-Scotia, and New-Brunswick, and Their Several Dependencies, and in the Islands of Newfoundland, Prince Edward, Cape Breton, and the Bermudas, &c. &c. &c."<ref>''The Quebec Almanack'', 1815.</ref>

===Responsible government===
[[File:United Canada 1848.png|thumb|Political organization of the [[Province of Canada]], after the introduction of [[responsible government]] under the Union Act, 1848]]
The [[Rebellions of 1837]] brought about great changes to the role of the governor general, prompting, as they did, the British government to grant [[responsible government]] to the Canadian provinces.<ref>{{Harvnb| MacLeod| 2015| p=7}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/executive-decree/023004-2010-e.html| last=Library and Archives Canada| author-link=Library and Archives Canada| title=Politics and Government > By Executive Decree > The Executive Branch in Canadian History| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=4 June 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090630194209/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/executive-decree/023004-2010-e.html| archive-date=30 June 2009}}</ref> As a result, the viceroys became largely nominal heads, while the democratically elected [[Legislative buildings of Canada|legislatures]] and the [[Premier (Canada)|premiers]] they supported exercised the authority belonging to the Crown; a concept first put to the test when, in 1849, [[List of Governors General of Canada#Governors general of the Province of Canada, 1841–1867|Governor-General of the Province of Canada]] and Lieutenant-Governor of [[Canada East]] [[James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin]] granted Royal Assent to the [[Rebellion Losses Bill]], despite his personal misgivings towards the legislation.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Mills |first=David |title=Rebellion Losses Bill |encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |date=4 March 2015 |publisher=[[Historica Canada]] |edition=online |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/rebellion-losses-bill}}</ref>

This arrangement continued after the reunification in 1840 of Upper and Lower Canada into the [[Province of Canada]], and the establishment of the Dominion of Canada in 1867. The governor general carried out in Canada all the parliamentary and ceremonial functions of a constitutional monarch—amongst other things, granting Royal Assent, issuing Orders-in-Council, and taking advice from the [[Queen's Privy Council for Canada|Canadian Privy Council]]. However, the governor still remained not a viceroy, in the true sense of the word, being still a representative of and liaison to the British government<ref name=Heard /><ref>{{Cite book| last=Hilliker| first=John| title=Canada's Department of External Affairs: The early years, 1909–1946| publisher=McGill-Queen's Press| year=1990| location=Montreal| page=71| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MZD0inJnMJQC| isbn=978-0-7735-0751-7}}</ref>—the Queen in her British council of ministers—who answered to the [[Secretary of State for the Colonies|secretary of state for the colonies]] in [[London]] and who,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/executive-decree/023004-2021-e.html| last=Library and Archives Canada| author-link=Library and Archives Canada| title=Politics and Government > By Executive Decree > The Governor General| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=4 June 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090609115536/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/executive-decree/023004-2021-e.html| archive-date=9 June 2009}}</ref> as a British observer of Canadian politics, held well into the [[First World War]] a suite of offices in the [[East Block]] of [[Parliament Hill]].{{refn|The offices were subsequently incorporated into the [[Office of the Prime Minister (Canada)|Prime Minister's Office]] (PMO), but have been restored to their 19th century appearance after the PMO moved to the [[Langevin Block]] in the 1970s, and are now preserved as a tourist attraction along with other historic offices in the East Block.<ref name=GGParl/>|group=n|name=EB}} But, the new position of [[High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom|Canadian high commissioner to the United Kingdom]], created in 1880, began to take over the governor general's role as a link between the Canadian and British governments, leaving the viceroy increasingly as a personal representative of the monarch.<ref>{{Citation| last=Skelton| first=Oscar D.| date=2009| contribution=The Day of Sir Wilfrid Laurier: A Chronicle of the 20th Century| editor-last=Wrong| editor-first=George M.| editor2-last=Langton| editor2-first=H. H.| title=The Chronicles of Canada| volume=III| page=228| location=Tucson| publisher=Fireship Press| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qs6IKxQxUjsC| isbn=978-1-934757-51-2| access-date=1 July 2010}}</ref> As such, the governor general had to retain a sense of political neutrality; a skill that was put to the test when [[John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll|John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne]], disagreed with his Canadian prime minister, [[John A. Macdonald]], over the dismissal of [[Lieutenant Governor of Quebec]] [[Luc Letellier de St-Just]]. On the advice of the colonial secretary, and to avoid conflict with the Canadian Cabinet, Campbell did eventually concede and released St-Just from duty.<ref>{{Harvnb| MacNutt| 1955| p=47}}</ref> The governor general was then in May 1891 called upon to resolve the dominion's first cabinet crisis, wherein Macdonald died, leaving [[Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby|Lord Stanley of Preston]] to select a new prime minister.
[[File:5th Royal Highlanders- inspection by Governor General at Champ de Mars, Montreal, August 1914 (19533676175).jpg|thumb|Governor General [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|Prince Arthur]] inspects members of the [[Canadian Expeditionary Force]] at [[Valcartier Camp]], 1914]]

As early as 1880, the viceregal family and court attracted minor ridicule from the Queen's subjects: in July of that year, someone under the [[pseudonym]] ''Captain Mac'' included in a pamphlet called ''Canada: from the Lakes to the Gulf'', a coarse satire of an investiture ceremony at Rideau Hall, in which a retired inn-keeper and his wife undergo the rigorous protocol of the royal household and sprawl on the floor before the [[John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll|Duke of Argyll]] so as to be granted the knighthood for which they had "paid in cold, hard cash".<ref>{{Harvnb| Hubbard| 1977| pp=55–56}}</ref> Later, prior to the arrival of [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn]] (the uncle of King George V), to take up the post of governor general, there was a "feeble undercurrent of criticism" centring on worries about a rigid court at Rideau Hall; worries that turned out to be unfounded as the royal couple was actually more relaxed than their predecessors.<ref>{{Harvnb| Hubbard| 1977| p=125}}</ref>

===Emerging nationality to an independent kingdom===
[[File:Governor General of Canada is welcomed to Washington by Secretary of State Kellogg. Attended by all the pomp and ceremony a republic can bestow, Governor General Willingdon of Canada was LCCN2016888558.tif|thumb|[[Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon|Marquess of Willingdon]] (left) during an [[official visit]] to [[Washington, D.C.]] as the governor general of Canada.]]
During the [[First World War]], into which Canada was drawn due to its association with the United Kingdom, the governor general's role turned from one of cultural patron and state ceremony to one of military inspector and morale booster. Starting in 1914, Governor General Prince Arthur donned his [[Field Marshal]]'s uniform and put his efforts into raising contingents, inspecting army camps, and seeing troops off before their voyage to Europe. These actions, however, led to conflict with the prime minister at the time, [[Robert Borden]]; though the latter placed blame on Military Secretary Edward Stanton, he also opined that the Duke "laboured under the handicap of his position as a member of the Royal Family and never realized his limitations as Governor General".<ref>{{Cite book| last=Borden| first=Robert| author-link=Robert Borden| date=1938| editor-last=Borden| editor-first=Henry| title=Memoirs| volume=1| pages=601–602| location=New York| publisher=Macmillan Publishers}}</ref> Prince Arthur's successor, [[Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire]], faced the [[Conscription Crisis of 1917]] and held discussions with his Canadian prime minister, as well as members of the official opposition, on the matter. Once the government implemented conscription, Devonshire, after consulting on the pulse of the nation with Sir [[Wilfrid Laurier]], Vincent Massey, [[Henri Bourassa]], [[Archbishop of Montreal]] [[Paul Bruchési]], [[Duncan Campbell Scott]], [[Vilhjalmur Stefansson]], and [[Stephen Leacock]], made efforts to conciliate [[Quebec]], though he had little real success.<ref>{{Harvnb| Hubbard| 1977| pp=141–142}}</ref>

Canada's national sentiment had gained fortitude through the country's sacrifices on the battlefields of the First World War and, by war's end, the interference of the British government in Canadian affairs was causing ever-increasing discontent amongst Canadian officials;{{refn|The appointment in 1916 of the Duke of Devonshire as governor general caused political problems, as Canadian prime minister Robert Borden had, counter to established common practice, not been consulted on the matter by his British counterpart, [[H. H. Asquith]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=55| last=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Former Governors General: The Duke of Devonshire| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=18 April 2009}}</ref>|group=n|name=Adv}} In 1918, ''[[The Toronto Star]]'' was even advocating the end of the office.<ref>{{Harvnb| Hubbard| 1977| p=42}}</ref> The governor general's role was also changing to focus less on the larger Empire and more on uniquely Canadian affairs,{{refn|During the [[Great Depression]], the [[Vere Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough|Earl of Bessborough]] voluntarily cut his salary by ten percent as a sign of his solidarity with the Canadian people.<ref>{{cite book| last=Cowan| first=John| title=Canada's Governors General, Lord Monck to General Vanier| publisher=York Publishing Co.| edition=2| year=1965| location=York| page=156}}</ref>|group=n|name=Pons}} including the undertaking of official international visits on behalf of Canada, the first being that of the [[Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon|Marquess of Willingdon]] to the [[United States]], where he was accorded by [[President of the United States|President]] [[Calvin Coolidge]] the full honours of representative of a head of state.{{refn|Governors general had been venturing to [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]] to meet informally with the [[President of the United States]] since the time of [[Charles Monck, 4th Viscount Monck|Viscount Monck]].|group=n|name=US}}<ref name=Hubbard166 /> It would be another decade, however, before the King-Byng Affair: another catalyst for change in the relationship between Canada—indeed, all the dominions—and the United Kingdom, and thus the purpose of the governor general.
[[File:Lord-byng.jpg|thumb|[[Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy|Viscount Byng of Vimy]], who was involved in the [[King–Byng affair]], a catalyst for change over the role of the governor general in the British Empire]]

In 1926, Prime Minister Mackenzie King, facing a [[Motion of no confidence|no-confidence vote]] in the House of Commons over a scandal in his party, requested that Governor General Viscount Byng of Vimy dissolve parliament and call an election. Byng, however, refused his Canadian prime minister's advice, citing both the facts that King held the [[Minority government|minority of seats]] in the house and that a general election had been held only months earlier; he thus called on [[Arthur Meighen]] to [[Kissing Hands|form a government]]. Within a week however, Meighen's [[Conservative Party of Canada (historical)|Conservative]] government lost its own non-confidence vote, forcing the Governor General to dissolve parliament and call elections that saw Mackenzie King returned to power.<ref>{{cite book| title=Byng of Vimy: General and Governor General| url=https://archive.org/details/byngofvimygenera0000will| url-access=registration| last=Williams| first=Jeffery| year=1983| publisher=Leo Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg| location=Barnsley, S. Yorkshire| pages=[https://archive.org/details/byngofvimygenera0000will/page/314 314–317]| isbn=978-0-436-57110-7}}</ref> King then went on to the [[1926 Imperial Conference|Imperial Conference]] that same year and there pushed for reorganizations that resulted in the [[Balfour Declaration of 1926|Balfour Declaration]], which declared formally the practical reality that had existed for some years: namely, that the dominions were fully autonomous and equal in status to the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite journal| last=Marshall| first=Peter| date=September 2001| title=The Balfour Formula and the Evolution of the Commonwealth| journal=[[The Round Table Journal|The Round Table]]| volume=90| issue=361| pages=541–53| doi=10.1080/00358530120082823| s2cid=143421201}}</ref> These new developments were codified in the [[Statute of Westminster 1931|Statute of Westminster]], through the enactment of which on 11 December 1931, Canada, along with the [[Union of South Africa]] and the [[Irish Free State]], immediately obtained formal legislative independence from the UK.<ref>{{cite book| last=Baker| first=Philip Noel| title=The Present Juridical Status of the British Dominions in International Law| publisher=Longmans| year=1929| location=London| page=231}}</ref> In addition, the Balfour Declaration also held that the governor general would cease to act as the representative of the British government. Accordingly, in 1928, the United Kingdom appointed its first [[List of High Commissioners of the United Kingdom to Canada|High Commissioner to Canada]] thus effectively ending the governor general's diplomatic role as the British government's envoy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.psa.ac.uk/publications/psd/1998/lloyd1.htm#1| title="What's in a name?" – The curious tale of the office of High Commissioner| first=Lorna| last=Lloyd| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080518172615/http://www.psa.ac.uk/publications/psd/1998/lloyd1.htm#1| archive-date=18 May 2008 }}</ref>

The governor general thus became solely the representative of the monarch within Canadian jurisdiction, ceasing completely to be an agent of the British Cabinet,{{refn|The ministers in attendance at the Imperial Conference agreed that: "In our opinion it is an essential consequence of the equality of status existing among the members of the British Commonwealth of Nations that the Governor General of a Dominion is the representative of the Crown, holding in all essential respects the same position in relation to the administration of public affairs in the Dominion as is held by His Majesty the King in Great Britain, and that he is not the representative or agent of His Majesty's Government in Great Britain or of any Department of that Government."<ref>[https://archive.org/details/imperialconferen0000impe/page/n21/mode/1up ''Imperial Conference of 1926 — Summary of Proceedings'' (Ottawa:  King's Printer, 1926), p 14.]</ref>|group=n|name=Balf}}<ref name=DCH3 /><ref>{{cite book| last=Judd| first=Denis| title=Empire: The British Imperial Experience from 1765 to the Present| publisher=Basic Books| date=9 July 1998| location=New York| page=287| isbn=978-0-465-01954-0}}</ref> and as such would be appointed only on the advice of his Canadian prime minister.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |last=McConnell |first=W.H. |title=Constitutional History of Canada |encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |date=18 August 2022 |publisher=[[Historica Canada]] |access-date=4 June 2009 |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/constitutional-history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608173042/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1SEC818742 |archive-date=8 June 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Canadian Cabinet's first recommendation under this new system was still, however, a [[British subject]] born outside of Canada, John Buchan (later Lord Tweedsmuir).

Tweedsmuir's birthplace aside, though, the professional author took further than any of his predecessors the idea of a distinct Canadian identity,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=55| last=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Former Governors General: Lord Tweedsmuir of Elsfield| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=26 March 2009}}</ref> travelling the length and breadth of the country, including, for the first time for a governor general, the [[Canadian Arctic|Arctic]] regions.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Hillmer| first=Norman| title=John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir |encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia |publisher=Historica Canada |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/john-buchan-1st-baron-tweedsmuir-1 |access-date=31 March 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703002004/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0001071 | archive-date=3 July 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> Not all Canadians, however, shared Tweedsmuir's views; the Baron raised the ire of [[Imperialism|imperialists]] when he said in Montreal in 1937: "a Canadian's first loyalty is not to the British [[Commonwealth of Nations]], but to Canada and Canada's King",<ref>{{cite book| last=Smith| first=Janet Adam| title=John Buchanan: a Biography| publisher=Little Brown and Company| year=1965| location=Boston| page=423}}</ref> a statement the ''[[Montreal Gazette]]'' dubbed as "disloyal".<ref>{{cite magazine| title=Royal Visit| magazine=Time| volume=IXX| issue=17| publisher=Time Inc.| location=New York| date=21 October 1957| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,937945,00.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070513184211/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,937945,00.html| archive-date=13 May 2007| issn=0040-781X| access-date=29 March 2009}}</ref> During Tweedsmuir's time as viceroy, which started in 1935, calls began to emerge for a Canadian-born individual to be appointed as governor general; but Tweedsmuir died suddenly in office in 1940, while Canada was in the midst of the [[Second World War]], and Mackenzie King did not feel it was the right time to search for a suitable Canadian.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=55| last=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Former Governors General: Major General The Earl of Athlone| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=24 March 2009}}</ref> The [[Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone|Earl of Athlone]] was instead appointed by King George VI, Athlone's nephew, to be his viceroy for the duration of the war.

===Quebec nationalism and constitutional patriation===
[[File:Portrait of Governor General Georges Vanier (1965 UPI press photo).jpg|thumb|left|[[Georges Vanier]], the 19th governor general of Canada. The convention of alternating between francophones and anglophones began with Vanier's appointment.]]

It was in 1952, a mere five days before King George VI's death, that [[Vincent Massey]] became the first Canadian-born person to be appointed as a governor general in Canada since the [[Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal|Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal]] was made Governor General of New France on 1 January 1755, as well as the first not to be elevated to the [[peerage]] since Sir [[Edmund Walker Head]] in 1854. There was some trepidation about this departure from tradition and Massey was intended to be a compromise: he was known to embody loyalty, dignity, and formality, as expected from a viceroy.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Galbraith |first=William |title=The Canadian and the Crown |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |date=February 2002 |url=http://www.johnbuchansociety.co.uk/samples/crown.htm |access-date=19 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120150821/http://www.johnbuchansociety.co.uk/samples/crown.htm |archive-date=20 November 2008}}</ref>

As his viceregal tenure neared an end, it was thought that Massey, an [[English language|anglophone]], should be followed by a [[francophone]] Canadian; and so, in spite of his [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]] attachments, [[Georges Vanier]] was chosen by [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative]] prime minister [[John Diefenbaker]] as the next governor general. Vanier was subsequently appointed by Queen [[Elizabeth II]], in person, at a meeting of her Canadian Cabinet,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=55| last=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Former Governors General: General The Right Honourable Georges Philias Vanier| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=5 June 2009}}</ref> thus initiating the convention of alternating between individuals from [[Languages of Canada|Canada's two main linguistic groups]]. This move did not, however, placate those who were fostering the new [[Quebec nationalism|Quebec nationalist movement]], for whom the monarchy and other federal institutions were a target for attack. Though Vanier was a native of Quebec and fostered biculturalism, he was not immune to the barbs of [[Quebec sovereignty movement|the province's sovereigntists]] and, when he attended ''[[National Holiday (Quebec)|la Fête St-Jean-Baptiste]]'' in [[Montreal]] in 1964, a group of separatists held placards reading "''{{Lang|fr|Vanier vendu}}''" ("Vanier sold out") and "''{{Lang|fr|Vanier fou de la Reine}}''" ("Vanier Queen's jester").<ref>{{Harvnb| Hubbard| 1977| p=233}}</ref>

In light of this regional nationalism and a resultant change in attitudes towards Canadian identity, images and the role of the monarchy were cautiously downplayed, and Vanier's successor, [[Roland Michener]], was the last viceroy to practice many of the office's ancient traditions, such as the wearing of [[Court uniform and dress in the United Kingdom|court uniform]] by the governor general, the requirement of [[Court uniform and dress in the United Kingdom|court dress]] for state occasions, and expecting women to [[curtsey]] before the governor general.<ref name=GGMich>{{cite web| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=55| last=Office of the Governor General of Canada| title=Former Governors General: The Right Honourable Daniel Roland Michener| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=5 June 2009}}</ref> At the same time, he initiated new practices for the viceroy, including regular conferences with the lieutenant governors and the undertaking of [[state visits]].<ref name=GGMich /> He presided over [[Canadian Centennial|Canada's centennial celebrations]] and the coincidental [[Expo 67]], to which [[President of France|French president]] [[Charles de Gaulle]] was invited. Michener was with de Gaulle when he made his infamous "''{{Lang|fr|[[Vive le Québec libre]]}}''" speech in [[Montreal]] and was cheered wildly by the gathered crowd while they booed and jeered Michener.<ref>{{cite book| last=Berton| first=Pierre| author-link=Pierre Berton| title=[[1967: The Last Good Year]]| publisher=Doubleday Canada Limited| year=1997| location=Toronto| pages=[https://archive.org/details/1967lastgoodyear0000bert/page/300 300–312]| isbn=0-385-25662-0}}</ref> With the additional recognition of the monarchy as a Canadian institution,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/senate//Monarchy/SenMonarchy_15-e.htm| last=Speaker of the Senate| title=Canada: a Constitutional Monarchy| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| access-date=5 June 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617034641/http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/senate/Monarchy/SenMonarchy_15-e.htm | archive-date=17 June 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{citation | author=Department of Canadian Heritage| author-link=Department of Canadian Heritage|  title=The Crown in Canada| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| year=2005}}</ref> the establishment of a distinct [[Orders, decorations, and medals of Canada|Canadian honours system]], an increase of state visits coming with Canada's growing role on the world stage, and the more prevalent use of [[television]] to visually broadcast ceremonial state affairs, the governor general became more publicly active in national life.
[[File:Jeanne Sauvé 1985.jpg|thumb|[[Jeanne Sauvé]] (left), Canada's first female governor general, with a Guardsman (private) of the Canadian Grenadier Guards of Montreal]]

The Cabinet in June 1978 proposed the constitutional amendment Bill C-60, that, amongst other changes, vested executive authority directly in the governor general and renamed the position as ''First Canadian'',<ref>{{Cite journal|  last=Heinricks| first=Geoff| year=2001| title=Opinion: Trudeau and the Monarchy| journal=Canadian Monarchist News| publisher=Monarchist League of Canada (reprinted courtesy National Post)|  publication-date=July 2001| location=Toronto| issue=Winter/Spring 2001–2001| url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2001/opinion.htm| access-date=10 February 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622173849/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2001/opinion.htm | archive-date=22 June 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Smith| first=David| date=1999| title=Republican Tendencies| url=http://www.irpp.org/po/archive/may99/smith.pdf| editor-last=Watson| editor-first=William| periodical=Policy Options| issue=May 1999| page=8| location=Montreal| publisher=Institute for Research on Public Policy| access-date=10 February 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217112938/http://www.irpp.org/po/archive/may99/smith.pdf| archive-date=17 February 2012}}</ref><ref name=Pepall>{{Cite journal| last=Pepall| first=John| title=Who is the Governor General?| journal=The Idler| location=Toronto| date=1 March 1990| url=http://www.pepall.ca/archive_article.asp?YEAR=&VRT=330| access-date=13 November 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706192918/http://www.pepall.ca/archive_article.asp?YEAR=&VRT=330| archive-date=6 July 2011}}</ref> but the proposal was thwarted by the provincial premiers.<ref>{{Cite news| last=Valpy| first=Michael| title=Don't Mess With Success – and Good Luck Trying| url=http://www.irpp.org/po/archive/may99/valpy.pdf| editor-last=Watson| editor-first=William| periodical=Policy Options| issue=May 1999| page=26| location=Montreal| publisher=Institute for Research on Public Policy| access-date=17 February 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217112947/http://www.irpp.org/po/archive/may99/valpy.pdf| archive-date=17 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb| Smith| 1999| p=11}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Phillips |first=Stephen |title=Republicanism in Canada in the reign of Elizabeth II: the dog that didn't bark |journal=Canadian Monarchist News |volume=Summer 2004 |issue=22 |pages=19–20 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2004/Sum04PDFRepublicanism.pdf |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090708032249/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2004/Sum04PDFRepublicanism.pdf |archive-date=8 July 2009 |access-date=10 February 2009 }}</ref> When the [[Patriation|constitution was patriated]] four years later, the new amending formula for the documents outlined that any changes to the Crown, including the Office of the Governor General, would require the consent of all the provincial legislatures plus the federal parliament.<ref>{{Cite canlaw| link=https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/Const/page-13.html| linkloc=Government of Canada| short title=Constitution Act, 1982| abbr=S.C.| chapter=V| section=41(a)| wikilink=Constitution Act, 1982| type=Constitutional| year=1982}}</ref> By 1984, Canada's first female governor general, [[Jeanne Sauvé]], was appointed. While it was she who created the [[Canadian Heraldic Authority]], as permitted by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth II, and who championed youth and world peace, Sauvé proved to be a controversial vicereine, closing to the public the grounds of the Queen's residence and self-aggrandizingly breaching protocol on a number of occasions.<ref name=Pepall /><ref>{{Cite book| last=Jackson| first=Michael| date=2002| contribution=Political Paradox: The Lieutenant Governor in Saskatchewan| editor-last=Leeson| editor-first=Howard A.| title=Saskatchewan Politics into the 21st Century| location=Regina| publisher=Canadian Plains Research Center}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Gardner |first=Dan |title=A stealth campaign against the Queen |newspaper=Calgary Herald |date=17 February 2009 |url=https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/blogs/stealth+campaign+against+Queen/1297679/story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617115509/http://www.calgaryherald.com/opinion/blogs/stealth%2Bcampaign%2Bagainst%2BQueen/1297679/story.html |archive-date=17 June 2009 |access-date=26 February 2009}}</ref>

===Withering and renaissance===
[[Sarah, Duchess of York]], said in 2009 that sometime during her marriage to [[Prince Andrew, Duke of York]], her husband was offered the position of governor general of Canada, and she speculated in hindsight that their agreement to refuse the commission may have been a contributing factor in their eventual break-up.<ref>{{Cite news| last=Miranda| first=Charles| title=Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson on love in royal palace| newspaper=The Daily Telegraph| date=2 March 2009| url=http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25122633-5001030,00.html| access-date=6 June 2009| archive-date=11 March 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090311033750/http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25122633-5001030,00.html}}</ref> Instead, Sauvé's tenure as governor general was book-ended by a series of appointments—[[Edward Schreyer]], [[Ray Hnatyshyn]], and [[Roméo LeBlanc]]—that have been generally regarded as mere [[patronage]] postings for former politicians and friends of the incumbent prime minister at the time,{{refn|LeBlanc's strong ties to the Liberal Party led other party leaders to protest his appointment by boycotting his installation ceremony.<ref name=CMNLeB />|group=n|name=LeBlanc}}<ref name=Boyce /><ref name=Pepall /> and despite the duties they carried out, their combined time in the viceregal office is generally viewed as unremarkable at best, and damaging to the office at worst.<ref name=Boyce /><ref name=Pepall /><ref name=Toffoli/><ref name=CMNLeB>{{cite journal|last=Fidelis| title=The LeBlanc Years: A Frank Assessment| journal=Canadian Monarchist News| volume=Autumn 1999| publisher=Monarchist League of Canada| location=Toronto| year=1999| url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/1999/leblanc.htm| access-date=2 March 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090708032551/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/1999/leblanc.htm | archive-date=8 July 2009 }}</ref><ref name=Martin>{{Cite news|last=Martin |first=Don |title=Jean is now least boring G-G ever |newspaper=National Post |date=28 May 2009 |url=https://nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=f1e51d92-758b-4d2a-a554-6572d09186b1 |access-date=25 February 2016 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141023064959/http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=f1e51d92-758b-4d2a-a554-6572d09186b1 |archive-date=23 October 2014}}</ref> As David Smith described it: "Notwithstanding the personal qualities of the appointees, which have often been extraordinary, the Canadian governor general has become a hermetic head of state—ignored by press, politicians and public."<ref>{{Cite news| last=Jackson | first=D. Michael| year=1999| publication-date=2007| title=The Crown in Today's Federal State| periodical=Canadian Monarchist News| volume=Autumn-Winter 2007| issue=27| page=12| place=Toronto-Buffalo-London| publication-place=Toronto| publisher=Monarchist League of Canada| url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2007/AutumnWinter_2007_CMN.pdf| access-date=26 July 2009| archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090708031338/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2007/AutumnWinter_2007_CMN.pdf | archive-date=8 July 2009}}</ref> It was theorized by Peter Boyce that this was due, in part, to widespread misunderstanding about the governor general's role coupled with a lack of public presence compared to the media coverage dedicated to the increasingly presidentialized prime minister.<ref name=Boyce />
[[File:Vladimir Putin in Canada 18-19 December 2000-7.jpg|thumb|left|Governor General [[Adrienne Clarkson]] (right) toasts [[President of Russia|Russian president]] [[Vladimir Putin]] in the ballroom of Rideau Hall, 18 December 2000]]

It was with the Queen's appointment of [[Adrienne Clarkson]], on the advice of then Prime Minister [[Jean Chrétien]], that a shift in the office took place. Clarkson was the first Canadian viceroy to have not previously held any political or military position—coming as she did from a background of television journalism with the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]—was the first since 1952 to have been born outside of Canada, the first from a [[visible minority]] (she is of Chinese ancestry), and, by her being accompanied to Rideau Hall by her husband, author and philosopher [[John Ralston Saul]], the official appointment brought an unofficial pair to the viceregal placement,<ref>{{cite journal|last=Janigan| first=Mary| author2=Nicol, John| title=Clarkson Appointed Governor General| journal=Maclean's| publisher=Kenneth Whyte| location=Toronto| date=20 September 1999| url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/clarkson-appointed-governor-general | issn=0024-9262| access-date=2 March 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608173512/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0012014 | archive-date=8 June 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| last=Walker| first=William| title=PM names Clarkson| newspaper=Toronto Star| date=9 September 1999| url=http://www.fact.on.ca/newpaper/ts990909.htm| access-date=2 March 2009}}</ref> in that the governor general would not be the only person actively exploring Canadian theory and culture. Clarkson managed to bring the viceregal office back into the collective consciousness of Canadians, winning praise for touring the country more than any of her predecessors, her inspiring speeches, and her dedication to the military in her role as the commander-in-chief's representative.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Fraser| first=John| author-link=John Fraser (journalist)| title=Excellency| newspaper=National Post| date=1 February 2003| url=http://www.ccmms.ca/clarkson.asp| access-date=1 March 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706171832/http://www.ccmms.ca/clarkson.asp | archive-date=6 July 2011 }}</ref><ref name=CMNSP05>{{cite journal|last=Editorial| title=Our Governor General| journal=Canadian Monarchist News| volume=Spring 2005| issue=23| page=6| publisher=Monarchist League of Canada| location=Toronto| year=2005| url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2005/Spring_2005_CMN.pdf| access-date=28 February 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226172807/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2005/Spring_2005_CMN.pdf | archive-date=26 February 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=Clarkson out of hospital after pacemaker surgery| publisher=CTV| date=11 July 2005| url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20050711/clarkson_recovering_050710?s_name=tiff2006&no_ads=| archive-url=https://archive.today/20071120223345/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20050711/clarkson_recovering_050710?s_name=tiff2006&no_ads=| archive-date=20 November 2007| access-date=1 March 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| last=Black| first=Dan| title=The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier| journal=Legion Magazine| volume=September 2000| publisher=Canvet Publications Ltd.| location=Kanata| date=1 September 2000| url=http://www.legionmagazine.com/en/index.php/2000/09/the-tomb-of-the-unknown-soldier/| access-date=1 March 2009| archive-date=29 January 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129135437/http://www.legionmagazine.com/en/index.php/2000/09/the-tomb-of-the-unknown-soldier/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Graham| first=Bill| author-link=Bill Graham (Canadian politician)| date=9 December 2004| title=Debate Extracts: Commons Cuts the GG's Budget| periodical=Canadian Monarchist News| volume=Spring 2005| issue=23| page=9| location=Toronto| publisher=Monarchist League of Canada| url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2005/Spring_2005_CMN.pdf| access-date=1 March 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226172807/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2005/Spring_2005_CMN.pdf | archive-date=26 February 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| last=Greenway| first=Norma| title=Jean puts imprint on swearing-in| publisher=CanWest News Service| date=27 September 2005| url=http://www2.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=6ec41c75-a3c3-43be-a182-6b8cccd4e8ed| access-date=1 March 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603150041/http://www2.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=6ec41c75-a3c3-43be-a182-6b8cccd4e8ed| archive-date=3 June 2012}}</ref> This did not come without a cost, however, as the attention also drew widespread criticism of the governor general's increased spending on state affairs, for which the office was symbolically rebuked by parliament when it voted in favour of cutting by 10% the viceregal budget it had earlier supported,<ref>{{cite book| last=McWhinney| first=Edward| author-link=Ted McWhinney| title=The Governor General and the Prime Ministers| publisher=Ronsdale Press| year=2005| location=Vancouver| page=46| isbn=1-55380-031-1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=MacKay| first=Peter| author-link=Peter MacKay| date=9 December 2004| title=Debate Extracts: Commons Cuts the GG's Budget| periodical=Canadian Monarchist News| volume=Spring 2005| issue=23| page=9| location=Toronto| publisher=Monarchist League of Canada| url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2005/Spring_2005_CMN.pdf| access-date=1 March 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226172807/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2005/Spring_2005_CMN.pdf | archive-date=26 February 2009 }}</ref> as well as for fostering the notion, through various demonstrations, that the governor general was ultimately the Canadian head of state above the Queen herself,<ref>{{cite journal|last=Fidelis| title=A Very Alarming Situation: the New Threat to the Canadian Monarchy – What Next?| journal=Canadian Monarchist News| volume=Spring 2005| issue=23| page=2| publisher=Monarchist League of Canada| location=Toronto| year=2005| url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2005/Spring_2005_CMN.pdf| access-date=28 February 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226172807/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2005/Spring_2005_CMN.pdf | archive-date=26 February 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Editorial| title=Hope for the Monarchy in Canada: The Provincial Crown| journal=Canadian Monarchist News| volume=Spring 2005| issue=23| page=12| publisher=Monarchist League of Canada| location=Toronto| year=2005| url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2005/Spring_2005_CMN.pdf| access-date=1 March 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226172807/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2005/Spring_2005_CMN.pdf | archive-date=26 February 2009 }}</ref><ref name=FraserNP>{{citation| url=http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/04/28/john-fraser-when-quebecers-loved-the-crown-and-why-they-stopped/| archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120429232227/http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/04/28/john-fraser-when-quebecers-loved-the-crown-and-why-they-stopped/| archive-date=29 April 2012| last=Fraser| first=John| title=John Fraser: When Quebecers loved the Crown (and why they stopped)| date=28 April 2012| newspaper=National Post| access-date=29 April 2012}}</ref> an approach that was said by [[Jack Granatstein]] to have caused "a fury" with the Queen on one occasion in 2004.<ref>{{Citation| last=Galloway| first=Gloria| title=Jean to squeeze in trip to China between royal tour hello and goodbye| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| date=7 June 2010| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/jean-to-squeeze-in-trip-to-china-between-royal-tour-hello-and-goodbye/article1595538/| access-date=7 June 2010| location=Toronto}}</ref> This attitude was not unique to Clarkson, though; it had been observed that, for some decades, staff at Rideau Hall and various government departments in Ottawa had been pushing to present the governor general as head of state,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Boswell |first=Randy |title=Governor General calling herself 'head of state' riles monarchists |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |date=7 October 2009 |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/Governor+General+calling+herself+head+state+riles+monarchists/2077884/story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010185406/http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Governor%2BGeneral%2Bcalling%2Bherself%2Bhead%2Bstate%2Briles%2Bmonarchists/2077884/story.html |archive-date=10 October 2009 |access-date=7 October 2009}}</ref> part of a wider Liberal policy on the monarchy that had been in effect at least since the proposed constitutional changes in the 1970s,<ref name=Pepall /> if not the [[History of monarchy in Canada#Turbulent decades|1964 Truncheon Saturday riot]] in Quebec City.<ref name=FraserNP /> Indeed, international observers opined that the viceroys had been, over the years, making deliberate attempts to distance themselves from the sovereign, for fear of being too closely associated with any "Britishness" the monarch embodied.<ref name=Boyce />
[[File:Barack Obama & Michaëlle Jean 2-19-09.jpg|thumb|right|As the representative of Canada's head of state, the governor general, [[Michaëlle Jean]], welcomes [[President of the United States|US President]] [[Barack Obama]] to Canada, 19 February 2009]]

Prime Minister [[Paul Martin]] followed Chrétien's example and, for Clarkson's successor, put forward to the Queen the name of [[Michaëlle Jean]], who was, like Clarkson, a woman, a refugee, a member of a visible minority, a CBC career journalist, and married to an intellectual husband who worked in the arts.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ibbitson| first=John| author-link=John Ibbitson| title=The remarkable new Governor-General| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| date=28 September 2005| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050928.wxibbitson28/BNStory/International/| access-date=7 June 2009| location=Toronto| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116020333/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050928.wxibbitson28/BNStory/International/ | archive-date=16 January 2009 }}</ref> Her appointment initially sparked accusations that she was a supporter of Quebec sovereignty, and it was observed that she had on a few occasions trodden into political matters,<ref>{{cite press release| title=Governor General proposes two new options to recognize Constable Garrett| publisher=Office of the Governor General of Canada| date=27 November 2007| url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=8| access-date=12 December 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| last=Hébert| first=Chantal| author-link=Chantal Hébert| title=Will Jean thwart election call?| newspaper=Toronto Star| date=27 September 2006| url=https://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1159307412136&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929165425/http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar%2FLayout%2FArticle_Type1&c=Article&cid=1159307412136&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795| archive-date=29 September 2007| access-date=28 September 2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Valpy| first=Michael| author-link=Michael Valpy| title='Your biggest problem is Rideau Hall', top bureaucrat warned Harper| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| date=24 April 2007| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070424.JEAN24/TPStory/National| access-date=1 May 2007| location=Toronto}}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> as well as continuing to foster the notion that the governor general had replaced the Queen as head of state, thereby "unbalancing&nbsp;... the federalist symmetry".<ref>{{Cite news| last=Gardner| first=Dan| title=Governor General to Dan Gardner: you're right| newspaper=Ottawa Citizen| date=13 February 2009| url=http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/katzenjammer/archive/2009/02/14/governor-general-to-dan-gardner-you-re-right.aspx| access-date=26 July 2009| archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707180847/http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/katzenjammer/archive/2009/02/14/governor-general-to-dan-gardner-you-re-right.aspx| archive-date=7 July 2012}}</ref> But Jean ultimately won plaudits,<ref name=Martin/> particularly for her solidarity with the Canadian Forces and the [[indigenous peoples in Canada]], as well as her role in the [[2008–2009 Canadian parliamentary dispute|parliamentary dispute that took place between December 2008 and January 2009]].<ref>{{Cite news| last=Taylor| first=Nathan| title=Stanton defends Harper| newspaper=Packet & Times| date=6 December 2008| url=http://www.orilliapacket.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1333605| access-date=8 December 2008| archive-date=30 December 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081230031441/http://www.orilliapacket.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1333605| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| last=Dreschel| first=Andrew| title=Jean was right to stave off Bloc coalition| newspaper=Hamilton Spectator| date=5 December 2008| url=http://thespec.com/Opinions/article/477213| access-date=8 December 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207024324/http://www.thespec.com/Opinions/article/477213| archive-date=7 December 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Wente| first=Margaret| author-link=Margaret Wente| title=That was the weird week that was| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| date=5 December 2008| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081205.wcowent06/BNStory/politics/home| access-date=8 December 2008| location=Toronto| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207054042/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081205.wcowent06/BNStory/politics/home | archive-date=7 December 2008 }}</ref>

With the appointment of academic [[David Johnston (governor general)|David Johnston]], former principal of [[McGill University]] and subsequently president of the [[University of Waterloo]], there was a signalled emphasis for the governor general to vigorously promote learning and innovation. Johnston stated in his inaugural address: "[We want to be] a society that innovates, embraces its talent and uses the knowledge of each of its citizens to improve the human condition for all."<ref>{{Cite news|title=GG David Johnston sworn in| publisher=CBC| date=1 October 2010| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/gov-gen-david-johnston-sworn-in-1.919944| access-date=3 November 2010|url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101004001823/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/10/01/governor-general-david-johnston-ceremony.html | archive-date=4 October 2010 }}</ref> There was also a recognition of Johnston's expertise in [[constitutional law]], following the controversial [[Prorogation in Canada|prorogations of Parliament]] in 2008 and 2009, which initiated some debate about the governor general's role as the representative of Canada's head of state.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Johnston named Canada's next governor general| publisher=CBC| date=8 July 2010| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/johnston-named-canada-s-next-governor-general-1.933359| access-date=3 November 2010|url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100711061632/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/07/08/governor-general-johnston.html | archive-date=11 July 2010 }}</ref>

In late 2021, the Governor General's office confirmed that its internal office network was breached as part of a "sophisticated cyber incident".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Canada |first1=Governor General of |title=Statement from the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General |url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/statement-from-the-office-of-the-secretary-to-the-governor-general-842086407.html |access-date=24 March 2023 |work=www.newswire.ca |language=en}}</ref><ref name="CityNewsSecBreach">{{cite news |title=Cyber security breach at Rideau Hall confirmed by governor general |url=https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2021/12/02/cyber-security-breach-rideau-hall/ |access-date=24 March 2023 |work=City News Vancouver}}</ref><ref name="TorStarSecBreach">{{cite news |title=Gov. Gen. Mary Simon's office says its internal network was hacked |url=https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2021/12/02/gov-gen-mary-simons-office-says-its-internal-network-was-hacked.html |work=thestar.com |date=2 December 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="CBCSecBreach">{{cite news |title=Cyberbreach at Rideau Hall was 'sophisticated' intrusion, internal documents reveal |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/privacy-breach-rideau-hall-sophisticated-1.6422070 |access-date=24 March 2023}}</ref> Officials were unable to determine the extent of the information that was accessed.<ref name = "CBCSecBreach"/> Former security officials speculated that another country may be responsible.<ref name="CityNewsSecBreach"/><ref name="TorStarSecBreach"/> The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, a branch of the [[Communications Security Establishment]], is investigating the incident.<ref name = "CBCSecBreach"/>

==Activities post-retirement==
Retired governors general usually either withdraw from public life or go on to hold other public offices. [[Edward Schreyer]], for instance, was appointed [[High Commission of Canada, Canberra|Canadian High Commissioner to Australia]] upon his departure from the viceregal role in 1984, and Michaëlle Jean became the [[UNESCO]] [[special envoy]] to Haiti and, later, the secretary-general of [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|La Francophonie]].<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/micha%C3%ABlle-jean-begins-un-job-for-haiti-1.957610| title=Michaëlle Jean begins UN job for Haiti| date=8 November 2010| publisher=CBC| access-date=9 November 2010}}</ref> Schreyer also become the first former governor general to run for elected office in Canada when he unsuccessfully vied for a seat in the House of Commons as a [[New Democratic Party (Canada)|New Democratic Party]] candidate. Prior to 1952, several former viceroys returned to political careers in the United Kingdom, sitting with party affiliations in the House of Lords and, in some cases, taking a position in the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|British Cabinet]].{{refn|In 1952, Earl Alexander of Tunis resigned as governor general of Canada to accept an appointment as [[Minister of Defence (UK)|Minister of Defence]] in the Cabinet of [[Winston Churchill]]. [[Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne]] and [[Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire]] both also served in the British Cabinet following their viceregal careers, and Lansdowne went on to serve as leader of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] in the House of Lords for over a decade.|group=n|name=Post}} The [[John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll|Marquess of Lorne]] was elected a [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|Member of Parliament]] in the United Kingdom in 1895, and remained so until he became the Duke of Argyll and took his seat in the House of Lords. Others were made governors in other countries or territories: [[Charles Stanley Monck, 4th Viscount Monck]] was appointed [[Lord Lieutenant of Dublin]], the [[John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair|Earl of Aberdeen]] was appointed [[Lord Lieutenant of Ireland]], and the [[Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava|Earl of Dufferin]], [[Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne]], [[Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto]], and the [[Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon|Earl of Willingdon]] all subsequently served as [[Viceroy of India]].

An outgoing governor general may leave [[List of awards named after Governors General of Canada|an eponymous award]] as a legacy, such as the [[Stanley Cup]], the [[Clarkson Cup]], the [[Vanier Cup]], or the [[Grey Cup]]. They may found an institution, as Vanier did with the [[Vanier Institute of the Family]] and Clarkson with the Institute for Canadian Citizenship. Three former governors general have released memoirs: Lord Tweedsmuir (''Memory Hold-the-Door''), Massey (''What's Past is Prologue''), and Clarkson (''Heart Matters'').

As of 2021, former governors general are entitled to a lifetime pension of nearly $150,000 and also to claim an additional $206,000 in expenses each year.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bryden|first1=Joan|date=January 31, 2021|title=Payette's resignation shines light on expense account, pension for governors general|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7610439/julie-payette-pension-expense-account/}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+Canadian institutions established by governors general
!Institution
!Founded by
|-
|[[Royal Society of Canada]]
|[[John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll|John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne]]
|-
|Canada's first anti-[[tuberculosis]] association
|[[Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto|The Earl of Minto]]
|-
|[[The Battlefields Park]]
|[[Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey|The Earl Grey]]
|-
|[[Canadian Cancer Society|King George V Silver Jubilee Cancer Fund for Canada]]<ref>{{citation |last=Macbeth |first=Robert A. |title=The Origin of the Canadian Cancer Society |department=Artifacts and Archives |journal=Canadian Bulletin of Medical History |date=2005 |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=155–173 |doi=10.3138/cbmh.22.1.155 |doi-access=free|pmid=15981358 }}</ref>
|[[Vere Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough|The Earl of Bessborough]]
|-
|[[Vanier Institute of the Family]]
|[[Georges Vanier]]<ref>{{Harvnb|Hubbard|1977|p=}}{{Page needed|date=September 2021}}</ref>
|-
|[[Sauvé Foundation]]
|[[Jeanne Sauvé]]
|-
|Governor General Ramon John Hnatyshyn Education Fund
|rowspan=3|[[Ray Hnatyshyn]]<ref name=GGHnat>[https://www.gg.ca/en/governor-general/former-governors-general/ramon-john-hnatyshyn Governor General of Canada > Former Governors General > Ramon John Hnatyshyn.]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rjhf.com/html/founder-e.html|title=Our Founder|publisher=The Hnatyshyn Foundation|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130201091500/http://www.rjhf.com/html/founder-e.html|archive-date=1 February 2013|access-date=3 February 2010}}</ref>
|-
|[[International Council for Canadian Studies]]
|-
|The Hnatyshyn Foundation
|-
|Institute for Canadian Citizenship
|[[Adrienne Clarkson]]
|-
|[[Michaëlle Jean Foundation]]
|[[Michaëlle Jean]]
|-
|[[Rideau Hall Foundation]]
|[[David Johnston (governor general)|David Johnston]]<ref>{{citation| url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/people-s-governor-general-david-johnston-bids-farewell-at-ceremony/article_bdbc6d1d-7bbe-5c9e-b2c8-81cea137b588.html| author=The Canadian Press| title='People's Governor General' David Johnston bids farewell at ceremony| date=18 September 2017| newspaper=The Toronto Star| access-date=6 November 2023}}</ref>
|}

{{Anchor|Spelling}}

==Spelling of the title==
The letters patent constituting the office and official publications of the [[government of Canada]] spell the title ''governor general'', without a [[hyphen]], unlike in the other [[Commonwealth realms]], which do include a hyphen.<ref name=GVII>{{Citation| author=George VI| author-link=George VI| publication-date=1 October 1947| title=Letters Patent Constituting the Office of Governor General of Canada| location=Ottawa| publisher=King's Printer for Canada| url=http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/LettersPatent.html| access-date=29 May 2009| year=1947}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title=Governor General| url=https://www.gg.ca/en/governor-general |website=gg.ca| publisher=Office of the Secretary to the Governor General| date=20 December 2016}}</ref> As ''[[governor]]'' is the [[noun]], the title is [[plural]]ized as ''governors general'', rather than ''governor generals''.

==See also==
{{Portal|Canada|Politics}}
* [[Armorial of the governors general of Canada]]
* [[Governor General's Awards]]
* [[Governor-general]]
* [[List of awards presented by the governor general of Canada]]
* [[List of governors general of Canada]]
* [[Monarchy of Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces]]
* [[Royal Canadian Air Force VIP aircraft]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=n}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wlFJPQHUY5UC&q=Fathers%20of%20Confederation&pg=PP1|title=Canada's Prime Ministers, Governors General and Fathers of Confederation|first=Irma| last=Coucill|publisher=Pembroke Publishers|year=2005|isbn=1-55138-185-0}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Governors General of Canada}}
* {{Official website}}
* [http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/001060/f2/1940/cgc_p2-0_v081_n012_t002_000_19471001_p00000.pdf Proclamation Constituting the Office of Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada]

{{s-start}}
{{s-prec}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Charles III]]|as=[[Monarchy of Canada|King of Canada]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=Governor General of Canada<br />[[Canadian order of precedence]] (ceremonial)}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Mark Carney]]|as=[[Prime Minister of Canada]]}}
|-
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Governor General of the Province of Canada]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=Governor General of Canada | years=1867–present}}
{{S-non | reason = ''Current''}}
{{S-end}}
{{Governor General of Canada}}
{{Governors General of Canada}}
{{Canadian monarchy}}
{{Heraldry in Canada}}
{{Governors-general}}
{{Canada topics}}
{{Representatives of the monarch in Commonwealth realms and Dominions}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Governor General Of Canada}}
[[Category:Governors general of Canada| ]]
[[Category:1867 establishments in Canada]]
[[Category:Canada and the Commonwealth of Nations]]
[[Category:Government of Canada]]
[[Category:Monarchy of Canada]]
[[Category:Westminster system in Canada]]