Governor General of Canada

The Governor General of Canada (French: Gouverneur général or Gouverneure générale) is the representative of the Canadian monarch. Canada is one of sixteen Commonwealth realms, all of which share a single monarch (currently, Queen Elizabeth II). The Governor General acts as the Queen's viceregal representative in Canada and is often viewed as the de facto head of state. The 1947 Letters Patent granted the Governor General the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian military in the name of the Queen.

History

French colonization of North America began in 1580s, but the vast colony of New France (composed of Canada, Louisiana, and Acadia) grew only during the early and middle seventeenth century. The explorer Samuel de Champlain became the first unofficial Governor of New France in about 1613; however, in 1636, Charles Huault de Montmagny became the first individual formally appointed to the post. Originally, New France was administered by the French Company of One Hundred Associates; in 1663, however, King Louis XIV took over the control of the colony. After 1663, the head of the French administration in New France was known as the Governor General; the first to hold this position was Augustin de Saffray de Mésy.

Related Topics:
1580s - New France - Louisiana - Acadia - Samuel de Champlain - Governor of New France - 1613 - 1636 - Charles Huault de Montmagny - Company of One Hundred Associates - 1663 - King Louis XIV - Augustin de Saffray de Mésy

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France lost most of its North American territories, including Canada, to Great Britain during the course of the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), as confirmed by the Treaty of Paris. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 renamed Canada as the "Province of Quebec"; the office of Governor of Quebec was also established. Lieutenant-General Sir Jeffrey Amherst governed the province during the last years of the Seven Years' War, but the first civilian to hold the position was James Murray (appointed 1764). The provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick remained separate, with their own colonial Governors. In the 1780s, the British Government of Prime Minister William Pitt accepted the idea that the provinces of Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick should share a single Governor-in-Chief (afterwards termed the Governor General). The first individual to occupy this office was Lord Dorchester (appointed 1786). However, the Governor-in-Chief or Governor General only directly governed the Province of Lower Canada; Upper Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia were instead headed by their own Lieutenant Governors. In 1840, Upper and Lower Canada were united into the Province of Canada, which remained under the Governor General's authority.

Related Topics:
Seven Years' War - 1756 - 1763 - Treaty of Paris - Royal Proclamation of 1763 - Sir Jeffrey Amherst - James Murray - 1764 - Nova Scotia - New Brunswick - 1780s - William Pitt - Lord Dorchester - 1786 - Lower Canada - Upper Canada - 1840

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The role of the Governor General changed greatly after the Rebellions of 1837. Soon after the rebellions, the British Government agreed to grant the Canadian provinces responsible government. As a result, the Governor General and Lieutenant Governors became largely nominal heads, while authority was really held by democratically elected legislatures and by provincial premiers. This arrangement continued after the establishment of the Dominion of Canada in 1867; the Governor General and Lieutenant Governors remained symbolic representatives of the Crown and of the British Government, while actual political power was vested in the Prime Minister of Canada and in the premiers, at the federal and provincial levels respectively.

Related Topics:
Rebellions of 1837 - Responsible government - Dominion - 1867 - Prime Minister of Canada

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The position of Governor General experienced great change during the late 1920s and early 1930s, in the aftermath of the King-Byng Affair. In 1926, the Liberal Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King requested Governor General Lord Byng of Vimy to dissolve Parliament; the Governor General, however, used his reserve power to refuse the request, citing the general election that had been held only months earlier. Accordingly, King resigned, and Lord Byng appointed Arthur Meighen to replace him. Within a week, however, Meighen's Conservative government lost a no-confidence vote in the House of Commons, forcing the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and call elections. After Mackenzie King returned to power with a clear parliamentary majority, he sought to redefine the role of the Governor General.

Related Topics:
1920s - 1930s - King-Byng Affair - 1926 - Liberal - William Lyon Mackenzie King - Lord Byng of Vimy - Reserve power - Arthur Meighen - Conservative

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At an Imperial Conference held later in 1926, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other Dominions all accepted the Balfour Declaration. The Declaration acknowledged that the Dominions were equal in status to the United Kingdom, and that each Governor General would henceforth function solely as a representative of the Crown in their respective Dominions, and not as an agent of the British Government. Instead, the latter function would be taken over by High Commissioners (who are akin to ambassadors). The principle of the equality of the Dominions was further extended by the Statute of Westminster 1931. The concept that the entire Empire was the territory that belonged to the British Crown was abandoned; instead, it was held that each Dominion was a kingdom in its own right, so that the monarch was separately King of the United Kingdom, King of Canada, King of Australia, and so forth. Even though the Dominion of Canada was recognised as independent of and equal to the United Kingdom, it remained customary for Governors General to be British, and not Canadian. The term "Dominion" is no longer used either, as it harkens back to the British Government having some kind of authority over Canada, which it does not. The first Canadian Governor General, Vincent Massey, was not appointed until 1952.

Related Topics:
Imperial Conference - 1926 - Balfour Declaration - High Commissioner - Statute of Westminster 1931 - Vincent Massey - 1952

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Thereafter, the next period of important change for the office came during the tenure of Roland Michener (1967–1974). Michener relaxed the protocols and formalities surrounding the office; for instance, the long-standing custom of bowing or curtseying before the Governor General was abandoned. Michener did retain the traditional military uniform associated with the office, but he was the last Governor General to do so. In 1971, Michener visited Trinidad and Tobago, thereby becoming the first Governor General to make a state visit to another country. This visit was initially the source of some controversy, as many commented that the monarch, not the Governor General, was technically Canada's head of state. Nevertheless, the controversy did not last long; it is now quite common for the Governor General to make state visits.

Related Topics:
Roland Michener - 1967 - 1974 - 1971 - Trinidad and Tobago

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The office of Governor General has occasionally been a controversial subject in Canada. Movements such as Citizens for a Canadian Republic advocate "democratizing" and codifying the office in preparation for what the group sees as the eventual transformation into a presidency similar to the parliamentary republics of Ireland or India, thus completely replacing the monarchy. On the other hand, organizations such as the Monarchist League of Canada support the retention of the Governor General as the representative of the reigning monarch. Since the failure of the Meech Lake Accord in 1987 and the Charlottetown Accord in 1992, Canadian politicians have shown little appetite for opening discussions on constitutional matters, especially on a polarizing topic such as the monarchy. There has been little public debate on the abolition of the monarchy, especially because many Canadians find the conflict over Quebec sovereignty more pressing. Hence, the republican movement in Canada is not as strong as similar movements in some other Commonwealth realms such as Australia.

Related Topics:
Citizens for a Canadian Republic - Monarchist League of Canada - Meech Lake Accord - 1987 - Charlottetown Accord - 1992 - Quebec sovereignty - Australia

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