Our Vice-regals representants

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The Governor General represents His Majesty The King at the federal level in Canada.  The office of Governor General is the oldest continuous institution in Canada and is an unbroken link with the early days of European settlement in our country. Appointed governor of New France in 1627, Samuel de Champlain was the first of 18 French governors who would hold the position in turn until 1760. From then until 1867, a total of 21 British governors and governors general held office in Canada. Until 1952, Governors General were British. The 1952 installation of Vincent Massey, the first Canadian to hold the office, reflected Canada's new sense of autonomy and identity in the post-war era and Canadian sense of pride in the Canadian Crown.  

Vincent Massey's appointment was important, marking the beginning of the modern institution of the Governor General where a Canadian represents The King and carries out His Majesty’s responsibilities in Canada. Since then, the role of the Governor General has evolved. The following are among the responsibilities of Canada's Governor General, all of which are undertaken in the name of The King:  

• managing the Canadian honours system 
• representing Canada abroad 
• signing the letters of credence for outgoing Canadian diplomats 
• signing treaties and declarations of war 
• granting coats of arms to Canadians who petition to receive them  

Appointed by The King on the advice of the Prime Minister, the Governor General usually holds office for 5 years. Lieutenant Governors fulfill the responsibilities and functions of The King in the provinces in the same way that the Governor General does at the national level.  

The Governor General bears the title “Excellency” during office, along with his or her spouse, and carries the title “Right Honourable” for life.

In 1947, "Letters Patent Constituting the Office of the Governor General of Canada" (under King George VI) authorized the Governor General to exercise most of the Crown's powers on behalf of the Sovereign.  

The Governor General has important parliamentary responsibilities:  

• summoning, proroguing and dissolving Parliament ;
• setting out the government’s program by reading the Speech from the Throne ;
• giving Royal Assent, which brings parliamentary bills into law 

The Governor General is also Commander-in-Chief of Canada. He or she visits military bases and honours Canadian military personnel on behalf of The King.  

The Governor General also fulfills important ceremonial duties:  

• promoting a sense of identity 
• recognizing the achievements of outstanding Canadians 
• receiving foreign dignitaries 
• travelling overseas as the representative of Canada 
• hosting and taking part in official events

Under exceptional circumstances, it is possible for the Governor General to be absent or for the position of Governor General to be temporarily vacant. In such cases, the “Letters Patent Constituting the Office of the Governor General of Canada” (1947) stipulate that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada will assume the duties of Governor General on a temporary basis, as the Administrator of the Government, until an absent Governor General returns to Canada and resumes their duties, or in the case of a transition, until the Governor General Designate has been appointed and sworn in as the new Governor General of Canada.

- Source : Website of the Governor General of Canada and the Government of Canada