470:
governor general "still remains an officer to whom His
Majesty has committed extensive but definite powers and functions." Prime Minister Mackenzie King wrote to the King, stating that, "unless exceptional circumstances made it necessary to do so, it was not proposed by the Canadian government to alter existing practices without prior consultation or notification to the governor general and the King". Consequently, despite the permissions in the Letters Patent, 1947, there is no legal impediment to the King exercising any of his powers himself; the Canadian sovereign continues to wield " prerogative powers in relation to Canada concurrently with the governor general." As a matter of law, the governor general of Canada is not in the same constitutional position as the sovereign. Even many years after the implementation of the letters patent, a variety of matters continue to be submitted exclusively to the sovereign, such as the creation of honours, the appointment of governors general, and authorizing declarations of war. Other matters, such as the approval of Canadian ambassadors to and from foreign countries and the signing of treaties, have since been delegated entirely to the governor general.
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general, as any changes to the role of both of these positions are subject to the amending formula provided in section 41 of the
Constitution Act, 1982, which requires alterations to the office of the King and the governor general be done through a constitutional amendment approved by Parliament and all the provincial legislatures. For example, the permission in the letters patent for the governor general to exercise the role of
356:. At that time, the letters patent outlining the office of the governor and its role were issued with a commission appointing the occupant to the office, as well as an accompanying set of royal instructions. In this way, a different set of letters patent were issued by the Crown each time a new governor was appointed, a custom that was continued by the British following the
543:
was Canada's head of state and that the governor general served as the Queen's representative in Canada. It is apparent from political correspondence of the time that it was never the belief of the government that such powers had ever been transferred. In addition, the tabling, in 1978, of Bill C-60,
530:
expressed in her memoirs that, "many politicians don't seem to know that the final authority of the state was transferred from the monarch to the governor general in the letters patent of 1947", a statement determined to be "nonsense on
Clarkson’s part" and where her referring to herself as a "head
500:
prorogations of the federal
Parliament, which serve to increasingly highlight the role that the governor general plays within the Canadian constitution. Even though the monarch's permission to use the powers put the governor general "not in quite the same position as the sovereign in regard to the
525:
The letters patent of 1947 have been misconstrued as effecting a transfer of all the powers of the Crown to the governor general and, thus, putting the governor general in a position equal to that of the King. Even former governors general have failed to grasp the essence of the letters patent.
473:
Unlike other parts of the constitution, the letters patent are a creation of the monarch's royal prerogative and cannot be repealed by
Parliament. Conversely, the Letters Patent, 1947, would not be sufficient to effect such a dramatic change as a transfer of power from the King to the governor
469:
The intent behind the
Letters Patent, 1947, was to re-draft the 1931 letters patent into a uniquely Canadian document empowering the governor general by way of "enabling legislation". At the time, it was remarked that "there seems to be no change in the status of governor general" and that the
491:
While the role of the governor general is largely considered a ceremonial one, the powers of the Crown that the
Letters Patent, 1947, permitted the Office of the Governor General to use are substantial. Increased attention is sometimes brought to these powers by political events, such as the
753:
The monarch may theoretically revoke the
Letters Patent at any time, but section 41(a) of the Constitution Act, 1982 requires the approval of provinces and the federal government for changes to the office of the King, which has the potential to impact changes to the Letters
917:
478:
cannot be construed as an abdication of this duty by the king, as the position is constitutionally vested in the monarch and any changes to that arrangement would require an amendment of section 15 of the
Constitution Act, 1867.
482:
Theoretically, the King can revoke, alter, or amend the 1947 letters patent. However, the interaction between the King's powers to revoke or alter letters patent and the
Constitution Act, 1982, remains unclear.
411:
to bills and exercising the royal prerogative. With no method to allow for the incapacity of the sovereign, the Icelandic parliament was forced into passing an illegal constitutional amendment and appointing
329:, thereby allowing her or him to use most of the "powers and authorities" lawfully belonging to the sovereign and to carry out an increased number of the sovereign's duties in "exceptional circumstances".
932:
501:
exercise of certain prerogative powers", the 1947 letters patent serve to allow the Canadian political system a greater amount of flexibility in the exercise of the Canadian Crown's powers.
544:
which moved to legally transfer the powers exercised by the Queen to the governor general, would have been completely redundant if such a transfer had already occurred 31 years previous.
435:
later that year, allowing the governor general to carry out nearly all of the sovereign's duties in case of the monarch's capture or incapacity and, thus, negating the need for
368:, when the governor general went from acting as an agent of the British government (the king in his British council or parliament) to a representative of the Canadian Crown.
332:
While the Crown theoretically has the power to revoke or alter the letters patent at will, it remains unclear to what extent that power remains after the enactment of the
1161:. State of the Federation Conference. West Block, Parliament of Canada, Ottawa: Institute of Intergovernmental Relations, School of Policy Studies, Queen's University.
280:
385:
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784:
407:, who was also king of, and resided in, Denmark, was cut off from Iceland and unable to perform his constitutional duties for that country, such as granting
431:, which further underscored the need for such a mechanism within the Canadian political structure. As a result, the 1947 letters patent were issued by King
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to the United Kingdom in 1763. This system remained largely unchanged until 1947, with two exceptions: The first was the granting of the title
273:
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1210:
787:(2012), "Myth and Misunderstanding: The Origins and Meaning of the Letters Patent Constituting the Office of the Governor General, 1947",
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on 1 October of the same year. These letters, replacing the previous letters patent issued in 1931, reconstituted the Office of the
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The subject of the Canadian governor general's ability to act in the absence or incapacitation of the monarch was discussed in the
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also stated that she was Canada's head of state, which led to a rare public rebuke from the Prime Minister of Canada,
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962:
Letter to A.S. Miller, Privy Council Office from A.E. Gotlieb, Department of Foreign Affairs, 29 November 1965
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act or similar mechanism could, in certain circumstances, provoke a constitutional crisis. When Denmark was
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Letters Patent Constituting the Office of Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada
8:
1090:
852:
MacKenzie King, W.L.; Schuster, W.P. (1948). "The Office of Governor-General in Canada".
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65:
918:"The Law behind the Conventions of the Constitution: Reassessing the Prorogation Debate"
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The first letters patent in Canada were, starting in 1663, issued to the governors of
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of state" simply reinforced her "misunderstanding of the letters patent." In 2009,
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to go through the process of passing legislation equivalent to the Regency Act.
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First page of the proclamation of the Letters Patent, 1947, as published in the
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constitutional amendment approved by Parliament and all provincial legislatures
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The Governor General and Lieutenant Governors: Canada's Misunderstood Viceroys
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1157:
Patrick Monahan (June 2010). Smith, Jennifer; Jackson, Michael D. (eds.).
404:
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in 1940, Iceland found itself in the peculiar position wherein its king,
1138:. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. 29 March 1867. p. s.15
1093:. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. 17 April 1982. p. s.41
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702:"Canada's Evolving Crown: From a British Crown to a "Crown of Maples""
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in 1947. This brought up Canada's lack of something similar to the
521:(left) at the start of his official visit to Canada, February 2009
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838:. Ottawa: Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. p. 140.
700:
Romaniuk, Scott Nicholas; Wasylciw, Joshua K. (February 2015).
612:
585:
977:"Martin Government Removes Queen From Diplomatic Documents"
886:
325:, expanding the governor general's ability to exercise the
644:. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. Archived from
617:. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. Archived from
590:. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. Archived from
836:
Manual of Official Procedure of the Government of Canada
851:
586:
Department of Canadian Heritage (24 September 2014).
562:"The Governor General > Role and Responsibilities"
817:
Rising of Seasons: Iceland - Its Culture and History
639:
1072:, Canadian Political Science Association, p. 5
364:in 1905 and the second occurred in 1931, under the
738:"Letters Patent, 1947 | The Canadian Encyclopedia"
613:Department of Canadian Heritage (2 October 2014).
1272:. Citizens for a Canadian Republic. 23 April 2011
1211:"Keep the Queen and choose another head of state"
1304:
1030:"Canada's Approach to the Treaty-Making Process"
1003:
699:
1159:The Constitutional Role of the Governor General
1156:
986:, Spring 2005 (23), Monarchist League of Canada
770:. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart. p. 27.
706:American, British and Canadian Studies Journal
274:
1007:Policy on Tabling of Treaties in Parliament
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845:
834:Her Majesty's Privy Council Office (2010).
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964:. Ottawa: Privy Council Office Archives.
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640:Government of Canada (2 October 2014).
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1198:. Toronto: Viking Canada. p. 190.
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898:. Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada.
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684:. Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada.
388:during the Second World War also gave
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146:Succession to the Throne Act, 2013
40:
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1209:Franks, C.E.S. (23 August 2012).
1063:Donovan, Davis S. (27 May 2009),
854:University of Toronto Law Journal
768:Canada Under Louis XIV, 1633-1701
736:Harris, Carolyn (15 March 2016).
726:
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437:His Majesty's Canadian government
1298:from Library and Archives Canada
395:an example of how the lack of a
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517:(right) welcoming US President
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201:Charter of Rights and Freedoms
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615:"Governor General Ceremonies"
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121:Statute of Westminster (1931)
1240:Smith, David E. (May 1999).
1010:, Queen's Printer for Canada
821:University of Michigan Press
674:King, William Lyon Mackenzie
7:
1313:Political history of Canada
1178:University of Toronto Press
1004:Government of Canada, "5",
888:William Lyon Mackenzie King
789:The Evolving Canadian Crown
463:William Lyon Mackenzie King
10:
1354:
566:Queen's Printer for Canada
319:governor general of Canada
313:, on 8 September 1947 and
1116:. Simon Fraser University
931:: 131–154. Archived from
916:Walters, Mark D. (2011).
791:, Montreal and Kingston:
742:The Canadian Encyclopedia
486:
226:Canadian Human Rights Act
91:Constitutional Act (1791)
81:Royal Proclamation (1763)
1174:The Government of Canada
1136:"Constitution Act, 1867"
1091:"Constitution Act, 1982"
984:Canadian Monarchist News
526:Former Governor General
460:Prime Minister of Canada
106:Supreme Court Act (1875)
71:Act of Settlement (1701)
1242:"Republican Tendencies"
719:10.1515/abcsj-2014-0030
401:invaded by Nazi Germany
384:The experiences of the
358:surrender of New France
321:under the terms of the
216:Canadian Bill of Rights
171:Unsuccessful amendments
111:Constitution Act (1886)
101:Constitution Act (1867)
1112:Heard, Andrew (1990).
960:Gotlieb, A.E. (1965).
642:"The Governor General"
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513:Then-Governor General
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366:Statute of Westminster
334:Constitution Act, 1982
323:Constitution Act, 1867
221:Implied bill of rights
141:Constitution Act, 1982
76:Treaty of Paris (1763)
61:Implied bill of rights
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1172:Dawson, R.M. (1948).
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766:Eccles, W.J. (1964).
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131:Letters Patent (1947)
66:Bill of Rights (1689)
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1333:1947 in Canadian law
1296:Letters Patent, 1947
1258:on 17 February 2012.
1251:: 11. Archived from
815:Lacey, T.G. (1998).
295:Letters Patent, 1947
648:on 14 November 2015
206:Canadian federalism
96:Act of Union (1840)
1216:The Globe and Mail
1192:Clarkson, Adrienne
795:, pp. 38–52,
523:
476:commander-in-chief
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386:Kingdom of Iceland
382:
362:commander-in-chief
344:Historical context
184:Constitutional law
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1318:Royal prerogative
802:978-1-55339-202-6
621:on 2 January 2016
594:on 1 January 2016
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429:Regency Act
416:as regent.
405:Christian X
1307:Categories
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