189-536: The governor general of Canada ( French : gouverneure générale du Canada ) is the federal representative of the Canadian monarch , currently King Charles III . The king or queen of Canada is also monarch and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and lives in the United Kingdom . The monarch, on the advice of his or her Canadian prime minister , appoints a governor general to administer
378-595: A non-confidence motion in the House of Commons, advised Governor General the Viscount Byng of Vimy to 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
567-509: A Canadian Republic has advocated the election of the nominee to the sovereign, either by popular or parliamentary vote; a proposal echoed by Clarkson, who called for the prime minister's choice to not only be vetted by a parliamentary committee, but, also submit to a televised quiz on Canadiana . Constitutional scholars, editorial boards, and the Monarchist League of Canada have argued against any such constitutional tinkering with
756-502: A Crown and sovereign meant to embody continuity. The governor general serves " at His Majesty's pleasure " (or the royal pleasure ), 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. No additional formalities are necessary for such an "extension"; the governor general carries on until death, resignation, or
945-744: A French official to teachers in the department of Finistère , in western Brittany, included the following: "And remember, Gents: you were given your position in order to kill the Breton language". The prefect of Basses-Pyrénées in the French Basque Country wrote in 1846: "Our schools in the Basque Country are particularly meant to replace the Basque language with French..." Students were taught that their ancestral languages were inferior and they should be ashamed of them; this process
1134-604: A committee of the Privy Council known as the Cabinet and it is, in practice, only from this group of ministers of the Crown that the king and governor general will take advice on the use of executive power; an arrangement called the king-in-Council or, more specifically, the governor-in-Council . In this capacity, the governor general will issue royal proclamations and sign orders in council . The governor-in-Council
1323-431: A comprehensive academic study entitled "The World's 10 most influential languages". In the article, Weber ranked French as, after English, the second-most influential language of the world, ahead of Spanish. His criteria were the numbers of native speakers, the number of secondary speakers (especially high for French among fellow world languages), the number of countries using the language and their respective populations,
1512-596: 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," the governor general acts in his place as Commander-in-Chief of
1701-415: 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 straps or boards , facing forward. French colonization of North America began in the 1580s and Aymar de Chaste was appointed in 1602 by King Henry IV as Viceroy of Canada. The explorer Samuel de Champlain became
1890-555: A foreign language. Due to the rise of French in Africa, the total French-speaking population worldwide is expected to reach 700 million people in 2050. French is the fastest growing language on the continent (in terms of either official or foreign languages). French is increasingly being spoken as a native language in Francophone Africa, especially in regions like Ivory Coast , Cameroon , Gabon, Madagascar , and
2079-473: 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
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#17327803250222268-448: A governor general's husband. 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 . The Chancellery of Honours depends from the King 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 , overseeing
2457-493: A lifetime". The idea of a Canadian being appointed governor general was raised as early as 1919, when, at the 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 dominions . Calls for just such an individual to be made viceroy came again in
2646-468: A modified membership and its scope broadened to include the appointment of provincial lieutenant governors and territorial commissioners (though, the latter are not personal representatives of the monarch). However, the next ministry, headed by Justin Trudeau , disbanded the committee in 2017, before he recommended Payette as Johnston's successor that year. Following Payette's resignation, Trudeau formed
2835-527: 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 King]." Clarkson
3024-705: A period of prosperity and prominence among European nations. Richelieu established the Académie française to protect the French language. By the early 1800s, Parisian French had become the primary language of the aristocracy in France. Near the beginning of the 19th century, the French government began to pursue policies with the end goal of eradicating the many minorities and regional languages ( patois ) spoken in France. This began in 1794 with Henri Grégoire 's "Report on
3213-494: A relic of the old nominal case system of Latin longer than most other Romance languages (with the notable exception of Romanian which still currently maintains a case distinction), differentiating between an oblique case and a nominative case. The phonology was characterized by heavy syllabic stress, which led to the emergence of various complicated diphthongs such as -eau which would later be leveled to monophthongs. The earliest evidence of what became Old French can be seen in
3402-527: A representative assembly (or once the governor has been instructed to call one), the royal authority is limited to the familiar prerogatives; without the assembly's consent the Crown could not raise taxation nor change the law. Several of the colonies of the British West Indies thus became "settled colonies", and reverted to "crown colony" status only by Act of Parliament in the nineteenth century. In August 2009, Michael Misick , first Premier of
3591-496: A retired inn-keeper and his wife undergo the rigorous protocol of the royal household and sprawl on the floor before the Duke of Argyll so as to be granted the knighthood for which they had "paid in cold, hard cash". 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
3780-760: A rigid court at Rideau Hall; worries that turned out to be unfounded as the royal couple was actually more relaxed than their predecessors. 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
3969-587: A second language. French is the second most taught foreign language in the EU. All institutions of the EU use French as a working language along with English and German ; in some institutions, French is the sole working language (e.g. at the Court of Justice of the European Union ). French is also the 16th most natively spoken language in the world, the sixth most spoken language by total number of speakers , and
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#17327803250224158-526: A second language. However it has also become a native language in a number of urban areas, especially in regions like Ivory Coast , Cameroon , Gabon, Madagascar , and the Democratic Republic of the Congo . In some North African countries, though not having official status, it is also a first language among some upper classes of the population alongside indigenous languages, but only
4347-941: A second one among the general population. In 2015, approximately 40% of the Francophone population (including L2 and partial speakers) lived in Europe, 36% in sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean, 15% in North Africa and the Middle East, 8% in the Americas, and 1% in Asia and Oceania. French is the second most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union . Of Europeans who speak other languages natively, approximately one-fifth are able to speak French as
4536-547: A variant of Canadian French , is spoken in parts of New England . Missouri French was historically spoken in Missouri and Illinois (formerly known as Upper Louisiana ), but is nearly extinct today. French also survived in isolated pockets along the Gulf Coast of what was previously French Lower Louisiana , such as Mon Louis Island , Alabama and DeLisle, Mississippi (the latter only being discovered by linguists in
4725-437: Is 95%, and in the French collectivity of Wallis and Futuna , it is 84%. In French Polynesia and to a lesser extent Wallis and Futuna, where oral and written knowledge of the French language has become almost universal (95% and 84% respectively), French increasingly tends to displace the native Polynesian languages as the language most spoken at home. In French Polynesia, the percentage of the population who reported that French
4914-779: Is a Romance language of the Indo-European family . Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire . French evolved from Gallo-Romance , the Latin spoken in Gaul , and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl —languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, which French ( Francien ) largely supplanted. French
5103-705: Is a crucial corollary and foundation to the concept of the judicial power; and its distinct and separate nature from the executive power possessed by the Crown itself, or its ministers. In most cases, the Monarch exercises the prerogative powers only on the advice of the Government of the day, either directly or through the Privy Council . Generally, the Crown retains all the power of the state in an overseas territory (or 'dependent territory' from 1983 to 2002 or 'Crown colony' before that), even if in practice it
5292-472: Is a widespread second language among the Lebanese people , and is taught in many schools along with Arabic and English. French is used on Lebanese pound banknotes, on road signs, on Lebanese license plates , and on official buildings (alongside Arabic). Today, French and English are secondary languages of Lebanon , with about 40% of the population being Francophone and 40% Anglophone. The use of English
5481-489: Is also a working language in nonprofit organisations such as the Red Cross (alongside English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and Russian), Amnesty International (alongside 32 other languages of which English is the most used, followed by Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Italian), Médecins sans Frontières (used alongside English, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic), and Médecins du Monde (used alongside English). Given
5670-703: Is also specifically tasked by the Constitution Act, 1867 , to appoint in the monarch's name, the lieutenant governors of the provinces , senators , the speaker of the Senate , superior , district, and county court judges in each province, except those of the Courts of Probate in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick , and high commissioners and ambassadors. The advice given by the Cabinet is, in order to ensure
5859-481: Is also tasked with fostering national unity and pride. 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." One way in which this is carried out is travelling the country and meeting with Canadians from all regions and ethnic groups in Canada , continuing
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6048-430: Is among the top five most studied languages worldwide, with about 120 million learners as of 2017. As a result of French and Belgian colonialism from the 16th century onward, French was introduced to new territories in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. French has a long history as an international language of literature and scientific standards and is a primary or second language of many international organisations including
6237-462: Is an official language in 27 countries , as well as one of the most geographically widespread languages in the world, with about 50 countries and territories having it as a de jure or de facto official, administrative, or cultural language. Most of these countries are members of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the community of 54 member states which share
6426-555: 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. 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
6615-459: 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 King's representative in the province, precedes the governor general. The incumbent governor general and their spouse are also the only people in Canada, other than serving Canadian ambassadors and high commissioners , entitled to
6804-652: Is enacted only in New Brunswick, where about one third of the population is Francophone. French is also an official language of all of the territories ( Northwest Territories , Nunavut , and Yukon ). Out of the three, Yukon has the most French speakers, making up just under 4% of the population. Furthermore, while French is not an official language in Ontario , the French Language Services Act ensures that provincial services are available in
6993-503: Is growing in the business and media environment. Out of about 900,000 students, about 500,000 are enrolled in Francophone schools, public or private, in which the teaching of mathematics and scientific subjects is provided in French. Actual usage of French varies depending on the region and social status. One-third of high school students educated in French go on to pursue higher education in English-speaking institutions. English
7182-404: Is known as Old French. The period of Old French spanned between the 8th and 14th centuries. Old French shared many characteristics with Latin. For example, Old French made use of different possible word orders just as Latin did because it had a case system that retained the difference between nominative subjects and oblique non-subjects . The period is marked by a heavy superstrate influence from
7371-568: Is largely set out in Part III of the Constitution Act, 1867 , particularly section 9. As foreign affairs are a matter of royal prerogative, the power to declare war and deploy the armed forces belongs to the Crown, though only in its federal Cabinet (the federal government ), as outlined in sections 9 and 15 of the Constitution Act, 1867. Neither legislation nor any other type of parliamentary approval, beyond budgetary matters,
7560-404: Is not directly exercised. Thus the royal prerogative is in theory an unlimited, arbitrary authority. In British overseas territories however, each inhabited territory has a constitution by which the territory is governed locally. The absoluteness of the royal prerogative in the colonies was however defeated in the case of Campbell v. Hall in 1774. This case decided that once a colony gained
7749-405: Is often considered to be a useful skill by business owners in the United Kingdom; a 2014 study found that 50% of British managers considered French to be a valuable asset for their business, thus ranking French as the most sought-after foreign language there, ahead of German (49%) and Spanish (44%). MIT economist Albert Saiz calculated a 2.3% premium for those who have French as a foreign language in
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7938-828: Is one of the official languages of such major international and regional courts, tribunals, and dispute-settlement bodies as the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights , the Caribbean Court of Justice , the Court of Justice for the Economic Community of West African States , the Inter-American Court of Human Rights , the International Court of Justice , the International Criminal Tribunal for
8127-648: Is passed to the registrar general for protection), as well as the chains of both the chancellor of the Order of Canada and of the Order of Military Merit . The governor general then gives a speech, outlining causes they will champion during their time as viceroy. If, and because your Governor-General is in the service of the Crown, he is, therefore ... in the service of Canada ... [A]loof though he be from actual executive responsibility, his attitude must be that of ceaseless and watchful readiness to take part ... in
8316-461: 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 those from 1947 that constitute the Office of Governor General of Canada. The 1947 letters patent state, "and We do hereby authorize and empower Our Governor General, with
8505-455: Is required for such actions, though the Cabinet has on occasion consulted parliament before engaging Canada or extending Canada's involvement in a conflict. Additionally, the federal Crown may ratify treaties. Again, the endorsement of Parliament is not necessary for these agreements to have force in an international sense, but the federal Parliament and the provincial legislatures must pass statutes in order for them to have domestic effect, under
8694-576: Is taught in universities around the world, and is one of the world's most influential languages because of its wide use in the worlds of journalism, jurisprudence , education, and diplomacy. In diplomacy, French is one of the six official languages of the United Nations (and one of the UN Secretariat 's only two working languages ), one of twenty official and three procedural languages of the European Union , an official language of NATO ,
8883-489: Is the first aboriginal person to hold the office. 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 governors , Supreme Court justices, and senators ; signing orders-in-council ; summoning, proroguing , and dissolving the federal parliament ; granting royal assent to bills; calling elections; and signing commissions for officers of
9072-553: Is the language of business and communication, with French being an element of social distinction, chosen for its emotional value. French is an official language of the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu , where 31% of the population was estimated to speak it in 2023. In the French special collectivity of New Caledonia , 97% of the population can speak, read and write French while in French Polynesia this figure
9261-483: Is the native language of about 23% of the Swiss population, and is spoken by 50% of the population. Along with Luxembourgish and German, French is one of the three official languages of Luxembourg , where it is generally the preferred language of business as well as of the different public administrations. It is also the official language of Monaco . At a regional level, French is acknowledged as an official language in
9450-641: Is the official residence of the Canadian monarch 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 the Citadel ( La Citadelle ) in Quebec City, Quebec . A governor general's wife is known as the chatelaine of Rideau Hall, though there is no equivalent term for
9639-492: Is the second-most spoken language (after English) in the states of Maine and New Hampshire . In Louisiana , it is tied with Spanish for second-most spoken if Louisiana French and all creoles such as Haitian are included. French is the third most spoken language (after English and Spanish) in the states of Connecticut , Rhode Island , and New Hampshire . Louisiana is home to many distinct French dialects, collectively known as Louisiana French . New England French , essentially
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#17327803250229828-424: Is the sole official language in the province of Quebec , where some 80% of the population speak it as a native language and 95% are capable of conducting a conversation in it. Quebec is also home to the city of Montreal , which is the world's fourth-largest French-speaking city, by number of first language speakers. New Brunswick and Manitoba are the only officially bilingual provinces, though full bilingualism
10017-405: Is to perform federal constitutional duties on behalf of the monarch. As such, the governor general carries on "the government of Canada on behalf and in the name of the sovereign". The governor general acts within the principles of parliamentary democracy and responsible government as a guarantor of continuous and stable governance and as a nonpartisan safeguard against the abuse of power. For
10206-764: The Aosta Valley region of Italy where it is the first language of approximately 50% of the population, while French dialects remain spoken by minorities on the Channel Islands . It is also spoken in Andorra and is the main language after Catalan in El Pas de la Casa . The language is taught as the primary second language in the German state of Saarland , with French being taught from pre-school and over 43% of citizens being able to speak French. The majority of
10395-462: The Aosta Valley region of Italy; and various communities elsewhere. French is estimated to have about 310 million speakers, of which about 80 million are native speakers. According to the OIF, approximately 321 million people worldwide are "able to speak the language" as of 2022, without specifying the criteria for this estimation or whom it encompasses. In Francophone Africa, it is spoken mainly as
10584-566: The Cabinet , who are accountable to Parliament (and exclusively so, except in matters of the Royal Family) since at least the time of William IV . Typically, in liberal democracies that are constitutional monarchies as well as nation states , such as Denmark , Norway , and Sweden , the royal prerogative serves in practice as a prescribed ceremonial function of the state power . Today, prerogative powers fall into two main categories: Some key areas of government are carried out by
10773-497: The Canadian Armed Forces . The ceremonial duties include delivering the speech from the throne at the state opening of parliament ; accepting letters of credence from incoming ambassadors; and distributing 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
10962-636: The Canadian Heraldic Authority —the mechanism of the Canadian honours system by which armorial bearings are granted to Canadians by the governor general in the name of the sovereign. These organized offices and support systems include aides-de-camp , press officers , financial managers, 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,
11151-591: The 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—the Queen in her British council of ministers—who answered to the secretary of state for the colonies in London and who, as a British observer of Canadian politics, held well into the First World War a suite of offices in
11340-539: The Democratic Republic of Congo . There is not a single African French , but multiple forms that diverged through contact with various indigenous African languages . Sub-Saharan Africa is the region where the French language is most likely to expand, because of the expansion of education and rapid population growth. It is also where the language has evolved the most in recent years. Some vernacular forms of French in Africa can be difficult to understand for French speakers from other countries, but written forms of
11529-460: The Duke of Devonshire , or by prior elevation by the sovereign in their own right, as was the case with Earl Alexander of Tunis . None were life peers , 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
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#173278032502211718-403: The East Block of Parliament Hill . But, the new position of 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. As such, the governor general had to retain a sense of political neutrality; a skill that
11907-485: The European Union , French was the dominant language within all institutions until the 1990s. After several enlargements of the EU (1995, 2004), French significantly lost ground in favour of English, which is more widely spoken and taught in most EU countries. French currently remains one of the three working languages, or "procedural languages", of the EU, along with English and German. It is the second-most widely used language within EU institutions after English, but remains
12096-437: The Federal Court , Federal Court of Appeal , and ultimately the Supreme Court of Canada did not find in favour of either Khadr, nor Kamel. The royal prerogative in Canada extends also to the granting of honours, as explained by the Court of Appeal for Ontario in Black v. Chrétien (regarding Conrad Black 's entitlement to an appointment to the House of Lords while a Canadian citizen). Other royal prerogatives, such as
12285-441: The Francien dialect is one that not only continued but also thrived during the Middle French period (14th–17th centuries). Modern French grew out of this Francien dialect. Grammatically, during the period of Middle French, noun declensions were lost and there began to be standardized rules. Robert Estienne published the first Latin-French dictionary, which included information about phonetics, etymology, and grammar. Politically,
12474-405: The Glorious Revolution , when William III and Mary II were invited to take the throne. In the United Kingdom , the remaining powers of the royal prerogative are devolved to the head of the government, which, for more than two centuries, has been the Prime Minister ; the benefits, equally, such as ratification of treaties and mineral rights in all gold and silver ores, vest in (belong to)
12663-465: The Great Seal of Canada and with the royal sign-manual . (Until the appointment of Vincent Massey in 1952, the royal commission was authorized by the monarch's signature and signet .) That individual is, from then until being sworn in, referred to as the governor general-designate . Besides the administration of the oaths of office, there is no set formula for the swearing-in of a governor general-designate. Though there may therefore be variations to
12852-439: The International Olympic Committee , the Council of Europe , the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development , Organization of American States (alongside Spanish, Portuguese and English), the Eurovision Song Contest , one of eighteen official languages of the European Space Agency , World Trade Organization and the least used of the three official languages in the North American Free Trade Agreement countries. It
13041-478: The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem . As acting commander-in-chief, the governor general is further routinely granted the Canadian Forces' Decoration by the 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
13230-420: The Oaths of Strasbourg and the Sequence of Saint Eulalia , while Old French literature began to be produced in the eleventh century, with major early works often focusing on the lives of saints (such as the Vie de Saint Alexis ), or wars and royal courts, notably including the Chanson de Roland , epic cycles focused on King Arthur and his court , as well as a cycle focused on William of Orange . It
13419-420: The Order of Canada as Companions, as well as appointing the former as a Commander of both the Order of Military Merit and the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (should either person not have already received either of those honours). The incumbent will generally serve for at least five years; though, this is only a developed convention and has been criticized as too short for an office meant to represent
13608-656: The Rebellion Losses Bill , despite his personal misgivings towards the legislation. 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
13797-659: The Royal Canadian Navy ) awaits to give a general salute . From there, the party is led by the King's parliamentary messenger—the usher of the Black Rod —to the Senate chamber , wherein all justices of the Supreme Court , senators, members of Parliament , and other guests are assembled. The King's commission for the governor general-designate is then read aloud by the secretary to the governor general and
13986-563: The Senate and House of Commons of Canada . 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 issued in 1947 by King George VI . 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
14175-634: The Turks and Caicos Islands , a British Overseas Territory , resigned under charges of corruption and abuse of power. In order to restore the rule of law, the UK government took direct control of the government of the territory, under an Order in Council of 18 March 2009, which suspended and amended parts of the Islands' constitution, and vacated all the offices of ministers and the House of Assembly. This action
14364-1098: The United Nations , the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization , the World Trade Organization , the International Olympic Committee , the General Conference on Weights and Measures , and the International Committee of the Red Cross . French is a Romance language (meaning that it is descended primarily from Vulgar Latin ) that evolved out of the Gallo-Romance dialects spoken in northern France. The language's early forms include Old French and Middle French . Due to Roman rule, Latin
14553-641: 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
14742-487: 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 francophone and 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
14931-498: The governor general's flag is employed. The present form was adopted on 23 February 1981 and, in the federal jurisdiction, takes precedence over all other flags except for the King's personal Canadian standard . When the governor general undertakes a state visit, however, the national flag is generally employed to mark governor general's presence. This flag is also, along with all flags on Canadian Forces property, flown at half-mast upon
15120-463: The governor-general of Australia for military affairs and is defined by the Constitution of Australia . The constitution of a Commonwealth realm may also sharply limit the prerogative. In some cases, governmental acts which would normally require royal prerogative may be enacted through other means in the constitution, or through a legislative act in a Commonwealth realm, such as was seen in
15309-447: 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; 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
15498-523: The 17th century, when the French Crown appointed governors of the colony of Canada and, following the British conquest of the colony in 1763, the British monarch appointed governors of the Province of Quebec (later the Canadas ). Consequently, the office is, along with the Crown, the oldest continuous institution in Canada. The present version of the office emerged with Canadian Confederation and
15687-516: The 1919 Nickle Resolution . Under the orders' constitutions, the governor general serves as Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Canada , Chancellor of the Order of Military Merit , and Chancellor of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces . The governor general also upon installation automatically becomes a Knight or Dame of Justice and the Prior and Chief Officer in Canada of
15876-506: The 1990s) but these varieties are severely endangered or presumed extinct. French is one of two official languages in Haiti alongside Haitian Creole . It is the principal language of education, administration, business, and public signage and is spoken by all educated Haitians. It is also used for ceremonial events such as weddings, graduations, and church masses. The vast majority of the population speaks Haitian Creole as their first language;
16065-836: The 20th century, when it was replaced by English as the United States became the dominant global power following the Second World War . Stanley Meisler of the Los Angeles Times said that the fact that the Treaty of Versailles was written in English as well as French was the "first diplomatic blow" against the language. During the Grand Siècle (17th century), France, under the rule of powerful leaders such as Cardinal Richelieu and Louis XIV , enjoyed
16254-688: The Advisory Group on the Selection of the Next Governor General, which selected Mary Simon for appointment as vicereine. 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 Army Guard, Royal Canadian Air Force Guard, and Flag Party of
16443-515: The British government to grant responsible government to the Canadian provinces. As a result, the viceroys became largely nominal heads, while the democratically elected legislatures and the premiers they supported exercised the authority belonging to the Crown; a concept first put to the test when, in 1849, Governor-General of the Province of Canada and Lieutenant-Governor of Canada East James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin granted Royal Assent to
16632-533: The Canadian Forces and is permitted through the 1947 Letters Patent to use the title Commander-in-Chief in and over Canada . 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 bases 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
16821-647: The Canadian capital, is also effectively bilingual, as it has a large population of federal government workers, who are required to offer services in both French and English, and is just across the river from the Quebecois city of Gatineau . According to the United States Census Bureau (2011), French is the fourth most spoken language in the United States after English, Spanish, and Chinese, when all forms of French are considered together and all dialects of Chinese are similarly combined. French
17010-917: The Caribbean that are collectively referred to as the French West Indies , namely Guadeloupe , Saint Barthélemy , Saint Martin , and Martinique . French is the official language of both French Guiana on the South American continent, and of Saint Pierre and Miquelon , an archipelago off the coast of Newfoundland in North America. French was the official language of the colony of French Indochina , comprising modern-day Vietnam , Laos , and Cambodia . It continues to be an administrative language in Laos and Cambodia, although its influence has waned in recent decades. In colonial Vietnam,
17199-611: The Crown. At the 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. This was codified in the Statute of Westminster, 1931 . How many names the prime minister puts forward to
17388-691: The Dominion's first cabinet crisis, wherein Macdonald died, leaving Lord Stanley of Preston to select a new prime minister. 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
17577-538: The Empire, this local elite had been slowly abandoning Gaulish entirely, but the rural and lower class populations remained Gaulish speakers who could sometimes also speak Latin or Greek. The final language shift from Gaulish to Vulgar Latin among rural and lower class populations occurred later, when both they and the incoming Frankish ruler/military class adopted the Gallo-Roman Vulgar Latin speech of
17766-484: The Germanic Frankish language , which non-exhaustively included the use in upper-class speech and higher registers of V2 word order , a large percentage of the vocabulary (now at around 15% of modern French vocabulary ) including the impersonal singular pronoun on (a calque of Germanic man ), and the name of the language itself. Up until its later stages, Old French , alongside Old Occitan , maintained
17955-467: The King and country abroad on state visits to other nations , though the monarch's permission is necessary, via the prime minister, for the viceroy to leave Canada. Also as part of international relations, the governor general issues letters of credence and of recall for Canadian ambassadors and high commissioners and receives the same from foreign ambassadors and other Commonwealth countries' high commissioners appointed to Canada. The governor general
18144-408: 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). If the governor general withholds the King's assent, the sovereign may within two years disallow the bill, thereby annulling
18333-408: The King, which was accepted. Louis St. Laurent , however, gave only one name—Massey's—to George VI. 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. The only time the leader of the opposition was consulted on
18522-489: The Opposition and settled on Tweedsmuir. Until 1952, all governors general were members of the British aristocracy or former British military officers, diplomats, or politicians raised to the 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
18711-476: The Province of Quebec, to accommodate the influx of United Empire Loyalists fleeing the 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
18900-584: 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." The Rebellions of 1837 brought about great changes to the role of the governor general, prompting, as they did,
19089-466: The United Kingdom, where a previous act of parliament dictated the conditions in which an early election could be called, which was a purely Royal Prerogative prior to its passage. The Spanish Constitution of 1978 , Title II The Crown , Article 62, delineates the powers of the king, while Title IV Government and Administration , Article 99, defines the king's role in government. Title VI Judicial Power , Article 117, Articles 122 through 124, outlines
19278-451: 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. The governor general is required by the Constitution Act, 1867 , to appoint for life persons to the King's Privy Council for Canada , who are all technically tasked with tendering to the monarch and viceroy guidance on the exercise of the royal prerogative. Convention dictates, though, that
19467-421: The advice of 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." 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. Among other duties,
19656-537: The appointment of his or her successor. Only once, with the Earl Alexander of Tunis , has a royal proclamation been issued to end a governor general's incumbency. 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
19845-410: 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." All executive , legislative , and judicial power in and over Canada is vested in the monarch. The governor general
20034-518: 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." How frequently governors general and their prime ministers conversed has varied; some prime ministers have valued their meetings with
20223-408: The cabinet of 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
20412-445: The choice of name to put forward to the monarch for appointment as viceroy was when 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
20601-464: The community which are consonant with the dignity and responsibility of that office." 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." This practice continued until 1999, when Queen Elizabeth II commissioned as her representative Adrienne Clarkson , a Hong Kong -born refugee to Canada. Moreover,
20790-492: The country near French-speaking Quebec, however, it is the foreign language more commonly taught. Vowel phonemes in French Royal prerogative Philosophers Works The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege, and immunity recognized in common law (and sometimes in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy) as belonging to the sovereign , and which have become widely vested in
20979-476: The death of an incumbent or former governor general. The 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. The governor general may also wear the uniform and corresponding cap or hat badge of
21168-519: The demographic prospects of the French-speaking nations of Africa, researcher Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry wrote in 2014 that French "could be the language of the future". However, some African countries such as Algeria intermittently attempted to eradicate the use of French, and as of 2024 it was removed as an official language in Mali and Burkina Faso . Significant as a judicial language, French
21357-413: The division of powers set out in sections 91 and 92 of the Constitution Act, 1867 . Proposed treaties have also occasionally been presented to parliament for debate before ratification. Members of Parliament have tabled bills seeking to curtail the use of the royal prerogative in foreign affairs by legislating a greater role for parliament, as have Senate standing committees, from time to time, called for
21546-448: The economic power of the countries using the language, the number of major areas in which the language is used, and the linguistic prestige associated with the mastery of the language (Weber highlighted that French in particular enjoys considerable linguistic prestige). In a 2008 reassessment of his article, Weber concluded that his findings were still correct since "the situation among the top ten remains unchanged." Knowledge of French
21735-594: The elites primarily spoke French, while many servants who worked in French households spoke a French pidgin known as " Tây Bồi " (now extinct). After French rule ended, South Vietnam continued to use French in administration, education, and trade. However, since the Fall of Saigon and the opening of a unified Vietnam's economy, French has gradually been effectively displaced as the first foreign language of choice by English in Vietnam. Nevertheless, it continues to be taught as
21924-691: The entire household is often referred to as Government House and its departments are funded through the normal federal budgetary process , as is the governor general's salary of CAD$ 288,900, which has been taxed since 2013. Additional costs are incurred from separate ministries and organizations such as the National Capital Commission , the Department of National Defence , and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The governor general's air transportation
22113-516: The first government authority to adopt Modern French as official was the Aosta Valley in 1536, while the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts (1539) named French the language of law in the Kingdom of France . During the 17th century, French replaced Latin as the most important language of diplomacy and international relations ( lingua franca ). It retained this role until approximately the middle of
22302-428: The first unofficial Governor of New France in the early 17th century, 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 in 1663, after whom 12 more people served in
22491-442: The following, the appointee will usually travel to Ottawa , there receiving an official welcome and taking up residence at 7 Rideau Gate , 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 with the appointee and will at that time induct both the governor general-designate and their spouse into
22680-630: The forces. The governor general also serves as honorary Colonel of three 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 King. 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 Patron Scout . Rideau Hall , located in Ottawa,
22869-915: The former Yugoslavia , International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda , the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea the International Criminal Court and the World Trade Organization Appellate Body . It is the sole internal working language of the Court of Justice of the European Union , and makes with English the European Court of Human Rights 's two working languages. In 1997, George Weber published, in Language Today ,
23058-436: The fostering of every influence that will sweeten and elevate public life; to ... 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
23247-829: The gender of the corresponding word in Gaulish. The estimated number of French words that can be attributed to Gaulish is placed at 154 by the Petit Robert , which is often viewed as representing standardized French, while if non-standard dialects are included, the number increases to 240. Known Gaulish loans are skewed toward certain semantic fields, such as plant life ( chêne , bille , etc.), animals ( mouton , cheval , etc.), nature ( boue , etc.), domestic activities (ex. berceau ), farming and rural units of measure ( arpent , lieue , borne , boisseau ), weapons, and products traded regionally rather than further afield. This semantic distribution has been attributed to peasants being
23436-600: The government won its appeal in the House of Lords against the previous rulings. The House decided by a three-to-two majority that the Order in Council was a lawful exercise of authority. In their speeches, the Law Lords admitted the government of the day was morally wrong to force out some 2,000 residents of the Chagos Archipelago, a British Crown colony, to make way for a US air base in the 1960s. Nevertheless,
23625-592: The government of Canada and exercises all powers of the governor general. In a speech on the subject of 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 ... The sovereign has unrestricted freedom of choice ... We leave that to Her Majesty in all confidence." However, between 1867 and 1931, governors general were appointed by
23814-836: The government was returned to full local administration after the November 2012 elections . In the case of the Chagos Archipelago , in 2000, the High Court of Justice of England and Wales ruled that a local ordinance made by the Commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory exiling the islanders was unlawful, a decision which was accepted by the British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook . That Order
24003-409: The government. In Britain, prerogative powers were originally exercised by the monarch acting without an observed requirement for parliamentary consent (after its empowerment in certain matters following Magna Carta ). Since the accession of the House of Hanover , these powers have been exercised, with minor exceptions in economically unimportant sectors, on the advice of the prime minister or
24192-400: The government. It is the means by which some of the executive powers of government, possessed by and vested in a monarch with regard to the process of governance of the state, are carried out. In most constitutional monarchies , prerogatives can be abolished by Parliament under its legislative authority. In the Commonwealth realms , this draws on the constitutional statutes at the time of
24381-457: 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 of the 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
24570-406: The governor general, and at that moment the flag of the governor general of Canada is raised on the Peace Tower , 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
24759-451: The head of state and the Order of Canada, itself. In 2021, 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 treaty nations before the appointment of a new governor general, stating, "we are partners with the Crown ." A new approach was used in 2010 for the selection of David Johnston as governor general-designate. For
24948-443: The independently Canadian sovereign (the monarch in his Canadian council). 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 militia in the monarch's stead, and, in 1927, the first official international visit by a governor general was made. In 1947, King George VI issued letters patent allowing
25137-433: The inhabitants of the Dominion. Governor General the Marquess of Aberdeen , 1893 Canada shares the person of the sovereign equally with 14 other countries in the Commonwealth of Nations and that individual, in the monarch's capacity as the Canadian sovereign, has 10 other legal personas within the Canadian federation . As the sovereign works and resides in the United Kingdom, the governor general's primary task
25326-427: 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", and the 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
25515-417: The king's role in the country's independent judiciary . However, by constitutional convention established by Juan Carlos I , the king exercises his prerogatives having solicited government advice while maintaining a politically non-partisan and independent monarchy. Receiving government advice does not necessarily bind the monarch into executing the advice, except where prescribed by the constitution. It
25704-401: The language are very closely related to those of the rest of the French-speaking world. French is the second most commonly spoken language in Canada and one of two federal official languages alongside English. As of the 2021 Canadian census , it was the native language of 7.7 million people (21% of the population) and the second language of 2.9 million (8% of the population). French
25893-424: The language, although it has now given way to Tamil and English. A former French mandate , Lebanon designates Arabic as the sole official language, while a special law regulates cases when French can be publicly used. Article 11 of Lebanon's Constitution states that "Arabic is the official national language. A law determines the cases in which the French language is to be used". The French language in Lebanon
26082-501: The language. The Act applies to areas of the province where there are significant Francophone communities, namely Eastern Ontario and Northern Ontario . Elsewhere, sizable French-speaking minorities are found in southern Manitoba, Nova Scotia , Prince Edward Island and the Port au Port Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, where the unique Newfoundland French dialect was historically spoken. Smaller pockets of French speakers exist in all other provinces. The Ontarian city of Ottawa ,
26271-428: The last to hold onto Gaulish. The beginning of French in Gaul was greatly influenced by Germanic invasions into the country. These invasions had the greatest impact on the northern part of the country and on the language there. A language divide began to grow across the country. The population in the north spoke langue d'oïl while the population in the south spoke langue d'oc . Langue d'oïl grew into what
26460-412: The late 1930s, 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
26649-509: 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 . 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
26838-418: The majority could not find legal fault in the Order. In Canada, the royal prerogative is, for the most part, the same as that in the United Kingdom, as constrained by constitutional convention, although its exercise is usually through the federal governor general in the Privy Council of Canada , or the provincial lieutenant governors in the provincial executive councils . The royal prerogative in Canada
27027-422: The monarch on the advice of the 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. 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
27216-414: The monarch retains the sole right to appoint the governor general. It is also stipulated that the governor general 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, and the chief justice of the Supreme Court (or a puisne justice in the chief justice's absence) will act as
27405-504: 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, though the presence of the monarch does not affect the governor general's ability to perform governmental roles. Past governor general John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne , said of
27594-420: The necessity and means to annihilate the patois and to universalize the use of the French language". When public education was made compulsory , only French was taught and the use of any other ( patois ) language was punished. The goals of the public school system were made especially clear to the French-speaking teachers sent to teach students in regions such as Occitania and Brittany . Instructions given by
27783-535: 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. French language French ( français [fʁɑ̃sɛ] or langue française [lɑ̃ɡ fʁɑ̃sɛːz] )
27972-460: The official use or teaching of French. It is spoken as a first language (in descending order of the number of speakers) in France; Canada (especially in the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick); Belgium ( Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region ); western Switzerland (specifically the cantons forming the Romandy region); parts of Luxembourg; parts of the United States (the states of Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont); Monaco;
28161-475: The other main foreign language in the Vietnamese educational system and is regarded as a cultural language. All three countries are full members of La Francophonie (OIF). French was the official language of French India , consisting of the geographically separate enclaves referred to as Puducherry . It continued to be an official language of the territory even after its cession to India in 1956 until 1965. A small number of older locals still retain knowledge of
28350-428: The passing of the British North America Act, 1867 . Although the post initially still represented the government of the United Kingdom (that is, the monarch 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
28539-421: 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 Imperial Conference of 1926 produced the Balfour Declaration , formally establishing
28728-464: The post. With the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1763, France relinquished most of its North American territories, including Canada, to Great Britain . King George III then issued in that same year a royal proclamation establishing, amongst other regulations, the Office of the Governor of Quebec to preside over the new Province of Quebec . Nova Scotia and New Brunswick remained completely separate colonies, each with their own governor, until
28917-491: The power is a matter of the common law of England , making the courts the final arbiter of whether a particular type of prerogative exists or not. Nevertheless, certain prerogative powers have been widely acknowledged and accepted over time, while others have fallen out of use. The royal prerogative is not constitutionally unlimited. In the Case of Proclamations (1611) during the reign of King James VI/I , English common law courts judges emphatically asserted that they possessed
29106-516: The practice of alternating between francophone and 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 King for approval must first undergo background checks by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service . Although required by the tenets of constitutional monarchy to be nonpartisan while in office, governors general were often former politicians;
29295-401: The preferred language of certain institutions or administrations such as the Court of Justice of the European Union , where it is the sole internal working language, or the Directorate-General for Agriculture . Since 2016, Brexit has rekindled discussions on whether or not French should again hold greater role within the institutions of the European Union. A leading world language , French
29484-405: The prerogative of mercy, also exist in the Canadian context, although largely supplanted for criminal matters by statutory provisions. In the other Commonwealth realms , the royal prerogative can be or is specifically mandated to be exercised by the monarch's representative, the governor-general. In the case of Australia, the royal prerogative, although resides in the monarch, it is exercisable by
29673-468: 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". 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
29862-454: 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 that year's election , leading Governor General the 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
30051-402: The receipt of other awards. The Viceregal Salute — composed of the first six bars of the Royal Anthem (" God Save the King ") 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. To mark the viceroy's presence at any building, ship, airplane, or car in Canada,
30240-417: The remaining portion of the Crown's original authority, and it is therefore ... the name for the residue of discretionary power left at any moment in the hands of the Crown, whether such power be in fact exercised by the King himself or by his Ministers. The scope of the royal prerogative is difficult to determine due to the uncodified nature of the constitution . It is clear that the existence and extent of
30429-400: The required oaths are administered to the appointee by either the chief justice or one of the puisne justices of the Supreme Court ; the three oaths are: the 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
30618-407: The rest largely speak French as a first language. As a French Creole language , Haitian Creole draws the large majority of its vocabulary from French, with influences from West African languages, as well as several European languages. It is closely related to Louisiana Creole and the creole from the Lesser Antilles . French is the sole official language of all the overseas territories of France in
30807-410: The right to determine the limits of the royal prerogative. Since the Glorious Revolution in 1688, which brought co-monarchs King William III and Queen Mary II to power, this interpretation of there being a separate and distinct power of the judiciary has not been challenged by the Crown . It has been accepted that it is emphatically the province of the court(s) to say what the law is, or means. This
30996-413: The royal prerogative, but its usage is falling as functions are progressively made statutory. In the Kingdom of England (up to 1707), the Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800), and the United Kingdom (since 1801), the royal prerogative was, has been, and is one of the central features of the realm 's governance. Constitutional theorist A. V. Dicey defines the scope of prerogative powers as: ...
31185-448: The same. The issuance of passports also remains within the royal prerogative in Canada. The terms for the issuing of passports by the Minister of Foreign Affairs on behalf of the Crown are set out in the Canadian Passport Order, issued by the Governor General-in-Council. The Canadian government has used the royal prerogative on two occasions to deny a passport to a Canadian citizen, Abdurahman Khadr and Fateh Kamel . Lawsuits filed at
31374-404: The sovereign has varied. 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 (later the Viscount Alexander of Tunis). Mackenzie King then made the formal recommendation to
31563-495: 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. 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. The reserve power of dismissal has never been used in Canada, although other reserve powers have been employed to force
31752-436: The task, Prime Minister Stephen Harper convened a special search group—the Governor General Consultation Committee—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. In 2012, the committee was made permanent and renamed as the Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments , with
31941-414: The total number of French speakers will reach approximately 500 million in 2025 and 650 million by 2050, largely due to rapid population growth in sub-Saharan Africa . OIF estimates 700 million French speakers by 2050, 80% of whom will be in Africa. In a study published in March 2014 by Forbes , the investment bank Natixis said that French could become the world's most spoken language by 2050. In
32130-410: The tradition begun in 1869 by Governor General the Lord Lisgar . The governor general will also induct individuals into the various national orders and present national medals and decorations. Similarly, the viceroy administers and distributes the Governor General's Awards , and will also give out awards associated with private organizations , some of which are named for past governors general. During
32319-619: The two official languages—along with Dutch —of the Brussels-Capital Region , where it is spoken by the majority of the population (approx. 80%), often as their primary language. French is one of the four official languages of Switzerland, along with German, Italian, and Romansh , and is spoken in the western part of Switzerland, called Romandy , of which Geneva is the largest city. The language divisions in Switzerland do not coincide with political subdivisions, and some cantons have bilingual status: for example, cities such as Biel/Bienne and cantons such as Valais , Fribourg and Bern . French
32508-508: The urban intellectual elite. The Gaulish language likely survived into the sixth century in France despite considerable Romanization . Coexisting with Latin, Gaulish helped shape the Vulgar Latin dialects that developed into French contributing loanwords and calques (including oui , the word for "yes"), sound changes shaped by Gaulish influence, and influences in conjugation and word order. Recent computational studies suggest that early gender shifts may have been motivated by
32697-425: The use of French in official government publications, public education except in specific cases, and legal contracts; advertisements must bear a translation of foreign words. In Belgium, French is an official language at the federal level along with Dutch and German. At the regional level, French is the sole official language of Wallonia (excluding a part of the East Cantons , which are German-speaking ) and one of
32886-409: The use of the 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. 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
33075-466: 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. 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 , something Chris Selley argued would politicize both
33264-489: The viceroy at the time. However, the practice is usually informal and the prime minister will typically schedule a telephone call to request the governor general perform a significant task. The governor general regularly receives the minutes from Cabinet meetings and any documents referred to in those minutes. The governor general also summons Parliament, reads the speech from the throne , and prorogues and dissolves Parliament. The governor general grants royal assent in
33453-481: The workplace. In 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked French the third most useful language for business, after English and Standard Mandarin Chinese . In English-speaking Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, French is the first foreign language taught and in number of pupils is far ahead of other languages. In the United States, French is the second-most commonly taught foreign language in schools and universities, although well behind Spanish. In some areas of
33642-402: The world's French-speaking population lives in Africa. According to a 2023 estimate from the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie , an estimated 167 million African people spread across 35 countries and territories can speak French as either a first or a second language . This number does not include the people living in non-Francophone African countries who have learned French as
33831-417: Was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the ( Germanic ) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to the French colonial empire , there are numerous French-based creole languages , most notably Haitian Creole . A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French. French
34020-531: Was during the period of the Crusades in which French became so dominant in the Mediterranean Sea that became a lingua franca ("Frankish language"), and because of increased contact with the Arabs during the Crusades who referred to them as Franj , numerous Arabic loanwords entered French, such as amiral (admiral), alcool (alcohol), coton (cotton) and sirop (syrop), as well as scientific terms such as algébre (algebra), alchimie (alchemy) and zéro (zero). Within Old French many dialects emerged but
34209-400: Was gradually adopted by the inhabitants of Gaul. As the language was learned by the common people, it developed a distinct local character, with grammatical differences from Latin as spoken elsewhere, some of which is attested in graffiti. This local variety evolved into the Gallo-Romance tongues, which include French and its closest relatives, such as Arpitan . The evolution of Latin in Gaul
34398-469: Was known in the Occitan-speaking region as Vergonha . Spoken by 19.71% of the European Union's population, French is the third most widely spoken language in the EU, after English and German and the second-most-widely taught language after English. Under the Constitution of France , French has been the official language of the Republic since 1992, although the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts made it mandatory for legal documents in 1539. France mandates
34587-455: Was legislation passed under authority given by the royal prerogative, not an exercise of the prerogative itself, and was overturned as being beyond the powers given. After this decision, the British government issued an Order in Council , a primary exercise of the royal prerogative, to achieve the same objective. This Order was also ruled unlawful by the High Court , a ruling upheld in the Court of Appeal . However, on Wednesday, 22 October 2008,
34776-399: Was not an exercise of the royal prerogative, as it was made under "the West Indies Act 1962 and of all other powers enabling Her to do so", but did vest wide discretionary legislative and executive powers in Her Majesty 's governor, who as in all British Overseas Territories, acts on the instructions of the UK government, not the monarch. A new constitution was promulgated in October 2012 and
34965-426: Was put to the test when 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. The governor general was then in May 1891 called upon to resolve
35154-411: Was shaped by its coexistence for over half a millennium beside the native Celtic Gaulish language , which did not go extinct until the late sixth century, long after the fall of the Western Roman Empire . The population remained 90% indigenous in origin; the Romanizing class were the local native elite (not Roman settlers), whose children learned Latin in Roman schools. At the time of the collapse of
35343-438: 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. 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
35532-422: 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 Caribbean-Canadian governor general, Michaëlle Jean . There have been, from time to time, proposals put forward for modifications to the selection process. Citizens for
35721-437: Was the language they use the most at home rose from 67% at the 2007 census to 74% at the 2017 census. In Wallis and Futuna, the percentage of the population who reported that French was the language they use the most at home rose from 10% at the 2008 census to 13% at the 2018 census. According to a demographic projection led by the Université Laval and the Réseau Démographie de l'Agence universitaire de la Francophonie ,
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