Random Canadian Facts: For Nay-Nay

Unlike the United States, and other republics like China, Canada does not have a president as its head of state. In fact, Canada doesn't have a president at all. Instead, the Queen of England is our head of state, and adorns our coins and the $20 bill. And while the Queen holds this position (and maintains "control" of foreign affairs and the military), she does not actually meddle in Canada's affairs. For all intents an purposes, Canada is its own independent country, free from British control. However, there are two roles that the Queen plays in today's Canada (besides sporadic visits to commemorate various anniversaries): putting laws into effect and dissolving parliament before an election. But there is a problem. How does the Queen perform such mundane tasks from the comfort of Buckingham Palace? Not by email, I can tell you that much.

So, Nay-Nay, did you know that Canada appoints a person to be the representative of the Queen that can perform the two functions listed above?

This person is known as the Governor-General and lives in a swank house in Ottawa. As the tradition goes, the position rotates between a French-speaking person and an English-speaking person. Michelle Jean, a woman of Haitian descent, is the current Governor-General. Normally, a major player in the arts and culture scene in Canada is chosen, so as to be a non-political ambassador for our country.

Eventually work has to be done though. To take care of the first function, the GG must wait for a law to be read/revised in parliament and approved by the Senate before putting her signature (one that bears the same weight as the Queen) on the piece of paper and, thus, signing the law into effect.

The second task is done when it comes time for an election. It starts when the Prime Minister, the leader of the majority in the House of Commons, determines that his party's approval rating is high enough that an election victory is likely. He then goes to the GG and says, "Hey Michelle, can you please dissolve parliament so that we can hold an election?" The GG almost always obliges, although I believe there are circumstances in which he/she can deny the request.