View source for Government of Canada

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{ Infobox executive government
 | border = federal
 | background_color = #24135f
 | government_name = Government of Canada
 | nativename = {{langx|fr|Gouvernement du Canada}}
 | image = Canada wordmark.svg
 | image_size = 150px
 | caption = [[Canada wordmark|Official wordmark]]
 | date_established = {{Start date|1867|7|1}}
 | country = [[Canada]]
 | leader_title = [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]]<br/>([[Mark Carney]])
 | appointed = [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General]] ([[Mary Simon]])
 | main_organ = [[Cabinet of Canada]]
 | responsible = [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]]
 | address = [[Ottawa]], Ontario
 | url = {{URL|https://www.canada.ca/}}
 }}

The '''Government of Canada''' ({{langx|fr|gouvernement du Canada}}), formally '''His Majesty's Government''' ({{langx|fr|Gouvernement de Sa Majesté|links=no}}),<ref name="MacLeod18">{{harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=18}}</ref> is the body responsible for the [[federation|federal]] administration of [[Canada]]. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes [[Minister of the Crown|ministers of the Crown]] (together in [[Cabinet of Canada|the Cabinet]]) and the [[Public Service of Canada|federal civil service]] (whom the Cabinet direct); it is [[Federal Identity Program|corporately branded]] as the ''Government of Canada''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web| title=Overview of the Canadian Parliamentary System {{!}} Our Country, Our Parliament| url=https://lop.parl.ca/about/parliament/education/ourcountryourparliament/html_booklet/overview-canadian-parliamentary-system-e.html| accessdate=11 September 2020| website=lop.parl.ca| archive-date=21 February 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221053339/https://lop.parl.ca/About/Parliament/Education/ourcountryourparliament/html_booklet/overview-canadian-parliamentary-system-e.html| url-status=live}}</ref> There are over 100 departments and agencies, as well as over 300,000 persons employed in the Government of Canada. These institutions carry out the programs and enforce the laws established by the [[Parliament of Canada]].

The [[Structure of the Canadian federal government|federal government's organization and structure]] was established at [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]], through the ''[[Constitution Act, 1867]]'', wherein the [[Canadian Crown]] acts as the core, or "the most basic building block",<ref>{{Citation| last=Department of Canadian Heritage| author-link=Department of Canadian Heritage| title=Canadian Heritage Portfolio| place=Ottawa| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| date=February 2009| edition=2| url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pc-ch/publctn/gp-pg/ppc-chp/ppc-chp-eng.pdf| page=3| isbn=978-1-100-11529-0| access-date=5 July 2009| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611162155/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pc-ch/publctn/gp-pg/ppc-chp/ppc-chp-eng.pdf| archive-date=11 June 2011| df=dmy-all}}</ref> of its [[Westminster-style]] [[parliamentary democracy]].<ref>{{cite journal| last=Coyne| first=Andrew| author-link=Andrew Coyne| title=Defending the royals| journal=Maclean's| date=13 November 2009| url=http://www.macleans.ca/2009/11/13/defending-the-royals/| issn=0024-9262| access-date=17 November 2009| archive-date=11 October 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131011213523/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/11/13/defending-the-royals/| url-status=live}}</ref> The monarch, {{Canadian monarch, current|name&title=1}} is [[head of state]] and is personally represented by a [[Governor General of Canada|governor general]] (currently [[Mary Simon]]). The [[Prime Minister of Canada|prime minister]] (currently [[Mark Carney]]) is the [[head of government]], who is invited by the Crown to form a government after securing the [[Confidence and supply|confidence]] of the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]], which is typically determined through the election of enough members of a single political party in a federal election to provide a majority of seats in Parliament, forming a [[governing party]]. Further elements of governance are outlined in the rest of the [[Constitution of Canada|Canadian constitution]], which includes written statutes in addition to court rulings and unwritten [[Convention (norm)#Government|conventions]] developed over centuries.<ref>{{Cite book| last=Brooks| first=Stephen Farper| title=Canadian Democracy: An Introduction| publisher=Oxford University Press| year=2007| location=Don Mills| page=[https://archive.org/details/canadiandemocrac0006broo/page/126 126]| edition=5| isbn=978-0-19-543103-2| url=https://archive.org/details/canadiandemocrac0006broo/page/126}}</ref>

Constitutionally, the [[King's Privy Council for Canada]] is the body that advises the sovereign or their representative on the exercise of executive power. This task is carried out nearly exclusively by the Cabinet, which functions as the executive committee of the Privy Council that sets the government's policies and priorities for the country<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/privy-council/services/about-cabinet.html |title=About Cabinet |last=Office |first=Privy Council |date=2018-02-21 |website=aem |access-date=2020-04-15 |archive-date=30 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330053707/https://www.canada.ca/en/privy-council/services/about-cabinet.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and is chaired by the prime minister. The sovereign appoints the members of Cabinet on the advice of the prime minister who, by convention, are generally selected primarily from the House of Commons (although often include a limited number of members from the [[Senate (Canada)|Senate]]). During its term, the government must retain the confidence of the House of Commons and certain important [[Motion (parliamentary procedure)|motions]], such as [[money bill]]s and the [[speech from the throne]], are considered as [[Motion of no confidence#Canada|confidence motions]]. Laws are formed by the passage of bills through Parliament, which are either sponsored by the government or individual members of Parliament. Once a bill has been approved by both the House of Commons and the Senate, [[royal assent]] is required to make the bill become law. The laws are then the responsibility of the government to oversee and enforce.

==Terminology==
Under Canada's [[Parliamentary system|Westminster-style parliamentary democracy]], the terms ''government'' and ''Government of Canada'' refer specifically to the prime minister, Cabinet, and other members of the governing party inside the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]], but typically includes the [[Public Service of Canada|federal public service]] and federal departments and agencies when used elsewhere.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://learn.parl.ca/understanding-comprendre/en/canada-system-of-government/the-branches-of-government/|title=The Branches of Government|website=learn.parl.ca|access-date=20 April 2023|archive-date=21 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421002113/https://learn.parl.ca/understanding-comprendre/en/canada-system-of-government/the-branches-of-government/|url-status=live}}</ref> This differs from the [[United States]], where the [[Federal government of the United States#Executive branch|executive branch]] is referred to as an ''[[Administration (government)|administration]]'' and the [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]] encompasses executive, legislative, and judicial powers, similar to the [[Monarchy of Canada|Canadian Crown]].

In popular usage Canadians (especially under American influence) may refer to "the government" when speaking about the entire state, including not only executive but also the legislative and judicial branches and the civil service.  More formally these would be referred the as [[the Crown]] or the Crown in Right of Canada.  It is also common but erroneous to refer to "the Government of Canada" when speaking of all governmental bodies in Canada: Canada is a highly [[decentralized federation]] and [[Provincial government|the ten provincial and three territorial governments]] are very much separate from and act independently of the Canadian federal (central) government.

In [[press release]]s issued by federal departments, the government has sometimes been referred to as the current prime minister's government (e.g. the ''Trudeau Government''). This terminology has been commonly employed in the media.<ref name=GMName>{{citation| last=Cheadle| first=Bruce| title=Tories re-brand government in Stephen Harper's name| date=3 March 2011| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tories-re-brand-government-in-stephen-harpers-name/article1929175/| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| accessdate=26 April 2011| archive-date=9 July 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709142909/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tories-re-brand-government-in-stephen-harpers-name/article1929175/| url-status=dead}}</ref> In late 2010, an informal instruction from the [[Office of the Prime Minister (Canada)|Office of the Prime Minister]] urged government departments to consistently use, in all department communications, such phrasing (i.e., ''Harper Government'', at the time), in place of ''Government of Canada''.<ref>{{Cite news| date=7 March 2011| title=Tories defend use of 'Harper Government'| author=CTV News| publisher=Bell Media| url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/tories-defend-use-of-harper-government-1.615530| access-date=9 May 2011| archive-date=2 November 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102105232/http://www.ctvnews.ca/tories-defend-use-of-harper-government-1.615530| url-status=dead}}</ref> The same Cabinet earlier directed its press department to use the phrase ''Canada's New Government''.<ref name=GMName/>

==Role of the Crown==
{{Main|Monarchy of Canada|Governor General of Canada}}
{{Multiple image
| align=right
| total_width=260
| image1=His Majesty The King of Canada Charles III.png
| caption1=[[Charles III]], King of Canada, the country's [[head of state]]
| image2=Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada.jpg
| caption2=[[Mary Simon]], Governor General of Canada, the monarch's representative
}}Canada is a constitutional monarchy, wherein the role of the reigning [[sovereign]] is both legal and practical, but not political.<ref name=Forsey>{{Cite journal| last=Forsey| first=Helen| title=As David Johnson Enters Rideau Hall&nbsp;...| journal=The Monitor| date=1 October 2010| url=http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/david-johnson-enters-rideau-hall| accessdate=23 January 2011| archive-date=3 February 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203201325/http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/david-johnson-enters-rideau-hall| url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Monarchy of Canada|monarch]] is vested with all powers of state<ref>{{cite book| last=Privy Council Office| author-link=Privy Council Office (Canada)| title=Accountable Government: A Guide for Ministers and Ministers of State – 2008| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| year=2008| location=Ottawa| page=45| url=http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/index.asp?lang=eng&page=information&sub=publications&doc=ag-gr/2008/ag-gr-eng.htm| isbn=978-1-100-11096-7| access-date=17 May 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100318110030/http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/index.asp?lang=eng&page=information&sub=publications&doc=ag-gr%2F2008%2Fag-gr-eng.htm| archive-date=18 March 2010| url-status=dead}}</ref> and sits at the centre of a construct in which the power of the whole is shared by multiple institutions of government acting under the sovereign's authority.<ref name=Smith6>{{citation| url=http://www.queensu.ca/iigr/conf/ConferenceOnTheCrown/CrownConferencePapers/The_Crown_and_the_Constitutio1.pdf| last=Smith| first=David E.| work=The Crown and the Constitution: Sustaining Democracy?| date=10 June 2010| location=Ottawa| title=Conference on the Crown| page=6| publisher=Queen's University| accessdate=22 May 2020}} Archived from the [http://www.queensu.ca/iigr/conf/ConferenceOnTheCrown/CrownConferencePapers/The_Crown_and_the_Constitutio1.pdf original] on 17 June 2010.</ref><ref>{{citation| url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/About/ProcedureAndPractice3rdEdition/ch_01_2-e.html| last1=Bosc| first1=Marc| last2=Gagnon| first2=André| year=2017| title=Parliamentary Institutions| chapter=1: House of Commons Procedure and Practice| edition=3| location=Ottawa| publisher=House of Commons Table Research Branch| accessdate=22 May 2020| archive-date=7 May 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507081041/http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/House/compendium/web-content/c_d_rolecrowngovernorgeneral-e.htm| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{citation| url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/our-procedure/ParliamentaryFramework/c_g_parliamentaryframework-e.html| author=Table Research Branch of the House of Commons| title=The Canadian Parliamentary System| chapter=Our Procedure| location=Ottawa| accessdate=22 May 2020| archive-date=30 May 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530121029/https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/our-procedure/ParliamentaryFramework/c_g_parliamentaryframework-e.html| url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Murdoch>{{cite journal| last=Cox| first=Noel| title=Black v Chrétien: Suing a Minister of the Crown for Abuse of Power, Misfeasance in Public Office and Negligence| journal=Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law| volume=9| issue=3| page=12| date=September 2002| url=http://www.murdoch.edu.au/elaw/issues/v9n3/cox93.html| access-date=17 May 2009| archive-date=26 June 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626163652/http://www.murdoch.edu.au/elaw/issues/v9n3/cox93.html| url-status=live}}</ref> The executive is thus formally referred to as the ''King-in-Council''.<ref name="MacLeod17">{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=17}}</ref>

On the advice of the Canadian prime minister, the sovereign appoints a federal [[Viceroy|viceregal representative]]—the [[Governor General of Canada|governor general]] (currently [[Mary Simon]])—who, since 1947, is permitted to exercise almost all of the monarch's [[royal prerogative]]; though, there are some duties which must be specifically performed by the monarch themselves (such as assent of certain bills). In case of the governor general's absence or incapacitation, the [[administrator of Canada]] performs the Crown's most basic functions.

As part of the royal prerogative, the [[royal sign-manual]] gives authority to [[letters patent]] and [[Order in Council|orders-in-Council]]. Much of the royal prerogative is only exercised in-council, meaning on the advice of the [[King's Privy Council for Canada]] ([[Minister of the Crown|ministers of the Crown]] formed in [[Cabinet of Canada|Cabinet]] in conventional practice);<ref>{{cite book| last=Forsey| first=Eugene| author-link=Eugene Forsey| title=How Canadians Govern Themselves| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| year=2005| location=Ottawa| page=1| edition=6| url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/idb/forsey/PDFs/How_Canadians_Govern_Themselves-6ed.pdf| isbn=978-0-662-39689-5| accessdate=14 May 2008| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325074418/http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/idb/forsey/PDFs/How_Canadians_Govern_Themselves-6ed.pdf| archive-date=25 March 2009| df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/MarleauMontpetit/DocumentViewer.aspx?DocId=1001&Sec=Ch01&Seq=5&Lang=E&Print=2| last1=Marleau| first1=Robert| last2=Montpetit| first2=Camille| title=House of Commons > 1. Parliamentary Institutions| publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada| accessdate=28 September 2009| year=2000| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828112251/http://www.parl.gc.ca/MarleauMontpetit/DocumentViewer.aspx?DocId=1001&Lang=E&Print=2&Sec=Ch01&Seq=5| archive-date=28 August 2011| df=dmy-all}}</ref> within the conventional stipulations of a constitutional monarchy, the sovereign's direct participation in any of these areas of governance is limited.<ref name=MacLeod16>{{Harvnb| MacLeod| 2015| p=16}}</ref><ref>{{Citation| last=Russell| first=Peter| date=1983| contribution=Bold Statecraft, Questionable Jurisprudence| editor-last=Banting| editor-first=Keith G.| editor2-last=Simeon| editor2-first=Richard| title=And no one cheered: federalism, democracy, and the Constitution Act| page=217| location=Toronto| publisher=Taylor & Francis| isbn=978-0-458-95950-1| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sUwOAAAAQAAJ}}</ref>

==Prime Minister and Cabinet==
{{multiple image
| align       =right
| direction   =vertical
| total_width =240
| image1      =Government of Canada signature.svg
| caption1    =
| image2      =Canada wordmark.svg
| caption2    =
| footer      =The Government of Canada [[Federal Identity Program#Corporate signatures|signature]] (above) and [[Canada wordmark|wordmark]] (below), used to corporately identify the government under the [[Federal Identity Program]]
}}

The term ''Government of Canada'', or more formally, ''[[His Majesty's Government (term)|{{ucfirst:{{Canadian monarch, current|genderp=1}}}} Majesty's Government]]'', refers to the activities of the ''{{Canadian monarch, current|title=1}}-in-Council''. The day-to-day operation and activities of the Government of Canada are performed by the [[Structure of the Canadian federal government|federal departments and agencies]], staffed by the [[Public Service of Canada]], and the [[Canadian Armed Forces]].

=== Prime Minister ===
{{Main|Prime Minister of Canada}}
[[File:Prime Minister Mark Carney June 2025.jpg|upright|thumb|[[Mark Carney]], [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] and [[head of government]]]]
One of the main duties of the Crown is to ensure that a [[Democracy|democratic government]] is always in place,<ref>Jackson, Michael D. October 2009. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20091229100400/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2009/Autumn_2009_CMN.pdf The Senior Realms of the Queen]" (book review & commentary). [[Monarchist League of Canada|''Canadian Monarchist News'']] 39(30):9–12. Archived from the [http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2009/Autumn_2009_CMN.pdf original] on 29 December 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2020. p. 9.
Reviewed work: Boyce, Peter. 2008. ''The Queen's Other Realms: The Crown and its Legacy in Australia, Canada and New Zealand''. {{ISBN|9781862877009}}. Sydney, AU: Federation Press.</ref> which includes the appointment of a [[Prime Minister of Canada|prime minister]], who heads the Cabinet and directs the activities of the government.<ref name="GG">{{cite web|last=Office of the Governor General of Canada|title=Media > Fact Sheets > The Swearing-In of a New Ministry|url=http://www.gg.ca/media/fs-fd/P1_e.asp|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20061009192004/http://www.gg.ca/media/fs-fd/P1_e.asp|archive-date=9 October 2006|access-date=18 May 2009|publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Not outlined in any constitutional document, the office exists in long-established [[Convention (norm)#Government|convention]], which stipulates the Crown must select as prime minister the person most likely to command the [[Confidence and supply|confidence]] of the elected [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]], who, in practice, is typically the leader of the [[List of political parties in Canada|political party]] that holds more seats than any other party in that chamber (currently the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]], led by [[Mark Carney]]). Should no particular party hold a [[Majority government|majority]] in the House of Commons, the leader of one party—either the party with the most seats or one supported by other parties—will be called by the governor general to form a [[minority government]]. Once sworn in, the prime minister holds office until their resignation or removal by the governor general, after either a [[motion of no confidence]] or defeat in a [[Elections in Canada|general election]].<ref name="Brooks235">{{Harvnb|Brooks|2007|p=235}}</ref>

=== Privy Council ===
{{Main|King's Privy Council for Canada}}

The executive is defined in the ''[[Constitution Act, 1867]]'' as the Crown acting on the [[Advice (constitutional)|advice]] of the [[King's Privy Council for Canada]], referred to as the ''{{Canadian monarch, current|title=1}}-in-Council''.<ref name="MacLeod18" /><ref name="US">[[Humphrey Hume Wrong|Wrong, Humphrey Hume]]. 10 November 1952. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20111123085615/http://www.international.gc.ca/department/history-histoire/dcer/details-en.asp?intRefid=4363 <nowiki>Relations With the United States [Telegram 219]</nowiki>]." ''Documents on Canadian External Relations'' 18(867): Ch. 8. Ottawa: [[Global Affairs Canada|Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada]]. Archived from the [http://www.international.gc.ca/department/history-histoire/dcer/details-en.asp?intRefid=4363 original] on 23 November 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2020.</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Victoria |author-link=Queen Victoria |publication-date=29 March 1867 |title=Constitution Act, 1867 |series=III.15 |location=Westminster|publisher=Queen's Printer |url=http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/ca_1867.html |access-date=15 January 2009 |year=1867 |archive-date=3 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100203024121/http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/ca_1867.html |url-status=live |at=III.9 & 11}}</ref><ref name="MarleauExecutive">{{Harvnb|Marleau|Montpetit|2000|loc=The Executive}}</ref> However, the Privy Council—consisting mostly of former ministers, [[Chief Justice of Canada|chief justices]], and other elder statesmen—rarely meets in full. In the construct of constitutional monarchy and [[responsible government]], the advice tendered is typically binding,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Russell|first=Peter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sUwOAAAAQAAJ|title=And no one cheered: federalism, democracy, and the Constitution Act|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=1983|isbn=978-0-458-95950-1|editor-last=Banting|editor-first=Keith G.|location=Toronto|publication-date=1983|page=217|contribution=Bold Statecraft, Questionable Jurisprudence|access-date=12 June 2010|editor2-last=Simeon|editor2-first=Richard}}</ref> meaning the monarch ''reigns'' but does not ''rule'', with the Cabinet ruling "in trust" for the monarch.<ref name="auto">{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=8}}</ref> However, the royal prerogative belongs to the Crown and not to any of the ministers,<ref name="MacLeod162">{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=16}}</ref><ref name="Murdoch2">{{cite journal|last=Cox|first=Noel|date=September 2002|title=Black v Chrétien: Suing a Minister of the Crown for Abuse of Power, Misfeasance in Public Office and Negligence|url=http://www.murdoch.edu.au/elaw/issues/v9n3/cox93.html|journal=Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law|location=Perth|publisher=Murdoch University|volume=9|issue=3|page=12|access-date=17 May 2009|archive-date=26 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626163652/http://www.murdoch.edu.au/elaw/issues/v9n3/cox93.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Neitsch23"/> and there are rare exceptions where the monarch may be obliged to act unilaterally to prevent manifestly unconstitutional acts.<ref>{{Cite book| first=Anne| last=Twomey| author-link=Anne Twomey (academic)| title=The veiled sceptre : reserve powers of heads of state in Westminster systems| date=2018| publisher=Cambridge University Press| isbn=978-1-108-57332-0| location=Port Melbourne, Victoria| pages=13–15| oclc=1030593191}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal| last=Lagassé| first=Philippe| date=4 September 2019| title=The Crown and Government Formation: Conventions, Practices, Customs, and Norms| url=https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/constitutional_forum/index.php/constitutional_forum/article/view/29384| journal=Constitutional Forum| volume=28| issue=3| page=14| doi=10.21991/cf29384| issn=1927-4165| doi-access=free}}</ref>

==== Cabinet ====
{{Main|Cabinet of Canada}}
The stipulations of [[responsible government]] require that those who directly advise the Crown on the exercise the [[royal prerogative]] be accountable to the elected [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]] and the day-to-day operation of government is guided only by a sub-group of the Privy Council made up of individuals who hold seats in Parliament, known as the [[Cabinet of Canada|Cabinet]].<ref name="MarleauExecutive" />

The monarch and governor general typically follow the near-binding [[Advice (constitutional)|advice]] of their ministers. The royal prerogative, however, belongs to the Crown and not to any of the ministers,<ref name="Murdoch" /><ref name="Neitsch23">Neitsch, Alfred Thomas. 2007. "[http://www.revparl.ca/30/4/30n4_07e_Neitsch.pdf A Tradition of Vigilance: The Role of Lieutenant Governor in Alberta] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025201559/http://www.revparl.ca/30/4/30n4_07e_Neitsch.pdf |date=25 October 2020 }}." ''[[Canadian Parliamentary Review]]'' 30(4):19–28. Retrieved 22 May 2020. p. 23.</ref> who only rule "in trust" for the monarch and who must relinquish the Crown's power back to it upon losing the confidence of the commons,<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Tidridge|first=Nathan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JvGsvHsAtDgC&pg=PA65|title=Canada's Constitutional Monarchy: An Introduction to Our Form of Government|publisher=Dundurn|year=2011|isbn=978-1-4597-0084-0|page=65}}</ref> whereupon a new government, which ''can'' hold the [[Lower house|lower chamber]]'s confidence, is installed by the governor general. The royal and vice-royal figures may unilaterally use these powers in exceptional [[constitutional crisis]] situations (an exercise of the [[reserve power]]s),{{refn|See '[[Cabinet of Canada#Responsibilities|Responsibilities]]' and [[Cabinet of Canada#cite note-RP-13|Note 1]] at [[Cabinet of Canada]].|group=n|name=RP}} thereby allowing the monarch to make sure "that the government conducts itself in compliance with the constitution."<ref name="Boyce2">{{Citation|last=Boyce|first=Peter|title=The Crown and its Legacy in Australia, Canada and New Zealand|page=29|year=2008b|location=Sydney|publisher=Federation Press|isbn=978-1-86287-700-9}}</ref> Politicians can sometimes try to use to their favour to obscure the complexity of the relationship between the monarch, viceroy, ministers, and Parliament, as well as the public's general unfamiliarity with such.{{refn|It was said by Helen Forsey: "The inherent complexity and subtlety of this type of constitutional situation can make it hard for the general public to fully grasp the implications. That confusion gives an unscrupulous government plenty of opportunity to oversimplify and misrepresent, making much of the alleged conflict between popular democracy—supposedly embodied in the Prime Minister—and the constitutional mechanisms at the heart of responsible government, notably the 'reserve powers' of the Crown, which gets portrayed as illegitimate." As examples, she cited the campaign of [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]] following the [[King–Byng Affair]] of 1926 and [[Stephen Harper]]'s comments during the [[2008–2009 Canadian parliamentary dispute]].<ref name=Forsey/>|group=n|name=Forsey}}

==See also==
{{portal|Canada|Government}}
* [[Structure of the Canadian federal government]]
* [[His Majesty's Government (term)|{{ucfirst:{{Canadian monarch, current|genderp=1}}}} Majesty's Government (term)]]
* [[Canadian order of precedence]]
* [[Office-holders of Canada]]
* [[Public Service of Canada]]
* [[.gc.ca]]
* [[Politics of Canada]]
* [[Parliament of Canada]]
* [[Court system of Canada]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}
{{Reflist|group=n}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin|}}
* {{citation|last=Bourinot|first=John George|title=Parliamentary Procedure and Practice in the Dominion of Canada|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k1i056Bp0IMC&q=government%20%20of%20canada&pg=PP1|year=2008|edition=4th|publisher=Lawbook Exchange|editor-last=Flint|editor-first=Thomas Barnard|isbn=978-1-58477-881-3|access-date=25 October 2020|archive-date=10 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110012246/https://books.google.com/books?id=k1i056Bp0IMC&q=government%20%20of%20canada&pg=PP1#v=snippet&q=government%20%20of%20canada&f=false|url-status=live}}
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{{Refend}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website}}
* [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/federal-government Federal Government] at ''[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]''
* [http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/201/301/public_accounts_can/pdf/index.html Public accounts of Canada, from 1995 onward] (PDF format)

{{Government Departments of Canada}}
{{Canadian monarchy}}
{{Constitution of Canada}}
{{Canadian law}}
{{Canada topic|Government of}}
{{North America topic|Government of|title=Governments of North America}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Government of Canada| ]]
[[Category:1867 establishments in Canada]]
[[Category:Politics of Canada]]
[[Category:Westminster system governments|Canada]]