# Questions about Canada **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 23, 2002, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-canada/115571 "2002-06-23T16:21:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-canada/115571/41 "2002-07-01T18:41:02Z")
**Great Dave** , Ennzedd = New Zealand. ---
**Author:** ![Stana\_Claus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stana_claus/32/13874_2.png) [@Stana\_Claus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stana_Claus)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-canada/115571/42 "2002-07-01T18:45:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Great Dave \* > > What the heck is Ennzedd? I googled it and only came up with one hit! And the link didn’t work. \*\* Just guessing, but I would think they were referring to New Zealand (N. Z. = enn zed) ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-canada/115571/43 "2002-07-01T19:02:39Z")
I really don’t want to hijack this thread, but I have another “ignorant American” question (in three parts). I read, somewhere, that the Governor General appoints the members of the Canadian Senate. I read further that the Governor General is “appointed by the Crown.” So… 1. Are these things true? (I _told_ you I was ignorant.) 2. Is there a confirmation process for appointed Senators? 3. How is the Governor General selected? I only ask because it all looks to this American like an institutionalized method for a foreign power to influence domestic affairs. On the other hand, it could be pointless American nitpicking. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-canada/115571/44 "2002-07-01T21:06:35Z")
That makes sense, **Frumious**. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-canada/115571/45 "2002-07-01T21:37:10Z")
The Prime Minister and his cabinet pick the senators and pick the Governor General. In short, the elected folks pick the non-elected folks. There’s been movement toward an elected senate. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-canada/115571/46 "2002-07-02T02:20:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Exgineer \* > \*\*I really don’t want to hijack this thread, but I have another “ignorant American” question (in three parts). > > I read, somewhere, that the Governor General appoints the members of the Canadian Senate. I read further that the Governor General is “appointed by the Crown.” So… > > 1. Are these things true? (I _told_ you I was ignorant.) > 2. Is there a confirmation process for appointed Senators? > 3. How is the Governor General selected? > > I only ask because it all looks to this American like an institutionalized method for a foreign power to influence domestic affairs. > > On the other hand, it could be pointless American nitpicking. \*\* **Exgineer** , one of the confusing aspects of parliamentary systems that are closely modelled on the British system is that there are the written constitutional principles, set out in statutes and constitutional documents, and the unwritten ones, which have evolved over time to put limits on the written powers. On paper, you’re quite right: the Queen has authority to appoint the GovGen, and the GovGen has extensive executive powers, including the power to appoint Senators. If you just look at the written provisions, you could conclude that Canada is a mere dependency, ruled at whim by Elizabeth II. However, as **Muffin** mentioned in his lengthy post, there are also the unwritten constiutional conventions of government. The two most important for your inquiry are: 1. The Queen (and the GovGen acting on her behalf) will only exercise her authority on the advice of a duly elected prime minister, who has the confidence of the Parliament; 2. The Queen will only take advice on the exercise of her powers from the prime minister of the country in question. Putting these unwritten principles together, when the Queen is asked to exercise an authority she has under the Constitution of Canada, she will act only on the advice of the Canadian Prime Minister. The GovGen similarly only acts on the advice of the Canadian Prime Minister. So, you could imagine this little bit of dialogue: PM Tony Blair: “Another bleedin’ GovGen dead! How about it, ma’am, will you appoint my buddy Lord Black of Ego as GovGen of Canada?” HM: “Sod off, Tony! You know that I can only listen to the p’tit gars de Shawnigan about a new GovGen of Canada. Come back when an Archbishop dies, and I’ll listen to you then.” Okay, so maybe it wouldn’t go quite that way… ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-canada/115571/47 "2002-07-02T02:34:20Z")
After **muffin** ’s doctoral thesis, I don’t have much to add. I just wanted to congratulate you on one of the most informative posts I’ve seen here. And also on one of the few imaginative Opal references in the last _x_ years [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-canada/115571.md?page=2)