The level of support for the monarchy has eroded in Canada in the 1990s. Note that there are quite different levels of support in the various regions of the country. The Governor General acts as Canada's de facto head of state and has several functions in Canada's system of government . You can read a biography of Adrienne Clarkson , who was appointed Governor General on October 7, 1999. The Queen signs a personal commission by which a person becomes Governor General, once they have sworn the oath of office .
Lieutenant governors play a similar role for provincial governments.
See Governors General of Canada since 1867 . One constitutional crisis occurred in 1926 when Governor General Lord Byng refused Prime Minister Mackenzie King's request for a general election. A contemporary scenario, in which the governor general or lieutenant governor might use his or her discretion to refuse to act on the government's advice is in Quebec. The lieutenant governor could, or even should, refuse to grant royal assent to any bill that would be aimed at making Quebec an independent country. The political executive is the leading element of the executive branch.