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The ''Constitution Act, 1867'' vests the Command-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces in Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada. The act 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 to be vested in the Queen."^[1]
However, beginning in 1904, the exercise of the duties of the Commander-in-Chief was transferred to the vice-regal representative in Canada, the Governor General. The ''Militia Act'' from that year stated that "the Command-in-Chief of the Militia is declared to continue and be vested in the King, and shall be administered by His Majesty or by the Governor General as his representative." Following this, in 1905, the ''Letters Patent constituting the Office of the Governor General'' were amended to read the ''Letters Patent constituting the Office of the Governor General and Commander-in-Chief''.

Following the establishment of the Canadian Department of the Naval Service in 1910, the position was known as the Commander-in-Chief of the Militia and Naval Forces, and after the creation of the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1919, the Monarch became Commander-in-Chief of the Militia and Naval and Air Forces.
The 1947 Letters Patent issued by King George VI allowed the Governor General to exercise almost all the duties of the Head of State of Canada, and the new Commission of Appointment referred to the Office of Governor General and Commander-in-Chief in and over Canada.^{[2] [3]}
In 1968, following the unification of the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Monarch became Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces (now, the Canadian Forces).
Though all executive power is legally reposed in the apolitical institution of the Canadian Crown, the role of Commander-in-Chief is, however, primarily symbolic in practice; under the Westminster system's parliamentary custom and practice, the Prime Minister of Canada holds ''de facto'' decision-making power over the deployment and disposition of Canadian forces. Still, all declarations of war are issued with the approval of, and in the name of the Canadian Monarch, and must be signed by the Monarch or Governor General, as was done with the proclamation that declared Canada at war with Nazi Germany, issued on September 10, 1939, which stated: "Whereas by and with the advice of Our Privy Council for Canada We have signified Our Approval for the issue of a Proclamation in the Canada Gazette declaring that a State of War with the German Reich exists and has existed in Our Dominion of Canada as and from the tenth day of September, 1939."^[4]

Contents

Commanders-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces

See also

Footnotes

Commanders-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces

Year	Sovereign	Year	Represented by Governor General
'Commanders-in-Chief of the Canadian Land and Naval Militia'
1867-1901	Queen Victoria
1901-1910	King Edward VII	1904-1910	Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey
'Commanders-in-Chief of the Canadian Militia and Naval Forces'
1910-1919	King George V	1910-1911	Albert Grey
		1911-1916	Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
		1916-1919	Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire
'Commanders-in-Chief of the Canadian Militia and Naval and Air Forces'
1919-1936	King George V	1919-1921	Victor Cavendish
		1921-1926	Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy
		1926-1931	Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon
		1931-1935	Vere Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough
		1935-1936	John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir
1936	King Edward VII	1936
1936-1952	King George VI	1936-1940
		1940-1946	Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone
		1946-1952	Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis
1952-1968	Queen Elizabeth II	1952
		1952-1959	Vincent Massey
		1959-1967	Georges Vanier
		1967-1968	Roland Michener
'Commanders-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces'
1968-present	Queen Elizabeth II	1968-1974	Roland Michener
		1974–1979	Jules Léger
		1979–1984	Edward Schreyer
		1984–1990	Jeanne Sauvé
		1990–1995	Ramon John Hnatyshyn
		1995–1999	Roméo LeBlanc
		1999–2005	Adrienne Clarkson
		2005-present	Michaëlle Jean

See also

★ The Canadian Crown and the Canadian Forces

★ Governor General of Canada

★ Commander-in-Chief

★ Monarchy in Canada: The Crown and the Canadian Forces

★ List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage: Military

★ List of titles and honours of Queen Elizabeth II

Footnotes

1. Constitution Act, 1867
2. Letters Patent, 1947
3. Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces
4. Proclamation of a State of War between Canada and Germany