Who is the president of Canada?

Answer 1

Canada does not have a president as it is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. Instead, it is a subject of the British Queen, a Governor General who represents the Queen in Canada, and Prime Minister, who acts as head of state. Each of these people fill some of the roles commonly associated with a president.

Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state (since February 1952).

However, most of her duties are performed on her behalf by an appointed Governor General (viceroy) due to the Queen being shared by 15 other countries.

The current Governor General of Canada is Julie Payette(since October 2017).

The roles of both the Queen and the Governor General are largely ceremonial, but they do hold some reserve powers in times of crisis.

The Prime Minister is currently Justin Trudeau (since November 2015).

The Prime Minister of Canada is appointed by the Governor General, but has to maintain the confidence of the House of Commons (the democratically elected, and dominant, component of Parliament) in order to govern. As a result, he or she is conventionally the leader of the party (or rarely, coalition) with the largest number of members sitting in the House of Commons.