Role And Responsibilities

Constitutional Role

Lieutenant Governor’s Position in our System of Government

Canada has a parliamentary form of government, with a constitutional monarchy. It’s based on the British parliamentary model, but has been adapted to suit our own needs. Canada’s Constitution recognizes The Queen as our Head of State, representing the totality of the sovereign powers of the country, which includes both the federal and provincial governments.

The Lieutenant Governor holds the highest office in the province, representing The Queen as Head of State in Manitoba. It is a clearly different role from that of the Premier, who is the Head of Government and the leader of the party with the most support in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.

The Crown symbolizes the unity of the people and helps maintain our distinctiveness as Canadians. The U.S. has a republican form of government, quite unlike our parliamentary system.

The Crown is above party politics, and it gives citizens a non-partisan focus for their loyalty to the province. As The Queen’s representative, His Honour acts on behalf of Manitoba as a whole in the Vice-Regal role, rather than those who voted for the party in power at any given point in time.