Governor general is an executive official who directs the activities of deputy or lieutenant governors. The chief executive officer of a territorial possession is often known as a governor general. The governor general directly represents the head of the government that controls the possession. Governors general administer the possessions of the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. They also administer the overseas departments and territories of France.
The powers of the governor general vary according to the laws of different countries. For example, the governor general of Canada has no real authority. But in some possessions or colonies, a governor general has almost the power of an absolute monarch.
At times, governors general have asserted themselves more firmly than would be proper for a monarch to do. In 1926, Lord Byng, the governor general of Canada, provoked a grave constitutional crisis. He refused to dissolve Parliament when the prime minister, W. L. Mackenzie King, asked him to do so. Byng’s decision caused a dispute that resulted in British approval of a proposal limiting the governor general’s influence over local affairs. The dispute also contributed to British recognition of Canada as a voluntary partner in the Commonwealth of Nations. See Byng, Julian H. G.
Most governors general are citizens of the country or colony they govern. Some are selected by the people in the colony, and others by the government of the mother country. Governors general often work with councils or legislatures elected by the people. Under the more centralized French system, governors and governors general have extensive powers. Under the French constitution of 1958, the positions of governors and governors general were modified in most French possessions.
