what is the parliament of canada called?
Parliament of Canada
entailment
 Canada has a parliamentary system within the context of a constitutional monarchy , the monarchy of Canada being the foundation of the executive , legislative , and judicial branches . The sovereign is Queen Elizabeth II , who is also monarch of 15 other Commonwealth countries and each of Canada 's 10 provinces . As such , the Queen 's representative , the Governor General of Canada ( at present David Johnston ) , carries out most of the federal royal duties in Canada . 

entailment
 Canada has had its own Privy Council — the Queen 's Privy Council for Canada — since 1867 . While the Canadian Privy Council is specifically " for Canada " , the Privy Council discussed above is not " for the United Kingdom " ; in order to clarify the ambiguity where necessary , the latter was traditionally referred to as the Imperial Privy Council . Equivalent organs of state in other Commonwealth realms , such as Australia and New Zealand , are called Executive Councils . 

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 Canada has had many political debates between the French speakers and English speakers , particularly in the province of Quebec . Canada holds both French and English as official languages . The politics in Quebec are largely defined by nationalism as French Québécois wish to gain independence from Canada as a whole , based on ethnic and linguistic boundaries . The main separatist party , Parti Québécois , attempted to gain sovereignty twice ( once in 1980 and again in 1995 ) and failed by a narrow margin of 1 @.@ 2 % in 1995 . Since then , in order to remain united , Canada granted Quebec statut particulier , recognizing Quebec as a nation within the united nation of Canada . Canada is often described as a cultural mosaic . 

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 Canada 's aboriginal peoples had systems of governance organised in a fashion similar to the Occidental concept of monarchy ; European explorers often referred to hereditary leaders of tribes as kings . The present monarchy of Canada has its roots in the French and English monarchies , under the authority of which the area was colonised in the 16th @-@ 18th centuries , and later the British monarchy . The country became a self @-@ governing confederation on 1 July 1867 , recognised as a kingdom in its own right , but did not have full legislative autonomy from the British Crown until the passage of the Statute of Westminster on 11 December 1931 , retaining the then reigning monarch , George V , as monarch of the newly formed monarchy of Canada . The monarch is represented in the country by the Governor General of Canada , David Johnston , and in each of the provinces by a lieutenant governor . 

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 Canada 's post @-@ war economic growth , combined with the policies of successive Liberal governments , led to the emergence of a new Canadian identity , marked by the adoption of the current Maple Leaf Flag in 1965 , the implementation of official bilingualism ( English and French ) in 1969 , and the institution of official multiculturalism in 1971 . Socially democratic programs were also instituted , such as Medicare , the Canada Pension Plan , and Canada Student Loans , though provincial governments , particularly Quebec and Alberta , opposed many of these as incursions into their jurisdictions . Finally , another series of constitutional conferences resulted in the 1982 patriation of Canada 's constitution from the United Kingdom , concurrent with the creation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms . In 1999 , Nunavut became Canada 's third territory after a series of negotiations with the federal government . 
