ints him.
He holds office for five years, and his powers are strictly limited, as
in the case of the sovereign, all executive acts being done on the
advice of his cabinet, the members of which hold office only so long as
they retain the confidence of the people as expressed by their
representatives in parliament. The governor-general has, however, the
independent right to withhold his assent to any bill which he considers
in conflict with imperial interests. The following governors-general
have represented the crown since the federation of the provinces, with
the year of their appointment: Viscount Monck, 1867; Sir John Young
(afterwards Baron Lisgar), 1868; the earl of Dufferin, 1872; the
marquess of Lome (afterwards duke of Argyll), 1878; the marquess of
Lansdowne, 1883; Lord Stanley of Preston (afterwards earl of Derby),
1888; the earl of Aberdeen, 1893; the earl of Minto, 1898; Earl Grey,
1904. The upper house, or Senate, is composed of members who hold office
for life and are nominated by the governor-general in council. It
originally consisted of 72 members, 24 from Quebec, 24 from Ontario, and
24 from the maritime provinces, but this number has been from time to
time slightly increased as new provinces have been added. The House of
Commons consists of representatives elected directly by the people. The
number of members, originally 196, is subject to change after each
decennial census. The basis adopted in the British North America Act is
that Quebec shall always have 65 representatives, and each of the other
provinces such a number as will give the same proportion of members to
its population as the number 65 bears to the population of Quebec at
each census. In 1908 the number of members was 218.

Members of the Senate and of the House of Commons receive an annual
indemnity of $2500, with a travelling allowance. Legislation brought
forward in 1906 introduced an innovation in assigning a salary of $7000
to the recognized leader of the Opposition, and pensions amounting to
half their official income to ex-cabinet ministers who have occupied
their posts for five consecutive years. This pension clause has since
been repealed. One principal object of the framers of the Canadian
constitution was to establish a strong central government. An opposite
plan was therefore adopted to that employed in the system of the United
States, where the federal government enjoys only the powers granted to
it by the sovereign states. T