LEGISLATIVE POWERS. 
1A5 
5. By a clause in the Letters Patent the Crown has Summons 
conferred on the Governor-General all powers belonging to ves par 
the Crown in respect of the summoning, proroguing, or lament. 
dissolving of Parliament. 
6. He assents to bills on behalf of the Crown. Assents to 
The position of the Governor-General in regard to Bis. 
assenting to bills is governed by the 55th section of the 
British North America Act 1867 :— 
“Where a bill passed by the Houses of Parliament 
is presented to the Governor-General for the Queen’s assent, 
he shall declare according to his discretion, but subject 
to the provisions of this Act and to Her Majesty's Instruc- 
tions, either that he assents thereto in the Queen's name 
or that he withholds the Queen’s assent, or that he reserves 
the bill for the signification of the Queen’s pleasure.” 
Tt will be seen from this section that “subject to Her 
Majesty’s Instructions” three courses are open to the 
Governor-General “according to his discretion,” he may 
assent to the bill, or he may veto it, or he may reserve it for 
the Queen’s pleasure. It is therefore necessary to enquire 
what Instructions are usually given to the Governor-General, 
and how his discretion in assenting or vetoing is usually 
exercised. As regards the Instructions they are silent on the 
subject, except in so far as they require him to transmit all 
laws assented to or reserved by him, with explanatory observ- 
ations in regard to the occasions and reasons for proposing 
such laws®. 
Previous to the revision of the Instructions in 1878* 
the Governor-General was expressly required not to assent 
to bills which related to divorce, or granted land or money 
to the Governor, or made paper money legal tender, or 
imposed differential duties, or were contrary to treaty stipu- 
lations, or infringed the discipline or control of Her Ma- 
jesty’s forces, or affected the Royal prerogative, or contained 
1 Yee Instructions in Appendix. 2 See ante, p. 162.