^that's not entirely true, yes the govenor general is MOSTLY a figurehead, but they still have to sign off on any bill passed by parliament. Fun fact, the queen also has the power to dismantle the Canadian government and call another election if she deems it to be the right course of action. This has never happened in canada, but it did happen in australia (I can't remember the exact date off the top of my head, but i'll look it up if anyone is really curious), and after the forced elections, the former ruling party lost the election by quite a large margin. If this is still usefull for the thread creator, some argue that having the queen as a figurehead is beneficial because it gives canadians a national symbol that is above and unacociated with politics, and therefore less socially divisive. Also, because of the powers that the crown still has in canada, some argue that it is a check on the ruling party's power, that even in a majority government there is still a non-partisan body who can step in to readjust the situation if the current government is not acting with the will of the people.