Section 9 of the Constitution Act, 1867

John A. Macdonald, co-premier of Canada West (now Ontario) and one of the delegates to the Quebec Conference, explained this provision during the Confederation Debates in the Parliament of the Province of Canada. Commenting on the desirability of maintaining the British connection, he stated:

We accordingly felt that there was a propriety in giving a distinct declaration of opinion on that point, and that in framing the Constitution, its first sentence should declare that, "The executive authority or government shall be vested in the sovereign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and be administered according to the well understood principles of the British Constitution, by the Sovereign personally, or by the representative of the Sovereign duly authorized." The desire to remain connected with Great Britain and to retain our allegiance to Her Majesty was unanimous. Not a single suggestion was made, that it could, by any possibility, be for the interest of the colonies, or of any section or portion of them, that there should be a severance of our connection.[8]

Other supporters of Confederation also spoke in favour of the monarchical principle, such as Sir Étienne Taché, the co-premier for Canada East (now Quebec): "If we desired to remain British and monarchical, and if we desired to pass to our children these advantages, this measure [Confederation] was a necessity."[9] George-Étienne Cartier, one of the leading Bleus in support of Confederation, said: "In this country of British North America we should have a distinct form of government, the characteristic of which would be to possess the monarchical element."[10]

Support for the monarchical principle was not, however, unanimous in the Confederation Debates. Jean-Baptiste-Éric Dorion, a Rouge member of the Opposition, spoke against it, advocating that the new constitution should be republican in nature, similar to the American constitution:

This scheme of Confederation, this scheme of an independent monarchy, can lead but to extravagance, ruin and anarchy! You may decry as much as you choose the democratic system, and laud the monarchical system — the people will ever estimate them both at their proper value and will ever know that which will suit them best.[11]

By maintaining the monarch as the head of the executive, section 9 continued all of the royal prerogative powers of the monarch with respect to executive powers, as well as aspects of the prerogative relating to the operation of government, such as the power to appoint ministries, summon or dissolve Parliament, and call elections. Those powers are exercised on the advice of the elected government, under the principles of responsible government.[12][13]