h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Am i right in beleivng that the governer general is appointed from Britain or is he/she from Canada? In either case how much power do they exercise (as do they exercise power or is it just formality)

For a great many years, Canada's Governor General has been a Canadian (presently she's a Haitian-born Canadian, her predecessor, Adrienne Clarkson, was Hong Kong-born.). Officially she is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Parliament of Canada. The last time that a Governor General exercised power contrary to the the wishes of a sitting government was during the 'King-Byng affair' during which the sitting Prime Minister asked for the dissolution of Parliament and the calling of an election but the (British) Governor General instead asked the Leader of the Opposition to form a government. The present Governor General found herself in a similar situation last winter when asked by the Government to prorogue Parliament to avoid a confidence vote and possible replacement by a coalition of opposition parties. She chose to grant the Government's request.

So, in a nutshell, they are Canadians effectively appointed by the Prime Minister and in the ordinary course of things, the power they exercise is formal, but, constitutionally they can exercise real power if they have to.