Who appoints the judges of the Supreme Court of Canada?

Discover Canada's diagram of "Canada's System of Government" records this directly. The guide writes: Supreme Court of Canada... Nine judges appointed by the Governor General. The role the test wants is therefore the Governor General.

The Supreme Court itself is described in plain language. Discover Canada writes: "The Supreme Court of Canada is our country's highest court." So the country's highest judicial body is staffed entirely by appointment — not by election — and the appointing role belongs to the Governor General as the Sovereign's representative.

The pattern of Governor General appointment is consistent across constitutional offices. Discover Canada says senators are also "appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister and serve until age 75," and that each Lieutenant Governor is "appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister, also normally for five years." So the Governor General sits at the centre of the Canadian appointment system, exercising the Sovereign's authority across federal and provincial constitutional roles.

The Supreme Court's place in Discover Canada's wider government structure is the Judicial branch — one of the three branches alongside the Executive (Prime Minister and Cabinet) and the Legislative (Parliament). The guide stresses that the three branches "work together but also sometimes in creative tension." So the Supreme Court is the apex of the Judicial branch, with its judges drawn from outside Parliament and appointed by the Governor General to interpret the law.

The question is testing whether new citizens know who formally appoints Supreme Court judges. Discover Canada commits to the Governor General. The right test answer is the same.

The wrong answer choices each pick a role Discover Canada does not assign this responsibility to. The Prime Minister advises on appointments throughout the constitutional system, but the formal appointment is by the Governor General. The Senate considers and reviews bills but does not appoint judges. The House of Commons is the elected chamber — also not the appointing body for the Supreme Court.