What is 'royal assent'?

Discover Canada describes royal assent in one direct sentence. The guide writes: No bill can become law in Canada until it has been passed by both chambers and has received royal assent, granted by the Governor General on behalf of the Sovereign. The act the test wants is therefore the formal approval of a bill by the Governor General after it passes both Houses of Parliament.

Two facts pin the answer down. First, royal assent comes after the bill has been passed by both chambers — the elected House of Commons and the appointed Senate. Second, the assent is granted by the Governor General on behalf of the Sovereign — the Sovereign holds the formal authority, but the Governor General as the Sovereign's representative is the official who actually grants assent in Canada. Both halves are part of the right answer.

Discover Canada's legislative-process diagram puts royal assent at the very end. The seven steps are: "First Reading", "Second Reading", "Committee Stage", "Report Stage", "Third Reading", "Senate – The bill follows a similar process in the Senate," and finally "Royal Assent – The bill receives royal assent after being passed by both Houses." So royal assent is STEP 7 — the final, decisive step.

Without royal assent, no bill in Canada becomes a law. Discover Canada emphasises this with the words "No bill can become law" until it both passes both chambers and receives royal assent. So royal assent is what turns a parliamentary proposal into actual federal law — and the Governor General is the official who delivers it.

The question is testing whether new citizens have noticed exactly what royal assent is and who grants it. Discover Canada commits to two pieces of information together: it is the final step before a bill becomes law, and it is granted by the Governor General on behalf of the Sovereign.

The wrong answer choices each get the role wrong. The Prime Minister is head of government but does not grant royal assent. The Senate is one of the two chambers — its passage is a precondition for assent, not the assent itself. First reading is STEP 1 in the legislative process — not royal assent, which is STEP 7.