Who was the Governor General of Canada when the holiday was renamed to Canada Day in 1982?

Edward Schreyer was Governor General of Canada when Dominion Day was renamed Canada Day in 1982.

Schreyer served as Canada’s 22nd governor general from 22 January 1979 until 14 May 1984. That placed him in office when Parliament changed the holiday’s name during the constitutional changes of 1982.

The renaming accompanied the patriation of Canada’s Constitution and the enactment of the Canada Act, 1982. The holiday continued to commemorate 1 July 1867, but “Canada Day” was considered a more direct and modern national name than “Dominion Day.”

The distractors represent other governors general from nearby periods. Jules Léger preceded Schreyer, while Jeanne Sauvé succeeded him in 1984. Roland Michener held the office much earlier, from 1967 to 1974. The law, rather than the governor general personally, effected the change.