This would be the last Canadian viceregal appointment made by the monarch in his or her capacity as sovereign of the United Kingdom , as it was decided at the Imperial Conference in October 1926 that the Dominions of the British Empire would thereafter be equal with one another , and the monarch would operate for a specific country only under the guidance of that country 's ministers . Though this was not formalised until the enactment of the Statute of Westminster on 11 December 1931 , the concept was brought into practice at the start of Willingdon 's tenure as Governor General of Canada
Imperial Conference in October 1926
1926 Imperial Conference
Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon