The Crown refers to the Canadian sovereign (currently King Charles III) and the constitutional authority exercised in the monarch's name. The Crown is represented federally by the Governor General and provincially by Lieutenant Governors. While the monarch holds formal constitutional powers (like giving royal assent to legislation), these powers are exercised on advice of elected governments, making the Crown's role largely ceremonial. The Crown is also a legal entity—governments act as 'the Crown,' Crown land is publicly owned, and legal actions involving government name 'the Crown' as party. Crown corporations are government-owned enterprises. The Crown represents constitutional continuity and the state itself, separate from whichever government holds power at any time.