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Canada is a Constitutional Monarchy and a Commonwealth Realm with Queen Elizabeth II as its reigning monarch and head of state.
In Canada, Her Majesty's official title is Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom, Canada and
Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. Such capacity is Her
Majesty The Queen in Right of Canada. In common practice Queen Elizabeth II is referred to simply as "The Queen" or "The
Queen of Canada" when in Canada.
Constitutional Monarchy in Canada
The most notable features of the Canadian constitutional monarchy are:
- Although Queen Elizabeth II is also monarch of the United Kingdom,
the United Kingdom does not have any sovereignty over Canada (nor does Canada have any sovereignty over the United Kingdom).
- In all matters of state, Queen Elizabeth II as Queen of Canada is advised exclusively by her governments in Canada. See also
Queen's Privy Council for Canada.
No British government can advise the Canadian monarch on Canadian matters.
- All executive power is theoretically reposed in the Queen, who is represented in Canada by the Governor General of Canada, the lieutenant governors of the provinces, and the territorial
commissioners. Royal Assent is required for all acts of Parliament and the
legislatures, which sit at her pleasure. Persons swearing allegiance to Canada, such as immigrants, soldiers, and parliamentarians,
swear allegiance to Her Majesty as Queen of Canada and as the legal embodiment of Canadian sovereignty. The Commissioners of Canada's northern territories of Nunavut, Yukon and the Northwest Territories are appointed by the federal Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs and are not
formal representatives of the Crown. However, as the role of commmissioner has become analogous to that of lieutenant governor
the position has developed an informal role in regards to the Crown.
- Nevertheless, as in the UK, the Queen's role is nearly entirely symbolic and cultural, and the powers that are theoretically
hers are exercised wholly upon the advice of the elected government. However, the Queen may act against such advice based upon
her reserve powers. In practice, the monarchy functions much like a
rubber stamp and a ceremonial symbol of executive authority. It is often
explained that the Queen reigns but does not rule. For more explanation of the Queen's role, see Governor General of Canada.
- Queen Elizabeth II, as is common for all her other non-UK realms, usually assumes the role of "Queen of Canada" only when she
is either present in Canada or (occasionally) when she performs certain ceremonies relevant to Canada (such as conferring
Canadian honours) in the UK. However, this convention has been excepted during certain visits to the United States, since it has
become traditional for the Queen to incorporate such visits into some of her longer Canadian tours. In 1959, for example, the
return dinner for the President of the United States was held at the Canadian, not the British, embassy.
History
There has not been a time when Canada was not a monarchy. First under the kings of France in the 16th, 17th, and 18th
centuries and then under the British Crown in the 18th and 19th centuries. Following Confederation, the "Canadianization" of the crown began.
The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act, 1927 replaced the concept of a singular crown throughout the British
Empire with multiple crowns with each dominion as a separate kingdom, all worn by the common shared monarch. The
Statute of Westminster 1931 granted the dominions of the Commonwealth independence from the British parliament and equality with the United Kingdom, however, the title "Queen of Canada" was not
created until 1953. Canada's constitution was patriated under Prime Minister Trudeau in 1982, becoming a Canadian law rather than an act of
the British parliament which required amendment in both jurisdictions. See Canada Act 1982.
The Constitution Act of 1982 also entrenched the monarchy in Canada, though some have argued this. Any change to the position
of the Monarch or their representatives in Canada now requires the unanimous consent of the Senate, the House of
Commons, and the legislative assemblies of all the provinces. However, the rules of succession are still laid down in British
law, not Canadian law, though the British Parliament cannot change the succession laws without the consent of the Commonwealth Realms.
Today, the majority of the Queen's duties are performed by her representatives in Canada, the Governor General and the Lieutenant Governors of the provinces, though occasionally, however,
the Queen's authority is appealed to by Canada's partisan political leaders. In 1990, Brian Mulroney, then Prime Minister of Canada, appealed to the Queen (under Section 26 of The
Constitution Act, 1867) to temporarily add eight seats to the Senate (a right reserved for the Queen). Senators are appointed
until the age of 75 in Canada. Mulroney made this move to secure passage of the controversial Goods and Services Tax, which faced
widespread opposition in Canada and would not have passed without the votes of the newly appointed Senators.
This was an occasion on which the Queen played a significant role in Canadian government, though as the monarch's advisors
made clear, the monarch felt bound to do as advised by Her Prime Minister, who was answerable to cabinet, parliament and the
Canadian electorate for whatever advice he gave. They argued that to in effect overrule prime ministerial advice would have
involved the Queen directly in controversy; by automatically accepting advice she placed the responsibility on the person giving
the advice.
Republicanism Debate
In contrast to Australian republicanism, there
is not widespread support for a republic, partly because few Canadians understand the present monarchical system of government.
However, throughout the late 20th century there has been increased discussion, mostly academic, of the need for a "Canadian
Monarchy." Some small republican groups, such as Citizens for a Canadian Republic, have formed and some politicans, such as former Deputy
Prime Minister John Manley, have expressed
interest in ending the monarchy.
Monarchists have responded by arguing that having a monarchy, with a Queen of Canada and a governor-general is one of the key
identity differences between the United States and Canada and thus is important to maintain the country's independence from its
southern neighbour. They point to the fact that a republican president might be seen just another president on the American
continent where the most prominent president is the President of the United States. A recent Ispos-Reid poll found that 62% of Canadians found
that the monarchy helps to define Canada's identity.
The Monarchist League of Canada exists as
a lobby group advocating and promoting the monarchy in Canada.
Quebec, however, is the only region in Canada with overwhelming support for a republic. This became pronounced in the 1960s
due to the growing Quebec separatist movement. A key moment was
the Queen's visit to Quebec City in 1964 when she was greeted by
anti-monarchist demonstrations and the route of her procession was lined with Quebecers showing their backs to the monarch. On
Samedi de la matraque (truncheon Saturday) police violently dispersed anti-monarchist demonstrators and arrested 36. The
Queen did not visit Quebec City again until 1987.
Since the mid 20th century there has been, however, a "downplaying" of the role of the Crown in Canada. During the centennial
year of Canadian confederation, in 1967, some Canadian opinion leaders, including the editorial board of the Toronto Star began to advocate the creation of a republic as a mark of the country's independence. God Save the Queen was replaced as the Canada's national anthem and is now only sung at extremely formal state services. From the early
1970s, all references to the monarch and the monarchy were slowly removed (i.e. The Queen's
portrait began to be taken down in public buildings and schools, the Royal Mail was changed to Canada Post, etc...) from the
public eye. In recent years there have been some attempts at removing references of the Queen from the Oath of Allegiance. Many
point out that this process of downplaying the monarchy has led to widespread misunderstandings about the institution and how
Canada is governed. In fact in a recent survey it was found that only 5% of Canadian's knew that Queen Elizabeth II was Queen of
Canada.
Public opinion polls have clearly shown Canadian's "mixed feelings" towards the monarchy. However, it is clear that the
prevailing attitude is one of indifference. At the same time, a recent poll found that the majority of respondents support Queen
Elizabeth II as Queen of Canada.
Opponents of the monarchy claim that its abolition would be a blow for democracy and remove an unnecessary expense for the
Canadian taxpayer. Many Canadian republicans also say it would remove Canada's last political connection to her colonial past,
and thus improve her image as a sovereign nation. At the same time, monarchists argue that Canadians would spend more money on a
presidential head of state. Monarchists also argue that a nation's history and past are the building blocks of a national
identity.
Prominent critics of the monarchy such as Citizens for a Canadian Republic point out that the Act of Settlement explicitly excludes Roman
Catholics from the throne and the Queen is Supreme Governor of the Church of England, requiring her to be an Anglican. This, they argue, discriminates against non-Anglicans, including Catholics who
are the largest faith group in Canada. Former Toronto city councillor Tony
O'Donohue launched a court action in 2002 arguing that the Act of Settlement violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and
Freedoms in that it discriminates against Catholics. His case was dismissed by the court, which found that the Act of
Settlement is part of the Canadian constitution and
thus the Charter of Rights does not have supremacy over it.
It is also noted that whereas Canada currently has a female head of state and a female governor-general and has had a female
prime minister, no woman has ever been president or vice-president in the United States. They also argue that a republican head
of state would cost more, not less, than the current monarchy, due to additional costs involved in updating the
governor-general's residences to full head of state presidential palace level, the costs of state visits, political advisors,
increased ceremonial functions, etc - functions that in many cases do not exist for a governor-general, given that they are not a
full head of state, but which would be required for a Canadian president.
Monarchists claim that since unanimity by all Canadian provinces is required to replace the monarchy, a republic will never be
attained. To counter this argument, Citizens for a Canadian Republic in March 2004 proposed measures to avoid constitutional
deadlock by advocating a parliamentary reform of the office of the governor general, an office generally expected to be
transformed into a presidency should the monarchy end. The group claims their proposal will address divisive aspects such as the
duties and selection process of the new head of state without constitutional amendment, leaving the remaining issue of who should
occupy the position to be decided in a referendum. On April 2, 2004, the House of Commons Standing Committee on
Government Operations and Estimates endorsed this formula, but no government action was taken.
There is also, in large part because of previous long disputes over constitutional issues and reforms, a reluctance to enter
into the extensive constitutional renegotiation that would be required to establish a new political system in Canada. Unlike
Australia, where constitutional reform is confined largely to the future of the monarchy, in Canada, there are comparatively more
pressing constitutional issues. Consequently, the 2004 election platforms of the main
political parties focused far more upon the reform or abolition of the Senate appointment of Supreme
Court judges, and the powers of provincial governments, than on the future of the monarchy.
At any rate, at this time this issue is not at all high on people's minds and it is widely predicted that there will no real
debate on the future of the monarchy in Canada until the death of the present Queen. Even then, the future of the monarchy in
Canada could depend on the Queen's successor. While Prince Charles is still unpopular in Canada, his son, Prince William, remains
extremely popular, especially amongst the younger generation of Canadians.
Recent polls on the monarchy in Canada:
Support for the monarchy in Canada dropped to record lows in the late 1990s. However with the new century, support for the
monarchy has rose to include the majority of Canadians.
1997 Pollara - Only 18% oppose replacing
Queen Elizabeth with a Canadian head of state when she dies. 32% favour scrapping the monarchy, 45% don't care and only 21%
support it. In Quebec, 70 per cent favoured the abolition of the monarchy. Arthur Bousfield, vice-chairman of the Monarchist
League of Canada, said the survey "probably" shows the lowest support for the monarchy ever recorded in a poll in Canada.
Jubilee Polls
In the year 2002, the year of the Queen's golden jubilee, polls were taken by Canada's
three biggest polling forms on Canadian views of the monarchy.
2002 Ekos - The poll found that support for
abolition of the monarchy is declining, yet also highlighted many contradictions in public opinion. 48% agreed and 35% disagree
with the statement, "Instead of a British monarch we should have a Canadian citizen as our head of state". Yet at the same time
only 43% disagreed and 41% agreed to the same question, worded slightly differently- "it's time to abolish the monarchy in
Canada."
Only 5% were even aware that the Queen was in fact Canada's head of state, with 69% thinking it was the Prime Minister and 9%
believing it was the Governor General. 55% agree that the monarchy keeps Canada distint from the United States, while 33%
disagree.
This survey has often been cited as evidence of the confusion that many Canadians have for the role of the monarchy in
Canada.
COMPLETE POLL RESULTS - PDF document
2002 Ipsos-Reid - The poll found that 79% of Canadians support the monarchy
as Canada's form of government and 62% believe that the monarchy helps to define Canada's identity. At the same time, 48% would
prefer a republican system of government with an elected head of state and two-thirds (65%) believe the royals are merely
celebrities and should not have any formal role in Canada.
The same poll also found that 58% don't think the monarchy is an issue important enough to go through the "fuss of changing
something that works".
COMPLETE POLL RESULTS - PDF document
2002 Leger Marketing - 50% said "yes" to the statement, "Elizabeth
II is currently the Queen of Canada. Do you (yes or no) want Canada to maintain the monarchy?" Only 43% said "no". There was
majority support for the monarchy in all areas except Quebec.
COMPLETE POLL RESULTS - PDF document
See also
Alberta - British Columbia
- Manitoba - New Brunswick -
Newfoundland and Labrador - Nova Scotia - Ontario - Prince Edward
Island - Quebec -
Saskatchewan -
Northwest Territories
Northwest
Territories - Yukon - Nunavut
External links
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