![]() Monarchist Canadians argue that the monarchy is an important, unifying symbol of Canada’s history and heritage, and the King and his family are uplifting, positive role models - especially in contrast to divisive and unpopular politicians. Support or opposition to the monarchy does not tend to be a neatly right or left wing issue, and on any given day you can find plenty of journalists, politicians, or academics willing to argue passionately for either side. ![]() It’s not easy to generalize what sorts of Canadians support one side over the other. Though no major political party in Canada is officially in favour of cutting the country’s royal ties, there are two high-profile lobby groups that often debate the issue: the Monarchist League of Canada (pro) and Citizens for a Canadian Republic (anti). Is preserving constitutional ties to the monarchy something that strengthens Canadian patriotism and democracy? Or does it simply undermine Canada’s independence from Britain and bind the country to an out-of-date political system? It’s a debate that often pops up in the Canadian media, particularly whenever the royals come to town. Polls suggest the country is actually split quite evenly on whether the institution is worth keeping. Not everyone in Canada loves the monarchy. The Crown is often used as a synonym for the entire Canadian government itself, such as Crown-owned land or the Crown’s lawyers. In reality, the Queen doesn’t care one way or another, and is not personally involved in these decisions.įormally, King Charles is described as being Canada’s head of state - a symbolic figure of political authority - but the prime minister is called the head of government - the actual ruler of the country. Canadian laws are often full of phrases like “Her Majesty requests” this, or “Her Majesty desires” that… it’s ceremony and theatre to honour the idea of delegated royal power. In Canadian law, the impressive powers of the monarch are thus formally held by King Charles but lent to other people, mostly the Prime Minister of Canada (sometimes described as “his” prime minister), who governs on the King’s behalf and passes laws in his name using his royal authority. These two seemingly contradictory situations work together because Canada operates as what is called a constitutional monarchy, in which the monarch agrees to delegate powers to the nation’s elected politicians, rather than use them. Among other things, the monarch is said to be head of Canada’s parliament and the commander-in-chief of the Canadian armed forces. On the other hand, the Canadian Constitution grants sweeping political powers to “the Queen,” declaring that “ the executive government and authority of and over Canada” is vested in her. During her long reign, Queen Elizabeth only visited Canada occasionally and when she did, she mainly just cut ribbons, shook hands and smiled for photographers. ![]() On the one hand, the monarch doesn’t do much. There are 15 in all.ĭoes the British king have any power over Canada? It’s a common question, but the answer is complicated. Today, a country that shares the British crown is called a Commonwealth Realm. At one time these countries were known as the dominions of the British Commonwealth, but in recent decades that term has fallen out of fashion and the Commonwealth has expanded into a much larger, more generic “make the world better” international organization featuring many member countries that have no links to the British crown - or even British history. About a dozen or so countries have a similar arrangement worked out with Britain’s monarch, notably Australia, Jamaica and New Zealand, as well as a few smaller island nations in the Caribbean and Pacific. This unusual “sharing” of the British monarchy is not exclusive to Canada, however. He’s like an actor playing two different roles. In other words, Charles is supposed to consider his role as Canada’s king distinct from his role as Britain’s king, and so are the rest of us. This arrangement allows Canada to still be “under” the British royals, while simultaneously allowing Canada to argue it has its “own” independent monarchy. 1948), and the future King of Canada will be his son, Prince William (b. So the late Elizabeth II (1926-2022) was titled “Queen of Canada” during her long reign, and the new King of Canada is Charles III (b. Under the terms of the Canadian Constitution, the king or queen of the United Kingdom will always be recognized as the king or queen “of Canada,” as well.
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