Elizabeth II and Canada?

Question

Why do so many people on here claim the queen holds no or littlle power over Canada? I'm confused. What's the truth?

Answer 1

Elizabeth II is the titular Head of State of Canada, as she is of many other Commonwealth nations.

Nonetheless, Canada is a fully sovereign nation in its own right.

Answer 2

Any people say that because... get ready for this... it's true!

The queen is merely the titular head of state.  A good analogy is that somebody has to hold the reins of the horses when their riders -- that is to say, when governments and pime mnisters change.  The queen and her representatives (the Canadian Governor general and the lieutenant governors in all the provinces) are merely there to play a constitutional role in the political system and to do other things, like salute deserving citizens who've done good deeds or brave things

Answer 3

The Queen is our sovereign , followed by our Governor General, then our Prime Minister and cabinet and ministers.

The PM and cabinet and ministers make up the Privy Council to the Queen.  Privy Council basically approves a new sovereign and royal marriages.  The last time they met for approval was in 1981 when Charles and Diana got married.

The Queen has to approve any changes to our constitution, that is the only power, so to speak, that she holds and the last time she did that was in 1982 when we changed the name.  In theory she is our leader but in reality she does sweet f.a.

Answer 4

The Queen does have some powers in Canada,but she's mostly a ceremonial head,since Canada is part of the UK Commonwealth.

From http://www.royalgov/uk

"Canada is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy with The Queen as Sovereign.

As a constitutional monarch, The Queen abides by the decisions of the Canadian Government, but she continues to play important ceremonial and symbolic roles.

In all these duties, The Queen acts as Queen of Canada, quite distinctive from her role in the United Kingdom or any of her other realms.

Over the course of more than 50 years The Queen has been a regular visitor to Canada, paying over 20 visits. Together with The Duke of Edinburgh, The Queen has travelled through every part of the different provinces to meet people from all cultures, walks of life and regions.

Canada has been a monarchy for centuries - first under the kings of France in the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, then under the British Crown in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and now as a kingdom in her own right.

The territories which now form Canada came under British power at various times by settlement, conquest or cession.

French Canada, with all its dependencies, including New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, was formally ceded to Great Britain by France in 1763. Vancouver Island was acknowledged to be British by the Oregon Boundary Treaty of 1846, and British Columbia was established as a separate colony in 1858.

The British North America Act paved the way for the evolution of modern Canada. In 1869 Ruperts Land, or the Northwest Territories, was purchased from the Hudsons Bay Company and annexed to Canada as the Northwest Territories in 1870.

By the same action the Province of Manitoba was created from a small portion of this territory and all were admitted into the Confederation in July 1870. In July 1871, British Columbia was admitted, and Prince Edward Island followed in July 1873.

The provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were formed from the provisional districts of Alberta, Athabaska, Assiniboia and Saskatchewan and originally parts of the Northwest Territories and admitted on 1 September 1905.

Newfoundland formally joined Canada as its tenth province in 1949. In February 1931 Norway formally recognised Canadian title to the Sverdrup group of Arctic islands, giving Canada sovereignty over the whole Arctic sector north of the Canadian mainland.

In 1999 Nunavut became the largest and newest territory in Canada. Formed from the eastern part of the Northwest Territories, this huge Canadian arctic territory has only about 25,000 residents, about 80 percent of whom are Inuit.

By the British North American Act of 1867, Canada became the first Dominion within the British Empire. This meant it was a country of the British Empire and later the Commonwealth, with autonomy in domestic and foreign affairs.

The Act set out a constitution with the executive authority vested in the Sovereign, and carried on in her name by a Governor-General and Privy Council, with legislative power exercised by a Parliament of two Houses, a Senate and a House of Commons.

The Act also united Upper and Lower Canada (now Ontario and Quebec), Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Over the following years other colonies and the Northwest Territories joined the Confederation, the last two being Newfoundland and Labrador in 1949, and Nunavut in 1999.

In 1926, the Imperial Conference in London confirmed the status of Canada, along with that of Australia, the Irish Free State, New Zealand, South Africa and Newfoundland, as self-governing Dominions under the British Crown.

The Statute of Westminster in 1931, an act of the British Parliament, gave legal form to this declaration. It gave Canada and other Dominions the authority to make their own laws.

Powers of the King were gradually transferred to the Governor-General, culminating in 1947 with the Letters Patent Constituting the Office of Governor-General, which authorized the Governor-General to exercise all the powers of the Sovereign in Canada, on the advice of the Canadian government.

There have been further constitutional changes in some of the Commonwealth realms during The Queen's reign.

The UK Parliament's Canada Act of 1982 enacted constitutional amendments which enabled the British North America Act to be replaced. It laid down that the future amendment of the constitution should be the prerogative of Canada.

Any change to the position of The Queen or her representatives in Canada now requires the unanimous consent of the Senate, the House of Commons and the assemblies of all the provinces.

Today the various provinces of Canada each have a separate Parliament and administration, with a Lieutenant-Governor representing The Queen, appointed by the Governor-General in Council, at the head of the executive.



As in all her realms, The Queen of Canada is a constitutional monarch, acting entirely on the advice of Canadian Government ministers. She is fully briefed by means of regular communications from her ministers, and has face-to-face audiences with them where possible.

The Queen personifies the state and is the personal symbol of allegiance, unity and authority for all Canadians. Legislators, ministers, public services and members of the military and police all swear allegiance to The Queen. Elections are called and laws are promulgated in The Queen's name.

The Queen is represented in Canada on a day-to-day basis by a Governor-General. He or she is appointed by The Queen on the advice of the ministers of Canada and is completely independent of the British Government.

The Queen maintains direct contact with the Governor-General, although she delegates executive power to the Governor-General in virtually every respect.

Since 27 September 2005 The Queen has been represented by Governor-General Michaëlle Jean.

The Governor-General's role is built on four major themes: representing the Crown in Canada; representing Canadians abroad and promoting their sovereignty; celebrating excellence and bringing Canadians together.

As the representative of The Queen in Canada, the Governor-General summons, opens and ends sessions of Parliament, reads the Speech from the Throne, gives Royal Assent to bills passed by the House of Commons and the Senate, signs State documents, and dissolves Parliament for an election. The Governor-General also presides over the swearing-in of the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of Canada and cabinet ministers.

At the request of the Canadian Prime Minister, the Governor-General travels to foreign countries building bridges of friendship and understanding. At home, the Governor-General welcomes world leaders and receives the credentials of high commissioners and ambassadors who represent their countries in Canada.

By granting honours, Canada pays tribute to outstanding people. The Governor-General, representing The Queen as the fount of the Canadian honours system, presents a variety of orders, decorations and medals, headed by the Order of Canada.

Both The Queen and the Governor-General send anniversary messages to individuals celebrating notable birthdays or anniversaries.



One form of involvement is support for the work of Canadian charities and public organisations. The Queen's patronages include the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Nurses' Association, the Canadian Red Cross Society, the Royal Canadian Humane Association, and Save the Children - Canada.

The Queen retains a special relationship with the Canadian Forces, acting as Colonel-in-Chief of various regiments: the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery; the King's Own Calgary Regiment; Le Royal 22e Régiment; the Governor-General's Foot Guards; the Governor-General's Horse Guards; The Canadian Grenadier Guards; Le Régiment de la Chaudière; the Calgary Highlanders; The Royal New Brunswick Regiment; 48thHighlanders of Canada; The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada; Royal Canadian Air Force Auxiliary; Canadian Forces Military Engineers Branch; and the Air Reserve.

While resident in the United Kingdom, The Queen honours Canadian achievements - for example, hosting a reception for Canadian achievers at Buckingham Palace in 2005.

Finally, through regular visits to Canada, The Queen meets as many people as possible, in every region, community, culture and area of Canadian life."