Category Archives: Backgrounder

(Les distinctions honorifiques et la Couronne : le français suit) By Christopher McCreery (Registrar, Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada) Like flags and coats of arms, almost every country possesses an honours system which allows the state to recognize citizens for lifetime achievement, bravery, and military, civil or voluntary service. In formal honoursContinue reading “Honours and the Crown”

(Les fonctions vice-royales – IIe partie : les lieutenants-gouverneurs – Le français suit) By Andrew Heard (Professor of Political Science, Simon Fraser University; Fellow, Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada) Each of Canada’s ten provinces has a lieutenant governor representing the Queen, as Canada’s system of government is framed as both a monarchy andContinue reading “The Viceregal Offices, Part II: The Lieutenant Governors”

(Les relations Couronne-Peuples autochtones : le français suit) By Nathan Tidridge (Vice-President, Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada) Crown-Indigenous relationships are as diverse as the various nations that are part of the lands now known as Canada. There is no one definition that holds for the entire country. Ever since Indigenous Nations firstContinue reading “Crown-Indigenous Relations”

(Les fonctions vice-royales – Ire partie : le gouverneur-général – Le français suit) By Barbara Messamore (Professor of History, University of the Fraser Valley; Vice-President and Fellow, Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada) The Queen is Canada’s head of state. In the federal jurisdiction, the functions of the Crown are normally carried out byContinue reading “The Viceregal Offices, Part I: The Governor General”

(Pouvoirs de réserve de la Couronne : le français suit) By David Johnson (Professor of Political Science, Cape Breton University) There is a commonly-held perception about the monarchy in Canada that the Canadian viceregal representatives (the federal governor general and provincial lieutenant governors, who all represent the Queen in their respective jurisdictions) are mere figureheads performingContinue reading “Reserve Powers of the Crown”

(La Couronne et la Constitution : le français suit) By Barbara Messamore (Professor of History, University of the Fraser Valley; Vice-President and Fellow, Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada) The Crown is at the heart of Canada’s constitution. The core function of the representative of the Crown—whether that be the Sovereign in theContinue reading “The Crown and the Constitution”

(La succession au trône au Canada : le français suit) By D. Michael Jackson (President and Fellow, Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada) Who succeeds to the throne on the demise or abdication of the reigning monarch? The “rules of succession” provide for this eventuality. Historical Context The British North America Act of 1867 (nowContinue reading “The Succession to the Throne in Canada”

(La transition vers un nouveau Règne : ce qui arrive au Canada au décès du monarque régnant – Le français suit) By Nathan Tidridge (Vice-President, Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada) Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the person next in line to the throne (at the time of writing, the PrinceContinue reading “Transition to a New Reign: What Happens in Canada on the Death of the Reigning Monarch”

(La monarchie canadienne dans une perspective historique : le français suit) By D. Michael Jackson (President and Fellow, Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada) Monarchy has been at the centre of governments in Canada for more than 500 years. When John Cabot landed in Newfoundland in 1497 and Jacques Cartier did the sameContinue reading “Historical Perspective on Monarchy in Canada”