The Crown and Canada

The monarch of Great Britain is the official leader of Canada... well, at least on paper. (This is a result of the British colonization and conquest of Canada starting in the 1500s.... okay it's a long story...) 

Canada, has gone from a colony, to a dominion to a full-fledged country (in 1982 when the Constitution Act was signed.)

This means that Canada is a constitutional monarchy which means that royal assent from the crown is necessary before any bill becomes law. We have a democratic system but we're technically not a democracy. (Confused yet?)

The representative of the Crown in Canada is the Governor General who is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister. (Essentially, the PM picks who the new Governor General will be and not the Queen.) A person is usually picked based on some great thing he or she has done for the country, his/her ability to represent and serve the people - and more often than not, his or her loyalty to the party who is in power (but maybe I am just being cynical)

The reason we still acknowledge the Crown is for historical traditions. The Queen, and Governor General for that matter, has little power in Canada. So don't let the whole "we're not a democracy" throw you off.

Incidently, the royal family has their own web page here: http://www.royal.gov.uk

Royal assent: approval from the "crown" necessary for a bill to become law. It's kind of like the Queen saying - "Alright, this sounds good" and then signing.

Crown: The historical/symbolic way of meaning the Queen or the Governor General. (Or even the government when it comes to the courts.)

The official Jubilee portrait. Doesn't it just scream: "One would be happy to boogie down!"

I lived in the UK during the Golden Jubilee year in 2002 and at the time I felt that I should probably do something with this

 page. Only I couldn't think of what.

I mean, I was technically here for the Jubilee - but I was kind of bogged down with exams at the time. From what my parents said, there was a lot of coverage in Canada. You guys probably saw more than I did!

Seriously though, people went nuts here - and it was great to see. I took some pictures that I will put up soon - especially since the Queen decided to go to St. Paul's the same way that I like to walk to school every day. That made things interesting. And there was a carnival outside my flat.

Interestingly enough, Queen Elizabeth II is the first monarch to have "Queen of Canada" in her title. How's that for a factoid?

Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, C.C., C.M.M., C.D.

Here is a brief bio on the Governor General that I got from the official website (http://www.gg.ca/).

For information on the role of the Governor General in Canada, click here.

Born in Hong Kong in 1939, Mme Clarkson came to Canada as a refugee with her family, during the war in 1942. She received her early education in the Ottawa public school system and later obtained an Honours B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Toronto. She also did post-graduate work at the Sorbonne in France. Mme Clarkson is fluently bilingual.

A leading figure in Canada's cultural life, Mme Clarkson has had a rich and distinguished career in broadcasting, journalism, the arts and public service. From 1982 to 1987, Mme Clarkson served as the first Agent-General for Ontario in Paris, promoting Ontario's business and cultural interests in France, Italy and Spain. She was the President and Publisher of McClelland & Stewart from 1987 to 1988. From 1965 to 1982, Mme Clarkson worked as host, writer and producer of several influential programs on CBC Television, including Take Thirty, Adrienne at Large and the Fifth Estate. A noted writer, she also contributed numerous articles to major newspapers and magazines in Canada and wrote three books. In 1988, she assumed responsibilities as Executive Producer, Host and Writer for the programs Adrienne Clarkson's Summer Festival and Adrienne Clarkson Presents for a period of 10 years. She also wrote and directed several films. Her work in television has garnered her dozens of TV awards in Canada and the U.S.

Until the announcement of her appointment as Governor General, Mme Clarkson served as Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec, as well as President of the Executive Board of IMZ, the international audio-visual association of music, dance and cultural programmers, based in Vienna. She was also the Executive Producer and Host of the CBC Television program, Something Special, a Lay Bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada as well as Honorary Patron of a number of artistic and charitable organizations.

Mme Clarkson has received numerous prestigious awards both in Canada and abroad in recognition for her outstanding contribution in a variety of endeavours. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1992, holds honorary doctorates from four Canadian universities, and received three honorary academic distinctions.

Mme Clarkson is married to the writer, John Ralston Saul.

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