View source for Monarchy of Canada

{{Short description|Canadian sovereign and head of state}}
{{Redirect2|Queen of Canada|Canadian crown|the most recent female monarch of Canada|Elizabeth II|the heraldic symbol of the Canadian monarchy|Canadian royal symbols#Canadian Royal Crown{{!}}Canadian Royal Crown}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=October 2021}}

{{Infobox monarchy
| border             = federal
| royal_title        = King
| realm              = Canada
| native_name        = {{Nobold|{{Lang|fr|Roi du Canada}}}}
| coatofarms         = Royal Coat of arms of Canada.svg
| coatofarms_article = Arms of the King of Canada
| armsnote           = 
| image              = His Majesty The King of Canada Charles III.png
| incumbent          = [[Charles III]]
| incumbentsince     = 8 September 2022
| his/her            = His
| heir_apparent      = [[William, Prince of Wales]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/royal-family/members-royal-family/prince-wales.html |work=Government of Canada |title=His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales|access-date=18 June 2025}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|https://www.canada.ca/en/services/culture/canadian-identity-society/monarchy-crown.html|canada.ca/monarchy-crown}}
}}

{{Politics of Canada}}

The '''monarchy of Canada''' is [[Canada]]'s [[Government#Forms|form of government]] embodied by the Canadian [[sovereign]] and [[head of state]]. It is one of the key components of [[Canadian sovereignty]] and sits at the core of [[Canadian federalism|Canada's constitutional federal]] structure and [[Westminster system|Westminster-style]] [[Parliamentary system|parliamentary]] [[democracy]].{{Refn|<ref>{{Cite conference |url=http://www.queensu.ca/iigr/sites/webpublish.queensu.ca.iigrwww/files/files/conf/Arch/2010/ConferenceOnTheCrown/CrownConferencePapers/The_Crown_and_the_Constitutio1.pdf |title=The Crown and the Constitution: Sustaining Democracy? |publisher=Queen's University |access-date=3 March 2016 |first=David E. |last=Smith |book-title=Conference on the Crown |date=June 2010 |location=Ottawa |page=6 |archive-date=8 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008154412/http://www.queensu.ca/iigr/sites/webpublish.queensu.ca.iigrwww/files/files/conf/Arch/2010/ConferenceOnTheCrown/CrownConferencePapers/The_Crown_and_the_Constitutio1.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Smith|1995|pp=87–90}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|pp=16–18}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Department of Canadian Heritage |author-link=Department of Canadian Heritage |title=Canadian Heritage Portfolio |place=Ottawa |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |date=February 2009 |edition=2 |url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/DAMAssetPub/DAM-min-dept/STAGING/texte-text/ppc-chp_1360181037578_eng.pdf?WT.contentAuthority=18.0 |page=3 |isbn=978-1-1001-1529-0 |access-date=5 July 2009 |archive-date=31 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531153121/https://www.canada.ca/home.html  |url-status=dead}}</ref>}} The monarchy is the foundation of the [[Executive (government)|executive]] ([[King-in-Council]]), [[legislative]] ([[King-in-Parliament]]), and [[judicial]] ([[Court system of Canada|King-on-the-Bench]]) branches of both [[Government of Canada|federal]] and [[Provinces and territories of Canada#Government|provincial]] jurisdictions.{{Refn|<ref>{{Citation |last=Victoria |author-link=Queen Victoria |publication-date=29 March 1867 |title=Constitution Act, 1867 |series=III.15 |location=Westminster |publisher=Queen's Printer |url=http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/ca_1867.html |access-date=15 January 2009 |date=1867 |archive-date=3 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100203024121/http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/ca_1867.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=MacLeod17>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=17}}</ref><ref name=DCH20094>{{Harvnb|Department of Canadian Heritage|2009|p=4}}</ref>}} The current monarch is King [[Charles III]], who has reigned since 8 September 2022.{{Refn|<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onca/doc/2014/2014onca578/2014onca578.html |title=McAteer v. Canada (Attorney General), 2014 ONCA 578 |publisher=Court of Appeal for Ontario |date=13 August 2014 |access-date=17 February 2016 |first=J.A. |last=Weiler |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210233122/http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onca/doc/2014/2014onca578/2014onca578.html |archive-date=10 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-01.asp |title=Discover Canada - Understanding the Oath |publisher=Citizenship and Immigration Canada |access-date=17 February 2016 |author=Government of Canada |date=September 2009 |archive-date=31 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531153110/https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/discover-canada/read-online/oath-citizenship.html  |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/House/compendium/web-content/c_d_rolecrowngovernorgeneral-e.htm |title=Parliamentary Framework - Role of the Crown |publisher=Parliament of Canada |date=October 2015 |access-date=17 February 2016 |archive-date=7 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507081041/http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/House/compendium/web-content/c_d_rolecrowngovernorgeneral-e.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://policyoptions.irpp.org/2015/03/02/citizenship-and-the-hollowed-canadian-crown |title=Citizenship and the hollowed Canadian Crown |publisher=Institute for Research on Public Policy |date=2 March 2015 |access-date=17 February 2016 |first=Philippe |last=Lagassé |archive-date=31 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531130611/https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2015/03/02/citizenship-and-the-hollowed-canadian-crown  |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/inquiryintorise03allegoog |quote=allen royal prerogative. |title=Inquiry into the rise and growth of the royal prerogative in England |publisher=Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans |date=1849 |access-date=17 February 2016 |first=John |last=Allen |pages=[https://archive.org/details/inquiryintorise03allegoog/page/n103 4]–7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www3.brandonu.ca/library/cjns/14.2/isaac.pdf |title=The Concept of Crown and Aboriginal Self-Government |publisher=The Canadian Journal of Native Studies |date=1994 |access-date=17 February 2016 |first=Thomas |last=Isaac |archive-date=21 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091221181401/http://www2.brandonu.ca/library/CJNS/14.2/isaac.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>}}

Although the sovereign is [[Personal union|shared]] with [[Commonwealth realm|14 other independent countries]] within the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], each country's monarchy is separate and legally distinct.{{Refn|<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ledevoir.com/documents/pdf/jugement_succession_trone.pdf |title=Jugement No. 200-17-018455-139 |publisher=Cour supérieure du Québec |via=[[Le Devoir]] |date=16 February 2016 |access-date=17 February 2016 |first=Claude |last=Bouchard |language=fr |page=16 |archive-date=31 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531153132/https://www.ledevoir.com/documents/pdf/jugement_succession_trone.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=evolve>{{Cite journal |title=Canada's Evolving Crown: From a British Crown to a "Crown of Maples"| last1=Romaniuk| first1=Scott Nicholas| last2=Wasylciw| first2=Joshua K. |journal=American, British and Canadian Studies Journal |date=February 2015 |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=108–125 |doi=10.1515/abcsj-2014-0030 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/TheQueensroleinCanada.aspx |title=Queen and Canada |publisher=The Royal Household |access-date=16 February 2016 |archive-date=20 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220102227/http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/TheQueensroleinCanada.aspx |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1444999464289 |title=The Queen of Canada |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=16 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224135322/http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1444999464289 |archive-date=24 February 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>}} As a result, the current monarch is officially titled [[Title and style of the Canadian monarch|''King of Canada'']] and, in this capacity, he and other members of the royal family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of Canada. However, the monarch is the only member of the royal family with any [[constitution]]al role. The monarch lives in the United Kingdom and, while several powers are the sovereign's alone,<ref>{{Citation |url=https://learn.parl.ca/understanding-comprendre/en/people-in-parliament/monarch-and-governor-general |author=Parliament of Canada |title=Monarch and Governor General |publisher=King's Printer for Canada |accessdate=13 March 2024 |archive-date=6 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240206145652/https://learn.parl.ca/understanding-comprendre/en/people-in-parliament/monarch-and-governor-general  |url-status=live}}</ref> most of the royal governmental and ceremonial duties in Canada are carried out by the monarch's representative, the [[governor general of Canada]].{{Refn|<ref>{{Cite journal |url=http://www.revparl.ca/35/2/35n2_12e_Hicks.pdf |title=The Westminster Approach to Prorogation, Dissolution and Fixed Date Elections |last=Hicks |first=Bruce |journal=Canadian Parliamentary Review |date=2012 |volume=35 |issue=2 |page=20 |archive-date=31 May 2020 |access-date=17 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531123140/http://www.revparl.ca/35/2/35n2_12e_Hicks.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=36}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://speech.gc.ca/en/content/faq#Q3 |title=Why does the Governor General give the Speech? |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |date=4 December 2015 |access-date=17 December 2015 |author=Government of Canada |archive-date=26 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426135912/http://speech.gc.ca/en/content/faq#Q3 |url-status=dead}}</ref>}} In each of [[Canada's provinces]], [[Monarchy in the Canadian provinces|the monarchy]] is represented by a [[Lieutenant Governor (Canada)|lieutenant governor]]. As territories fall under the federal jurisdiction, they each have a commissioner, rather than a lieutenant governor, who represents the federal [[Governor in Council|Crown-in-Council]] directly.

All executive authority is vested in the sovereign, so the monarch's consent is necessary for [[letters patent]] and [[orders-in-council]] to have legal effect.  As well, the monarch is part of the Parliament of Canada, so [[royal assent]] is required to allow for [[Bill (law)|bills]] to become law. While the power for these acts stems from the Canadian people through the constitutional [[Convention (norm)#Government|conventions]] of democracy,<ref>{{Harvnb|Marleau|Montpetit|2000|loc=Parliamentary Institutions}}</ref> executive authority remains vested in [[the Crown]] and is only entrusted by the sovereign to the government on behalf of the people. This underlines the Crown's role in safeguarding the rights, freedoms, and democratic system of government of Canadians, reinforcing the fact that "governments are the servants of the people and not the reverse".<ref name=MacLeod16>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=16}}</ref><ref name=Forseyp1>{{Harvnb|Forsey|2005|p=1}}</ref> Thus, within Canada's [[constitutional monarchy]] the sovereign's direct participation in any of these areas of governance is normally limited, with the sovereign typically exercising executive authority only with the [[advice and consent]] of the [[Cabinet of Canada]], and the sovereign's legislative and judicial responsibilities largely carried out through the [[Parliament of Canada]] as well as judges and [[Justice of the peace#Canada|justices of the peace]].<ref name=MacLeod16/> There are, though, cases where the sovereign or their representative would have a duty to act directly and independently under the [[doctrine of necessity]] to prevent genuinely unconstitutional acts.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Anne |last=Twomey |author-link=Anne Twomey (academic) |title=The veiled sceptre : reserve powers of heads of state in Westminster systems |date=2018 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-1085-7332-0 |location=Port Melbourne, Victoria |pages=13–15 |oclc=1030593191}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lagassé |first=Philippe |date=4 September 2019 |title=The Crown and Government Formation: Conventions, Practices, Customs, and Norms |url=https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/constitutional_forum/index.php/constitutional_forum/article/view/29384 |journal=Constitutional Forum |volume=28 |issue=3 |page=14 |doi=10.21991/cf29384 |issn=1927-4165 |doi-access=free |archive-date=31 May 2020 |access-date=20 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531145648/https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/constitutional_forum/index.php/constitutional_forum/article/view/29384 |url-status=live}}</ref> In these respects, the sovereign and his viceroys are custodians of the Crown's [[Reserve power#Canada|reserve powers]] and represent the "power of the people above government and political parties".<ref name=SKEX10>{{Citation |author=Cabinet Secretary and Clerk of the Executive Council |title=Executive Government Processes and Procedures in Saskatchewan: A Procedures Manual |place=Regina |publisher=Queen's Printer for Saskatchewan |date=April 2004 |page=10 |url=http://www.gov.sk.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=635,617,534,206,Documents&MediaID=752&Filename=2004Manual.pdf |access-date=30 July 2009 |archive-date=11 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611021424/http://www.gov.sk.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=635,617,534,206,Documents&MediaID=752&Filename=2004Manual.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Cabinet Secretary and Clerk of the Executive Council|2004|p=9}}</ref> Put another way, the Crown functions as the guarantor of Canada's continuous and stable [[Responsible government|governance]] and as a [[Nonpartisanism|nonpartisan]] safeguard against the [[abuse of power]].{{Refn|<ref name=MacLeod16/><ref>{{Harvnb|Roberts|2009|p=15}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=20}}</ref>}}

Canada has been described as "one of the oldest continuing monarchies in the world" of today.<ref name=evolve/><ref>{{Harvnb|Jackson|2013|page=26}}</ref> Parts of what is now Canada have been under a monarchy since as early as the 15th century as a result of colonial settlement and often competing claims made on territory in the name of the English (and later British) and French crowns.{{#tag:ref|The date of the first establishment of monarchy in Canada varies: some sources give the year as 1497, when [[John Cabot]] landed somewhere along the North American coast (most likely Nova Scotia or Newfoundland) claiming an undefined extent of land for King [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]],{{Refn|<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/john-cabot |last=Parsons |first=John |title=John Cabot |date=1 July 2008 |publisher=Historica Canada |access-date=20 January 2014 |archive-date=2 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202163131/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/john-cabot  |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Harper>Stephen Harper quoted in {{Citation |last=MacLeod |first=Kevin S. |author-link=Kevin S. MacLeod |title=A Crown of Maples |page=vii |place=Ottawa |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |date=2012 |edition=2 |url=http://canadiancrown.gc.ca/DAMAssetPub/DAM-CRN-jblDmt-dmdJbl/STAGING/texte-text/crnMpls_1336157759317_eng.pdf?WT.contentAuthority=4.4.4 |isbn=978-0-6624-6012-1 |access-date=28 November 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622034702/http://canadiancrown.gc.ca/DAMAssetPub/DAM-CRN-jblDmt-dmdJbl/STAGING/texte-text/crnMpls_1336157759317_eng.pdf?WT.contentAuthority=4.4.4 |archivedate=22 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.crht.ca/DiscoverMonarchyFiles/SovereignsofCanada.html| last1=Bousfield| first1=Arthur| last2=Toffoli| first2=Garry |title=The Sovereigns of Canada |publisher=Canadian Royal Heritage Trust |access-date=5 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070816232814/http://www.crht.ca/DiscoverMonarchyFiles/SovereignsofCanada.html |archive-date=16 August 2007}}</ref>}} while others put it at 1534, when the [[Canada (New France)|colony of Canada]] was founded in the name of King [[Francis I of France|Francis I]].{{Refn|<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/why-canada-needs-the-monarchy |title=Why Canada Needs the Monarchy |journal=The Canadian Encyclopedia |publisher=Historica Canada |access-date=18 February 2015 |archive-date=19 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219023017/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/why-canada-needs-the-monarchy  |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=DCHMon>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/fr-rf/index-eng.cfm |last=Department of Canadian Heritage |title=Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > The Canadian Monarchy |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=14 May 2009 |archive-date=25 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825002610/https://www.canada.ca/home.html |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Kenney>{{Cite book |last=Kenney |first=Jason |author-link=Jason Kenney |date=23 April 2007 |contribution=Speech to the Lieutenant Governors Meeting |contribution-url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pc-ch/minstr/arc_disc-spch/kenney/2007/20070423-eng.cfm |editor-last=Department of Canadian Heritage |editor-link=Department of Canadian Heritage |title=Speeches > The Honourable Jason Kenney |place=Regina |publication-place=Ottawa |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=27 January 2010 |archive-date=11 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611163321/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pc-ch/minstr/arc_disc-spch/kenney/2007/20070423-eng.cfm |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Valpy1109>{{Cite news |last=Valpy |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Valpy |title=The monarchy: Offshore, but built-in |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=13 November 2009 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/the-monarchy-offshore-but-built-in/article4292569/?page=all |access-date=14 November 2009 |location=Toronto |archive-date=30 October 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131030093234/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/the-monarchy-offshore-but-built-in/article4292569/?page=all |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=MacLeod6>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=6}}</ref><ref name=Senate>{{Cite web |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Senate/Monarchy/senmonarchy_00-e.htm |last=Parliament of Canada |author-link=Parliament of Canada |title=Canada: A Constitutional Monarchy |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=25 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110509072741/http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Senate/Monarchy/SenMonarchy_00-e.htm |archive-date=9 May 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>}} Historian Carolyn Harris places the beginning of Canada's monarchical government at the appointment of [[Samuel de Champlain]] as [[Governor of New France]], representing King [[Louis XIII]], in 1627.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/french-canada-and-the-monarchy |last=Harris |first=Carolyn |title=French Canadians and the Monarchy |date=13 January 2023 |encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia |publisher=Historica Canada |access-date=14 March 2023 |archive-date=14 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814134436/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/french-canada-and-the-monarchy |url-status=live}}</ref>|group=n}} Monarchical government has developed as the result of [[European colonization of the Americas|colonization]] by the [[French colonial empire]] and [[British Empire]] competing for territory in North America and a corresponding [[List of Canadian monarchs|succession]] of French and British sovereigns reigning over [[New France]] and [[British America]], respectively. As a result of the [[conquest of New France]], claims by French monarchs were extinguished and what became [[British North America]] came under the hegemony of the British monarchy which ultimately evolved into the Canadian monarchy of today.{{Refn|<ref name=Harper/><ref name=Kenney/><ref name=Valpy1109/><ref name=Senate/><ref>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|pp=2–3, 39}}</ref><ref name=Monet>{{Cite journal |last=Monet |first=Jacques |title=Crown and Country |journal=Canadian Monarchist News |volume=Summer 2007 |issue=26 |page=8 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=2007 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2007/Summer_2007_CMN.pdf |access-date=15 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625225416/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2007/Summer_2007_CMN.pdf |archive-date=25 June 2008}}</ref>}} With the exception of [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] from [[Commonwealth of England|1649 to 1660]], no part of what is now Canada has been a republic or part of a republic;<ref>{{Harvnb|Tidridge|2011|p=23}}</ref> though, there have been isolated calls for the country to become one. The Crown, however, is considered to be "entrenched" into the governmental framework.{{Refn|<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/2017/01/the-monarchy-in-canada-god-save-the-queen |title=The Monarchy in Canada: God Save the Queen? |date=1 January 2017 |publisher=Centre for Constitutional Studies |access-date=14 April 2023 |archive-date=14 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414221811/https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/2017/01/the-monarchy-in-canada-god-save-the-queen  |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://iscc-iecc.ca/backgrounder/historical-perspective-on-monarchy |last=Jackson |first=D. Michael |title=Historical Perspective on Monarchy in Canada |date=14 December 2021 |publisher=Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada |access-date=14 April 2023 |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326052643/https://iscc-iecc.ca/backgrounder/historical-perspective-on-monarchy  |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/crown |last=Harris |first=Carolyn |title=Crown |date=30 March 2023 |encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia |publisher=Historica Canada |access-date=14 April 2023}}</ref>}} The institution that is Canada's system of constitutional monarchy is sometimes [[colloquially]] referred to as the ''[[Maple leaf|Maple]] Crown''{{#tag:ref|The term was first coined by [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General]] [[Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey|the Lord Grey]] in 1905, when he stated in a [[telegram]] to King [[Edward VII]] regarding the inauguration of [[Alberta]] and [[Saskatchewan]] into [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]]: "[each one] a new leaf in Your Majesty's Maple Crown".{{Refn|<ref name=Kenney/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Grey |first=Albert |author-link=Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey |orig-date=4 March 1905 |date=1 September 1905 |contribution=Grey to Edward VII |editor-last=Doig |editor-first=Ronald P. |title=Earl Grey's Papers: An Introductory Survey |edition=1 |location=London |publisher=Private Libraries Association}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=The way forward with Canada's maple Crown |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=14 November 2009 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/the-way-forward-with-canadas-maple-crown/article1363410  |access-date=14 November 2009 |location=Toronto |archive-date=15 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091115123738/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/the-way-forward-with-canadas-maple-crown/article1363410  |url-status=dead}}</ref>}}|group=n|name=Maple}} or ''Crown of Maples'',<ref>{{Harvnb|Newman|2017|p=56}}</ref> Canada having developed a "recognizably Canadian brand of monarchy".<ref name=Jackson14>{{Harvnb|Jackson|2018|p=14}}</ref>

==International and domestic aspects==
{{Further|Commonwealth realm#Relationship of the realms}}
[[File:Commonwealth realm map.svg|thumb|{{Legend|#000080|Commonwealth realms}}{{Legend|#5961e6|Overseas territories of Commonwealth realms}} <hr/> The 15 realms of which King Charles III is the reigning sovereign]]

The monarch is shared in a [[personal union]] with 14 other [[Commonwealth realm]]s within the 56-member [[Commonwealth of Nations]]. As he resides<ref>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2012|p=34}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/king-charles-canada-connection-1.6588807 |last=Tasker |first=John Paul |title='This great country': An inside look at Charles's 50-year romance with Canada |date=21 September 2022 |publisher=CBC News |accessdate=13 March 2024 |archive-date=13 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240313205245/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/king-charles-canada-connection-1.6588807 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{UN_Population|ref}} in the United Kingdom, [[viceroy]]s (the [[governor general of Canada]] in the federal sphere and a [[Lieutenant governor (Canada)|lieutenant governor]] in each province) represent the sovereign in Canada and are able to carry out most of the royal governmental duties, even when the monarch is in the country{{#tag:ref|For instance, Governor General [[Jules Léger]] ended the second session of the [[30th Canadian Parliament]] on 17 October 1977, while Queen Elizabeth II was in Ottawa to deliver the Speech from the Throne at the opening of the third session on 18 October. Governor General [[Adrienne Clarkson]] granted royal assent to four bills on 19 May 2005,<ref>{{Citation |url=https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/AnnualStatutes/index2005.html |author=Government of Canada |title=2005 Annual Statutes |date=15 March 2017 |publisher=King's Printer for Canada |accessdate=13 March 2024}}</ref> while Queen Elizabeth II was touring Saskatchewan and Alberta to mark the 100th anniversary of those provinces joining Confederation.|group=n|name=ViceDuties}} Nevertheless, the monarch can carry out Canadian constitutional and ceremonial duties abroad.{{#tag:ref||group=n|name=RoyVis}}{{#tag:ref|For example, Queen Elizabeth II was in the United Kingdom when she signed the [[Flag of Canada#Proclamation|proclamation of the National Flag of Canada]] in 1965.<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/publications/archivist-magazine/015002-2021-e.html |url-status=dead |last=Grace |first=John |editor-last=Library and Archives Canada |title=Conserving the Proclamation of the Canadian Flag |journal=The Archivist |date=1990 |publisher=National Archives of Canada |accessdate=16 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021133944/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/publications/archivist-magazine/015002-2021-e.html |archive-date=21 October 2012}}</ref> King George VI was in the United Kingdom when, as king of Canada, he [[Canadian declaration of war on Germany|declared war on Germany]] in 1939.<ref>{{Citation |last=Creighton |first=Donald |title=The Forked Road: Canada 1939–1957 |publisher=McClelland and Stewart |date=1976 |page=2}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.lawtimesnews.com/20060501549/Headline-News/War-power-and-the-Royal-Prerogative |url-status=dead |last=Brode |first=Patrick |title=War power and the Royal Prerogative |journal=Law Times |date=1 May 2006 |publisher=Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. |accessdate=2 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122075404/http://www.lawtimesnews.com/20060501549/Headline-News/War-power-and-the-Royal-Prerogative |archive-date=22 November 2012}}</ref>|group=n|name=RoyDuties}}

The evolution of the role of the governor general from being both a representative of the sovereign and an "agent of the British government" who " in matters deemed to be of 'imperial' concern... acted on the instructions of the British [[Colonial Office]]"<ref>{{Cite web |title=1. PARLIAMENTARY INSTITUTIONS CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARY INSTITUTIONS |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/marleaumontpetit/DocumentViewer.aspx?Language=E&Print=1&Sec=Ch01&Seq=3#:~:text=At%20the%20time%20of%20Confederation,of%20the%20British%20Colonial%20Office. |website=HOUSE OF COMMONS PROCEDURE AND PRACTICE |publisher=Parliament of Canada |access-date=April 24, 2024}}</ref> to being solely a representative of the monarch developed with a rise in [[Canadian nationalism]] following the end of the [[First World War]] culminating in the passage of the [[Statute of Westminster 1931|Statute of Westminster]] in 1931.<ref name=MacLeod9>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=9}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/statute-of-westminster| last1=McIntosh| first1=Andrew| last2=Hillmer| first2=Norman| last3=Foot| first3=Richard |title=Statute of Westminster, 1931 |date=29 April 2020 |encyclopedia=The canadian Encyclopedia |publisher=Historica Canada |accessdate=10 March 2024 |archive-date=10 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240310185849/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/statute-of-westminster |url-status=live}}</ref> Since then, the Crown has had both a shared and a separate character: the sovereign's role as monarch of Canada has been distinct from his or her position as monarch of any other realm,{{#tag:ref|The sovereign has [[#Foreign visits|carried out foreign relations as the representative uniquely of Canada]]. |group=n |name=RoyVis}}{{Refn|<ref name=evolve/><ref name=Trepanier28>{{Harvnb|Trepanier|2004|p=28}}</ref><ref name=Torrance34>{{Harvnb|Torrance|2022a |p=34}}</ref><ref name=OCCanThrone>{{Citation |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/op-ed/Succeeding+Canadian+throne/7651371/story.html| last1=Bowden| first1=James| first2=Philippe| last2=Lagassé |title=Succeeding to the Canadian throne |date=6 December 2012 |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |access-date=6 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130110062651/http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/op-ed/Succeeding+Canadian+throne/7651371/story.html |archive-date=10 January 2013}}</ref>}} including the United Kingdom.{{#tag:ref|The [[English Court of Appeal]] ruled in 1982, while "there is only one person who is the Sovereign within the British Commonwealth [...] in matters of law and government the Queen of the United Kingdom, for example, is entirely independent and distinct from the Queen of Canada."<ref name=HCA>{{Cite court |litigants=R v Foreign Secretary, Ex parte Indian Association (as referenced in High Court of Australia: Sue v Hill [1999] HCA 30; 23 June 1999; S179/1998 and B49/1998) |vol=QB 892 at 928 |court=English Court of Appeal |date=June 1999 |url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/1999/30.html |archive-date=16 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116214251/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/1999/30.html |url-status=live}}</ref> |group=n |name=ECApp}}{{Refn|<ref name=DCHCrown>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/101/102-eng.cfm |last=Department of Canadian Heritage |title=Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > The crown in Canada |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=19 February 2009 |archive-date=27 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827092532/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/101/102-eng.cfm |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Romney273>{{Cite book |last=Romney |first=Paul |title=Getting it wrong: how Canadians forgot their past and imperilled Confederation |publisher=University of Toronto Press |date=1999 |location=Toronto |page=[https://archive.org/details/gettingitwrongho0000romn/page/273 273] |url=https://archive.org/details/gettingitwrongho0000romn |url-access=registration |isbn=978-0-8020-8105-6}}</ref><ref name=Buchan1969>{{Harvnb|Buchan|1969|p=94}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Aird|1985|p=3}}</ref>}} Only Canadian federal [[Minister of the Crown|ministers of the Crown]] may advise the sovereign on any and all matters of the Canadian state,{{#tag:ref|In 1997, then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom [[Tony Blair]] intended to offer a [[life peer]]age to Canadian businessman [[Conrad Black]]. However, citing the 1919 [[Nickle Resolution]], the Canadian Cabinet advised the Queen not to grant Black such an honour. If Blair had not yielded, the Queen would have been in the situation of having to grant an honour on the advice of her British Prime Minister and to object to the same as Queen of Canada on the advice of then-Canadian Prime Minister [[Jean Chrétien]]. |group=n |name=Black}}{{Refn|<ref name=Romney273/><ref name=Buck2>{{Cite web |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/TheQueensroleinCanada.aspx |author=The Royal Household |title=The Queen and the Commonwealth > Queen and Canada > The Queen's role in Canada |publisher=Queen's Printer |access-date=15 May 2009 |archive-date=20 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220102227/http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/TheQueensroleinCanada.aspx |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=King of Canada |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |page=21 |date=9 November 1945 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yK0uAAAAIBAJ&pg=6362,1637716&hl=en |access-date=14 October 2010 |archive-date=31 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531153311/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yK0uAAAAIBAJ&pg=6362,1637716&hl=en |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Citation| last1=Dawson| first1=R. MacGregor| last2=Dawson| first2=W. F. |title=Democratic Government in Canada |publisher=University of Toronto Press |date=1989 |location=Toronto, Buffalo, London |page=67 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uOSN8PsTOFwC&q=monarchy%20canada&pg=PA66 |edition=5 |isbn=978-0-8020-6703-6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Scott |first=F. R. |title=The End of Dominion Status |journal=The American Journal of International Law |volume=38 |date=January 1944 |pages=34–49 |doi=10.2307/2192530 |issue=1 |jstor=2192530 |publisher=American Society of International Law| s2cid=147122057}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.cpsa-acsp.ca/papers-2009/Donovan.pdf |last=Donovan |first=David |title=The Governor General and Lieutenant Governors: Canada's Misunderstood Viceroys |date=2009 |page=3 |publisher=Canadian Political Science Association |access-date=29 January 2013 |archive-date=16 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916152850/https://www.cpsa-acsp.ca/papers-2009/Donovan.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>}} of which the sovereign, when not in Canada, is kept abreast by weekly communications with the federal viceroy.<ref name=Heard>{{Citation |first=Andrew |last=Heard |title=Canadian Independence |date=1990 |place=Vancouver |publisher=Simon Fraser University |url=https://www.sfu.ca/~aheard/324/Independence.html |access-date=25 August 2010 |archive-date=21 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221150147/http://www.sfu.ca/~aheard/324/Independence.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The monarchy thus ceased to be an exclusively British institution and, in Canada, became a Canadian,{{Refn|<ref name=Valpy1109/><ref name=MacLeod3>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ops.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=48c8c59c-c1b6-442d-aa4e-bfb86287269f |author=Saskatchewan Office of the Provincial Secretary |title=About OPS > Protocol Office > Protocol in Practice > The Crown |publisher=Queen's Printer for Saskatchewan |access-date=16 May 2009 |archive-date=23 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023060815/http://www.ops.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=48c8c59c-c1b6-442d-aa4e-bfb86287269f |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Forsey>{{Cite journal |last=Forsey |first=Helen |title=As David Johnson Enters Rideau Hall&nbsp;... |journal=The Monitor |publisher=Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives |location=Ottawa |date=1 October 2010 |url=http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/david-johnson-enters-rideau-hall |access-date=23 January 2011 |archive-date=3 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203201325/http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/david-johnson-enters-rideau-hall |url-status=live}}</ref>}} or "domesticated",<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mallory |first=J.R. |title=Seals and Symbols: From Substance to Form in Commonwealth Equality |journal=The Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=281–291 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |location=Montreal |date=August 1956 |doi=10.2307/138434 |jstor=138434 |issn=0008-4085}}</ref> establishment, though it is still often denoted as "British" in both legal and common language,<ref name=Valpy1109/> for reasons historical, political, and of convenience.
[[File:Airbus CC-150 Polaris at Yellowknife Airport.jpg|thumb|A [[Royal Canadian Air Force VIP aircraft|Royal Canadian Air Force Royal Flight]], used to transport [[William, Prince of Wales|the Duke]] and [[Catherine, Princess of Wales|Duchess of Cambridge]] during their [[2011 royal tour of Canada]].]]
This division is illustrated in a number of ways: The sovereign, for example, holds [[Title and style of the Canadian monarch|a unique Canadian title]] and,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Royal Style and Titles Act, 1985 |url=http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/laws/stat/rsc-1985-c-r-12/latest/rsc-1985-c-r-12.html |publisher=CanLII |access-date=27 November 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606013514/http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/laws/stat/rsc-1985-c-r-12/latest/rsc-1985-c-r-12.html |archive-date=6 June 2009}}</ref> when he and other members of the royal family are acting in public specifically as representatives of Canada, they use, where possible, Canadian symbols, including the country's [[Flag of Canada|national flag]], [[#Symbols, associations, and awards|unique royal symbols]], [[Uniforms of the Canadian Forces|armed forces uniforms]],{{Refn|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Moore |first=Oliver |title=Aye, aye, Ma'am |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=29 June 2010 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/aye-aye-maam/article1623623  |access-date=30 June 2010 |location=Toronto |archive-date=16 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916152901/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/aye-aye-maam/article1623623  |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=John |first=Ward |title=Prince Charles joins in national Remembrance Day ceremonies |newspaper=The Telegram |date=12 November 2009 |url=http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=302415&sc=507 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091114231806/http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=302415&sc=507 |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 November 2009 |access-date=30 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Deachman |first=Bruce |title=Royals arrive in Ottawa in final leg of cross-Canada tour |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |date=9 November 2009 |url=http://www.canada.com/entertainment/Prince+Charles+honours+Canada+navy+last+stop/2203180/story.html |access-date=30 June 2010 |archive-date=31 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531145651/http://www.canada.com/entertainment/Prince+Charles+honours+Canada+navy+last+stop/2203180/story.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Royal Respect for Canada's Vimy Heroes |journal=Canadian Monarchist News |volume=Summer 2007 |issue=26 |page=4 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=2007 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2007/Summer_2007_CMN.pdf |access-date=30 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625225416/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2007/Summer_2007_CMN.pdf |archive-date=25 June 2008}}</ref>}} and the like, as well as Canadian Forces aircraft or other Canadian-owned vehicles for travel.<ref name=GMtravel>{{Cite news |last=Paperny |first=Anna Mehler |title=Behind the royal tour, a businesslike Usher of the Black Rod |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |page=1 |date=26 June 2011 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/behind-the-royal-tour-a-businesslike-usher-of-the-black-rod/article2076516  |access-date=30 June 2011 |location=Toronto |archive-date=1 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110701022243/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/behind-the-royal-tour-a-businesslike-usher-of-the-black-rod/article2076516  |url-status=dead}}</ref> Once in Canadian airspace, or arrived at a Canadian event taking place abroad, the [[Canadian secretary to the King]], officers of the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] (RCMP), and other Canadian officials will take over from whichever of their other realms' counterparts were previously escorting the King or other member of the royal family.<ref name=GMtravel/><ref name=Macleans>{{Cite magazine |last=Treble |first=Patricia |title=The Queen's man on the ground |magazine=Maclean's |issue=July 2010 |publisher=Rogers Communications |location=Toronto |date=8 July 2010 |url=http://www.macleans.ca/2010/07/08/the-queens-man-on-the-ground |issn=0024-9262 |access-date=10 July 2010 |archive-date=14 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714163244/http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/07/08/the-queens-man-on-the-ground  |url-status=live}}</ref>

The sovereign similarly only draws from Canadian funds for support in the performance of his duties when in Canada or acting as King of Canada abroad; Canadians do not pay any money to the King or any other member of the royal family, either towards personal income or to support royal residences outside of Canada.<ref name=2010TourFAQ>{{Cite web| author1=Government of Canada |title=Frequently Asked Questions |url=http://royaltour.gc.ca/faq-eng.cfm |website=2010 Royal Tour |access-date=15 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621033614/http://royaltour.gc.ca/faq-eng.cfm |archive-date=21 June 2010}}</ref><ref name=CCC>{{Cite periodical| first1=Sean| last1=Palme| first2=John| last2=Aimers| author2-link=John Aimers |title=The Cost of Canada's Constitutional Monarchy: $1.10 per Canadian |date=Autumn 2002 |periodical=Canadian Monarchist News |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/new/docs/costofcrown.html |access-date=15 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619203100/http://www.monarchist.ca/new/docs/costofcrown.html |archive-date=19 June 2008}}</ref>

There are five aspects to the monarchy of Canada: constitutional (such as the use of the [[royal prerogative]] in summoning and dissolving parliament, granting [[royal assent]]), national (delivering the [[Speech from the Throne]] and the [[Royal Christmas Message]], distributing honours, decorations, and medals, and partaking in [[Remembrance Day#Canada|Remembrance Day]] ceremonies), international (the monarch being head of state in other Commonwealth realms, and being the [[head of the Commonwealth]]), religious (the words ''[[by the grace of God]]'' in the [[Title and style of the Canadian monarch|monarch's title]], the ''[[Act of Settlement, 1701]]'', requiring the sovereign to be Anglican, and the monarch encouraging people "to tolerate, accept, and understand cultures, beliefs, and faiths different from our own"), and the welfare and service monarchy (seen in members of the [[#Royal family and house|royal family]] founding charities and supporting others, fundraising for charity, and [[List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage|giving royal patronage to civil and military organizations]]).<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/22.1-Full-Issue.pdf| editor-last1=Lagassé| editor-first1=Philippe| editor-last2=MacDonald| editor-first2=Nicholas A. |title=The Crown in the 21st Century| last1=Hazell| first1=Robert| last2=Morris| first2=Bob |series=If the Queen Has No Reserve Powers Left, What Is the Modern Monarchy For? |journal=Review of Constitutional Studies |volume=22 |issue=1 |date=2017 |pages=13–27 |publisher=Centre for Constitutional Studies |location=Edmonton |access-date=31 May 2023 |archive-date=16 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816131152/https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/22.1-Full-Issue.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Succession and regency===
{{Further|Succession to the British throne|Succession to the Throne Act, 2013}}
{{Multiple image
| total_width=260
| image1   =Gerrit van Honthorst (c.1590-1592-1656) - Electress Sophia (1630–1714), Princess Palatine, Consort of Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover - 493063 - National Trust.jpg
| caption1 =[[Sophia of Hanover|Sophia, Electress of Hanover]], from whom heirs to the throne must directly descend
| image2   =Prince of Wales in Normandy 2024.jpg
| caption2 =[[William, Prince of Wales]], heir apparent to the Canadian throne
}}

As in the other [[Commonwealth realms]], the current [[heir apparent]] to [[Thrones of Canada|the Canadian throne]] is [[William, Prince of Wales]], who is followed in the line of succession by his eldest child, [[Prince George of Wales|Prince George]].

====Demise of the Crown and accession====
{{Main|Demise of the Crown}}
Upon the death of the monarch, there is an immediate and automatic succession by the late sovereign's heir;{{Refn|<ref name=OCCanThrone/><ref name=NPdeath>{{Citation |url=http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/what-happens-to-canada-should-the-queen-die-the-behind-the-scenes-plans-for-the-death-of-queen-elizabeth-ii |last=Hopper |first=Tristin |title=What happens to Canada should Queen Elizabeth II die: The behind-the-scenes plans |date=5 January 2017 |newspaper=National Post |publisher=Post Media |access-date=25 April 2017 |archive-date=7 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170607194828/http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/what-happens-to-canada-should-the-queen-die-the-behind-the-scenes-plans-for-the-death-of-queen-elizabeth-ii |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Thomson Irvine, "Demise of the Crown: An Historical Review of the Law in Canada" (2018) 12 ''Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law'' 695.</ref>}} hence the phrase, "[[The king is dead, long live the king!|the King is dead. Long live the King]]".<ref>{{Cite book| last1=Charters| first1=Claire| first2=Andrew| last2=Erueti |title=Māori property rights and the foreshore and seabed: the last frontier |publisher=Victoria University Press |date=2008 |location=Melbourne |page=31 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4OmYBwtKRw4C |isbn=978-0-8647-3553-9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mishra |first=Shree Govind |title=Democracy in India |publisher=Sanbun Publishers |date=2000 |location=Delhi |pages=51–52 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cFs0YSkA4ckC |isbn=978-3-4734-7305-2}}</ref> No confirmation or further ceremony is necessary. The federal [[Cabinet of Canada|cabinet]] and [[Public Service of Canada|civil service]] follow the ''Manual of Official Procedure of the Government of Canada'' in carrying out various formalities around the transition.<ref name=Torrance37>{{Harvnb|Torrance|2022a |p=37}}</ref>

By custom, the accession of a new monarch is publicly  [[Proclamation|proclaimed]] by the governor general-[[King's Privy Council for Canada|in-council]], who meet at [[Rideau Hall]] immediately upon the previous monarch's death.<ref name=Torrance37/> Since the adoption of the Statute of Westminster it has been considered "constitutionally inappropriate" for Canada's accession proclamations to be approved by a British order-in-council,<ref name=Torrance34/> as the monarch has, since then, assumed the Canadian throne according to Canadian law. For the accession of Charles III, the first since the creation of the [[Canadian Heraldic Authority]] in 1989, the [[Chief Herald of Canada|Chief Herald]] read the royal proclamation aloud. If Parliament is in session, the Prime Minister will announce the demise of the Crown there and [[Motion (parliamentary procedure)|move]] for a [[Joint address (Canada)|joint address]] of sympathy and loyalty to the new monarch.<ref name=Torrance37/>
[[File:Queen Elizabeth Ottawa parade mosbo6.jpg|thumb|A memorial procession in [[Ottawa]] before the national commemoration ceremony for the death of Queen [[Elizabeth II]]]]

A period of [[mourning]] also follows, during which portraits of the recently deceased monarch are draped with black fabric and staff at government houses wear [[Armband#Mourning|black armbands]]. The ''Manual of Official Procedure of the Government of Canada'' states the [[Prime Minister of Canada|prime minister]] is responsible for convening Parliament, tabling a resolution of loyalty and condolence from Parliament to the new monarch, and arranging for the motion to be seconded by the [[Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada)|leader of the official opposition]].<ref name=NPdeath/><ref name=Manu>{{Cite book |title=Manual of Official Procedure of the Government of Canada| last1=Davis| first1=Henry F.| last2=Millar| first2=André |location=Ottawa |publisher=Privy Council Office |date=1968 |page=575}}</ref> The prime minister will then move to adjourn Parliament.<ref name=NPdeath/><ref name=Manu/> The [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] keeps a regularly updated plan for a "broadcast of national importance", announcing the demise of a sovereign and covering the aftermath, during which all regular programming and advertising is cancelled and on-call commentators contribute to a 24-hour news mode.<ref name=NPdeath/> As funerals for Canada's sovereigns, as well as for their consorts, take place in the United Kingdom,<ref name=monarchs/> [[State funerals in Canada#Ceremonies for monarchs|commemoration services]] are conducted by the federal and provincial governments across Canada.<ref name=monarchs>{{Citation |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-six-royal-funerals-one-changing-canada-what-the-deaths-of-monarchs |last=Annett |first=Evan |title=Six royal funerals, one changing Canada: What the deaths of monarchs have revealed about us |date=17 September 2022 |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |accessdate=4 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/what-provinces-will-have-holiday-for-queen-funeral-1.6581550 |title=Do Canadians get a holiday to mourn the Queen? It depends |date=13 September 2022 |publisher=CBC News |accessdate=4 April 2024 |archive-date=22 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922032319/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/what-provinces-will-have-holiday-for-queen-funeral-1.6581550 |url-status=live}}</ref> Such ceremonies may also be held for other recently deceased members of the royal family. The day of the sovereign's funeral is likely to be a federal holiday.<ref name=NPdeath/><ref>{{Cite news |title=Do Canadians get a holiday to mourn the Queen? It depends |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/what-provinces-will-have-holiday-for-queen-funeral-1.6581550 |access-date=April 1, 2024 |work=CBC News |date=September 13, 2022 |archive-date=22 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922032319/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/what-provinces-will-have-holiday-for-queen-funeral-1.6581550 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The new monarch is [[coronation of the British monarch|crowned]] in the United Kingdom in an ancient ritual but one not necessary for a sovereign to reign.{{#tag:ref|For example, [[Edward VIII]] was never crowned, yet was undoubtedly king during his short time on the throne. |group=n |name=EdVIII1}} Under the federal ''Interpretation Act'',<ref name=Torrance37/> officials who hold a federal office under the Crown are not affected by the death of the monarch, nor are they required to take the [[Oath of Allegiance (Canada)|Oath of Allegiance]] again.<ref>{{Cite canlaw| short title=Interpretation Act |abbr=RSC |date=1985 |chapter=I-21 |section=46(1). |link=https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/i-21/page-3.html#h-279653}}</ref> In some provinces, though, those holding Crown offices must swear the Oath to the new sovereign.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://lt.gov.ns.ca/news-events/2023-02-02/175th-anniversary-responsible-government-nova-scotia |title=175th Anniversary of Responsible Government in Nova Scotia |date=2 February 2023 |publisher=King's Printer for Nova Scotia |access-date=4 June 2023 |archive-date=4 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604205328/https://lt.gov.ns.ca/news-events/2023-02-02/175th-anniversary-responsible-government-nova-scotia |url-status=live}}</ref> All references in federal legislation to previous monarchs, whether in the masculine (e.g. ''His Majesty'') or feminine (e.g. ''The Queen''), continue to mean the reigning sovereign of Canada, regardless of his or her gender.<ref name= InterpAct>{{Cite canlaw| short title=Interpretation Act |abbr=RSC |date=1985 |chapter=I-21 |section=35(1): définitions. |link=https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/i-21/page-3.html#h-279653}}</ref> This is because, in common law, [[Corporation sole#The Crown|the Crown never dies]]. After an individual accedes to the throne, he or she usually continues to reign until death.{{#tag:ref|The only Canadian monarch to abdicate, Edward VIII, did so with the authorization of the Canadian government granted in ''[[His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act 1936|His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act, 1936]]'', and the ''[[Succession to the Throne Act, 1937]]'', later confirmed this in law. |group=n |name=EdVIII2}}

====Legal aspects of succession====
[[File:Act of Settlement 3323.jpg|thumb|A copy of the ''Act of Settlement, 1701'']]

The relationship between the Commonwealth realms is such that any change to the rules of succession to their respective crowns requires the unanimous consent of all the realms. Succession is governed by statutes, such as the ''[[Bill of Rights 1689|Bill of Rights, 1689]]'', the ''[[Act of Settlement, 1701]]'', and the ''[[Acts of Union, 1707]]''.
[[File:KingPrince1924.jpg|thumb|Prime Minister of Canada [[William Lyon Mackenzie King|Mackenzie King]] (left) and [[Edward VIII]] (right; when Prince of Wales) in [[Ottawa]], 1924. In 1936, [[Abdication of Edward VIII|Edward abdicated the Canadian throne]] and he and any of his descendants were removed from the line of succession by Order-in-Council PC 3144 and the ''[[Succession to the Throne Act, 1937]]''.]]

[[Edward VIII abdication crisis|King Edward VIII abdicated]] in 1936 and any possible future descendants of his were excluded from the line of succession.<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/LegislativeSummaries/bills_ls.asp?ls=c53&Parl=41&Ses=1&source=library_prb&Language=E#a9 |author=Parliament of Canada |title=Legislative Summary of Bill C-53: Succession to the Throne Act, 2013 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125110823/http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/LegislativeSummaries/bills_ls.asp?ls=c53&Parl=41&Ses=1&source=library_prb&Language=E#a9 |archive-date=25 November 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Government of the United Kingdom|British government]] at the time, wishing for speed so as to avoid embarrassing debate in Dominion parliaments, suggested that the governments of the Dominions of the British Commonwealth—then Australia, New Zealand, the [[Irish Free State]], the [[Union of South Africa]], and Canada—regard whoever was monarch of the UK to automatically be monarch of their respective Dominion. As with the other Dominion governments, the Canadian Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]], refused to accept the idea and stressed that the laws of succession were part of Canadian law and, as the Statute of Westminster 1931 disallowed the UK from legislating for Canada, including in relation to succession,<ref>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=37}}</ref> altering them required Canada's request and consent to the British legislation (''[[His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act 1936|His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act, 1936]]'') becoming part of Canadian law.<ref name=Twomeyvid>{{Cite AV media |people=[[Anne Twomey (academic)|Anne Twomey]] |title=Professor Anne Twomey – Succession to the Crown: foiled by Canada? |medium=Digital video |publisher=University College London |location=London |date=18 September 2014 |url=http://vimeo.com/108335929 |access-date=1 August 2022 |archive-date=8 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108124158/https://vimeo.com/108335929 |url-status=live}}</ref> Sir [[Maurice Gwyer]], [[Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (United Kingdom)|first parliamentary counsel]] in the UK, reflected this position, stating the ''Act of Settlement'' was a part of the law in each Dominion.<ref name=Twomeyvid/> Thus, Order-in-Council P.C. 3144<ref>{{Citation |url=https://jameswjbowden.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/pc-1936-3144.pdf |author=Edward VIII |title=Order-in-Council regarding Canadian Request and Consent for Enactment of United Kingdom Legislation altering Succession (1936) |publisher=James Bowden |access-date=26 November 2015 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304135103/https://jameswjbowden.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/pc-1936-3144.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> was issued, expressing the Cabinet's request and consent for ''His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act, 1936'', to become part of the laws of Canada and the ''[[Succession to the Throne Act, 1937]]'', gave parliamentary ratification to that action, together bringing the ''Act of Settlement'' and ''[[Royal Marriages Act 1772|Royal Marriages Act, 1772]]'', into Canadian law.<ref>{{Citation |url=http://crht.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/CRHT-Background-Paper-on-Canadas-Law-of-Succession.pdf |last=Toffoli |first=Gary |title=Is There a Canadian Law of Succession and Is There a Canadian Process of Amendment? |date=9 February 2013 |pages=3–4 |publisher=Canadian Royal Heritage Trust |access-date=12 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127005340/http://crht.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/CRHT-Background-Paper-on-Canadas-Law-of-Succession.pdf |archive-date=27 November 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |first=Robert |last=Macgregor Dawson |author-link=Robert MacGregor Dawson |title=The Government of Canada |url=https://archive.org/details/governmentofcana0000macg |url-access=registration |edition=5th |location=Toronto |publisher=University of Toronto Press |date=1970 |page=[https://archive.org/details/governmentofcana0000macg/page/63 63] |isbn=978-0-8020-2046-8}}</ref> The latter was deemed by the Cabinet in 1947 to be part of Canadian law.{{#tag:ref|Gary Toffoli of the Canadian Royal Heritage Trust stated that the approval given by the Queen in her Canadian Council in 1981 to the marriage of [[Charles, Prince of Wales]], and [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Lady Diana Spencer]]<ref name=Boyce81/> separately to the same approval given by the Queen in her British Council illustrated the existence of the ''Royal Marriages Act'' in Canadian law.<ref>{{Cite AV media |people=Various |title=In Committee from the Senate: Legal and Constitutional Affairs - March 20, 2013 |medium=Digital video |publisher=CPAC |location=Ottawa |date=20 March 2013 |url=http://www.cpac.ca/en/digital-archives/?search=succession%20throne&orderby=relevance |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413142423/http://www.cpac.ca/en/digital-archives/?search=succession%20throne&orderby=relevance |archive-date=13 April 2015}}</ref> In 1947, the King in his Canadian Council gave the same consent to the marriage of Princess Elizabeth to Philip Mountbatten, again separate from the approval he gave in his British Council.<ref name=Boyce81/>|group=n |name=Marriages}}<ref name=Boyce81>{{Harvnb|Boyce|2008|p=81}}</ref> The [[Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development|Department of External Affairs]] included all succession-related laws in its list of acts within Canadian law.

The [[Supreme Court of Canada]] declared unanimously in the 1981 ''[[Patriation Reference]]'' that the ''Bill of Rights, 1689'', is "undoubtedly in force as part of the law of Canada".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://senparlvu.parl.gc.ca/Guide.aspx?viewmode=4&categoryid=-1&eventid=8763&Language=E |last=Senate of Canada |title=LCJC Meeting No. 74 |date=20 March 2013 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=24 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614215631/http://senparlvu.parl.gc.ca/Guide.aspx?viewmode=4&categoryid=-1&eventid=8763&Language=E |archive-date=14 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |author=Supreme Court of Canada |title=Re: Resolution to amend the Constitution, [1981] 1 SCR 753 |date=28 September 1981 |page=785 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada}}</ref> Furthermore, in ''[[O'Donohue v. Canada]]'' (2003) the [[Ontario Superior Court of Justice]] found that the ''Act of Settlement, 1701'', is "part of the laws of Canada" and the rules of succession are "by necessity incorporated into the Constitution of Canada".<ref>{{Cite court |litigants=O'Donohue v. Her Majesty The Queen in Right of Canada and Her Majesty The Queen in Right of Ontario |opinion=41404 |pinpoint=paragraphs 3 and 24 |court=Ontario Superior Court of Justice |date=26 June 2003 |url=http://canlii.ca/en/on/onsc/doc/2003/2003canlii41404/2003canlii41404.html |reporter=CanLII |vol=2003}}</ref> Another ruling of the Ontario Superior Court, in 2014, echoed the 2003 case, stating that the ''Act of Settlement'' "is an imperial statute which ultimately became part of the law of Canada."<ref name=Court>{{Cite court |litigants=Bryan Teskey v. Attorney General of Canada |opinion=Hackland R.S.J. |court=Ontario Superior Court of Justice |date=9 August 2013 |url=http://canlii.ca/en/on/onsc/doc/2013/2013onsc5046/2013onsc5046.pdf}}</ref> Upon dismissing appeal of that case, the Court of Appeal of Ontario stated "[t]he rules of succession are a part of the fabric of the constitution of Canada and incorporated into it".<ref>{{Cite court |litigants=Teskey v. Canada (Attorney General) |vol=C57588 |opinion=Blair, R.A.; Pepall, S.E.; Hourigan, C.W. |pinpoint=S.6 |court=Court of Appeal for Ontario |date=28 August 2014 |url=http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onca/doc/2014/2014onca612/2014onca612.html |archive-date=7 April 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150407012150/http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onca/doc/2014/2014onca612/2014onca612.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

In a meeting of the Special Joint Committee on the Constitution during the process of [[Patriation|patriating]] the Canadian constitution in 1981, [[John Munro (Canadian politician)|John Munro]] asked then-Minister of Justice [[Jean Chrétien]] about the "selective omissions" of the ''Succession to the Throne Act, 1937'', the ''[[Demise of the Crown Act 1901|Demise of the Crown Act, 1901]]'', the ''Seals Act'', the ''Governor General's Act'', and the ''Royal Style and Titles Act, 1953'', from the schedule to the ''[[Constitution Act, 1982]]''. In response, Chrétien asserted that the schedule to the ''Constitution Act, 1982'', was not exhaustive, outlining that section 52(2) of the ''Constitution Act, 1982'', says "[t]he Constitution of Canada includes [...] the acts and orders referred to the schedule" and "[w]hen you use the word 'includes' [...] it means that if ever there is another thing related to the Canadian constitution as part of it, should have been there, or might have been there, it is covered. So we do not have to renumerate [sic] the ones that you are mentioning."<ref name=committee>{{Citation |author=((Parliament of Canada; 32nd Parliament (1st Session))) |title=Minutes of the Proceedings and Evidence of the Special Joint Committee of the Senate and of the House of Commons on the Constitution of Canada |date=5 February 1981 |volume=54 |edition=106 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada}}</ref> In the same meeting, Deputy Attorney General [[Barry Strayer]] stated: "Clause 52(2) is not an exhaustive definition of the Constitution of Canada so that while we have certain things listed in the schedule which are clearly part of the constitution, that does not mean that there are not other things which are part of the constitution [...] [The schedule] is not an exhaustive list."<ref name=committee/>
{{Annotated image 4
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| image-left=-110
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| caption     =The [[Thrones of Canada#1878 thrones|throne of Canada]] (left) and throne for the royal consort (right)—both commissioned in 1878—behind the speaker's chair in the [[Centre Block#Senate chamber|Senate]]
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}}
{{Annotated image 4
| image       =Temporary Canadian Senate Chamber.jpg
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| caption     =The [[Thrones of Canada#2017 thrones|sovereign's throne]] (left) and royal consort's throne (right) behind the speaker's chair—all made in 2017—in the [[Senate of Canada Building#Temporary Senate of Canada building|temporary Senate chamber]]
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Leslie Zines claimed in the 1991 publication, ''Constitutional Change in the Commonwealth'', that, though the succession to Canada's throne was outlined by common law and the ''Act of Settlement, 1701'', these were not part of the Canadian constitution, which "does not contain rules for succession to the throne."<ref>{{Citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sWzgzAd6wtAC |last=Zines |first=Leslie |title=Constitutional Change in the Commonwealth |page=29 |date=1991 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-0-5214-0039-8}}</ref> Richard Toporoski, writing three years later for the [[Monarchist League of Canada]], stated, "there is no existing provision in our law, other than the ''Act of Settlement, 1701'', that provides that the king or queen of Canada shall be the same person as the king or queen of the United Kingdom. If the British law were to be changed and we did not change our law [...] the person provided for in the new law would become king or queen in at least some realms of the Commonwealth; Canada would continue on with the person who would have become monarch under the previous law."<ref name=Toporoski1998>{{Cite journal |last=Toporoski |first=Richard |title=The Invisible Crown |journal=Monarchy Canada |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=1998 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/mc/invisib2.htm |access-date=15 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224145943/http://www.monarchist.ca/mc/invisib2.htm |archive-date=24 February 2008}}</ref>

Canada, with the other Commonwealth realms, committed to the 2011 [[Perth Agreement]], which proposed changes to the rules governing succession to remove male preference and removal of disqualification arising from marriage to a Roman Catholic. As a result, the Canadian Parliament passed the ''[[Succession to the Throne Act, 2013]]'', which gave the country's assent to the ''[[Succession to the Crown Act 2013|Succession to the Crown Bill]]'', at that time proceeding in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. In dismissing a challenge to the law on the basis that a change to the succession in Canada would require unanimous consent of all provinces under section 41(a) of the ''Constitution Act, 1982'', Quebec Superior Court Justice Claude Bouchard ruled that Canada "did not have to change its laws nor its constitution for the British royal succession rules to be amended and effective" and [[Constitutional convention (political custom)|constitutional convention]] committed Canada to having a line of succession symmetrical to those of other Commonwealth realms.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Deux profs de l'Université Laval déboutés dans la cause du "bébé royal" |url=http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/justice-et-faits-divers/201602/16/01-4951299-deux-profs-de-luniversite-laval-deboutes-dans-la-cause-du-bebe-royal.php |access-date=16 February 2016 |newspaper=Le Soleil |date=16 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160217095139/http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/justice-et-faits-divers/201602/16/01-4951299-deux-profs-de-luniversite-laval-deboutes-dans-la-cause-du-bebe-royal.php |archive-date=17 February 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=quebecappeal>{{Cite news |title=La cause du "bébé royal" en appel |url=http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/societe/201603/14/01-4960730-la-cause-du-bebe-royal-en-appel.php |last=Sèguin |first=Rhèal |date=15 March 2016 |newspaper=Le Soleil |access-date=15 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316042540/http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/societe/201603/14/01-4960730-la-cause-du-bebe-royal-en-appel.php |archive-date=16 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The ruling was upheld by the [[Quebec Court of Appeal]].<ref>{{Cite news| last1=Marin| first1=Stephanie |title=Quebec Court of Appeal hearing case about who can inherit Canada's Crown |url=https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/quebec-court-of-appeal-hearing-case-about-who-can-inherit-canada-s-crown-1.3809400 |access-date=26 April 2018 |publisher=CTV News |agency=Canadian Press |date=19 February 2018 |archive-date=27 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180427183851/https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/quebec-court-of-appeal-hearing-case-about-who-can-inherit-canada-s-crown-1.3809400 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear an appeal in April 2020.<ref name=scc>{{Cite news| last1=Lagassé| first1=Philippe |title=Lagassé: Who cares about the monarchy? Certainly not the Supreme Court of Canada |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/lagasse-who-cares-about-the-monarchy-certainly-not-the-supreme-court-of-canada/wcm/3e444e9f-837e-4b24-9435-e4cf5e8502b9 |access-date=28 April 2020 |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |date=26 April 2020 |archive-date=16 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816081101/https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/lagasse-who-cares-about-the-monarchy-certainly-not-the-supreme-court-of-canada/wcm/3e444e9f-837e-4b24-9435-e4cf5e8502b9 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Constitutional scholar Philippe Lagassé argues that, in light of the ''Succession to the Throne Act, 2013'', and court rulings upholding that law, section 41(a) of the ''Constitution Act, 1982'', which requires a constitutional amendment passed with the unanimous consent of the provinces, applies only to the "office of the Queen", but not who holds that office, and that therefore "ending the principle of symmetry with the United Kingdom can be done with the general amending procedure, or even by Parliament alone under section 44 of the ''Constitution Act, 1982''."<ref name=scc/><ref name=lagasse>{{Cite journal| last1=Lagassé| first1=Philippe |title=Monarchy's rights, privileges, and symbols in Canada can be changed |journal=Policy Options |date=21 January 2010 |url=https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/January-2020/monarchys-rights-privileges-and-symbols-in-canada-can-be-changed  |access-date=28 April 2020 |archive-date=15 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815054631/https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/january-2020/monarchys-rights-privileges-and-symbols-in-canada-can-be-changed  |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Ted McWhinney]], another constitutional scholar, argued that a then-future government of Canada could begin a process of phasing out the monarchy after the [[death of Elizabeth II]] "quietly and without fanfare by simply failing legally to proclaim any successor to the Queen in relation to Canada". This would, he claimed, be a way of bypassing the need for a constitutional amendment that would require unanimous consent by the federal Parliament and all the provincial legislatures.<ref>Yaffe, Barbara; "Ditching royals is easy, expert says 
When Queen ends her reign, Canada can just fail to proclaim Charles as the king"; ''The Vancouver Sun''; 17 February 2005</ref> However, Ian Holloway, Dean of Law at the [[University of Western Ontario]], criticized McWhinney's proposal for its ignorance of provincial input and opined that its implementation "would be contrary to the plain purpose of those who framed our system of government."<ref>{{Citation |last=Holloway |first=Ian |date=2005 |editor-last=Ed. Staff |editor-link=Monarchist League of Canada |title=Liberal Stalking Horse for Stealth Ending of Monarchy? |periodical=Canadian Monarchist News |volume=Spring 2005 |issue=23 |page=2 |location=Toronto |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2005/Spring_2005_CMN.pdf |access-date=18 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226172807/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2005/Spring_2005_CMN.pdf |archive-date=26 February 2009}}</ref>

Certain aspects of the succession rules have been challenged in the courts. For example, under the provisions of the ''Bill of Rights, 1689'', and the ''Act of Settlement, 1701'', Catholics are barred from succeeding to the throne; this prohibition has been upheld twice by Canadian courts, once in [[O'Donohue v Canada|2003]] and again in 2014.{{Refn|<ref name=ctvteskey>{{Cite news |title=Royal succession law not subject to ''Charter'' challenge: court |url=http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/royal-succession-law-not-subject-to-charter-challenge-court-1.1977651 |date=26 August 2014 |publisher=CTV News |access-date=29 August 2014 |archive-date=2 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102185257/https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/royal-succession-law-not-subject-to-charter-challenge-court-1.1977651 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/09/04/markham_law_graduate_fighting_catholic_ban_on_royal_succession.html |last=Gallant |first=Jacques |title=Markham law graduate fighting Catholic ban on royal succession |date=4 September 2013 |newspaper=Toronto Star |access-date=4 September 2013 |archive-date=14 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814081808/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/09/04/markham_law_graduate_fighting_catholic_ban_on_royal_succession.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/king+uOttawa+grad+challenging+succession+rules/8829959/story.html |last=Yogaretnam |first=Shaamini |title=The boy who won't be king: uOttawa law grad challenging succession rules |date=24 August 2013 |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |access-date=4 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130827112731/http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/king+uOttawa+grad+challenging+succession+rules/8829959/story.html |archive-date=27 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite court |litigants=Teskey v. Canada (Attorney General) |opinion=Blair, Pepall, and Hourigan |court=Court of Appeal for Ontario |date=26 August 2014 |url=http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onca/doc/2014/2014onca612/2014onca612.html |archive-date=7 April 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150407012150/http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onca/doc/2014/2014onca612/2014onca612.html |url-status=live}}</ref>}} Legal scholar Christopher Cornell of the [[Dedman School of Law|SMU Dedman School of Law]] concluded "that the prohibition on the Canadian Monarch being Catholic, while discriminatory, is perfectly-if not fundamentally-constitutional" and that if the prohibition is "to be changed or removed it will have to be accomplished politically and legislatively through another multilateral agreement similar to the Perth Agreement rather than judicially through the courts."<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cornell |first1=Christopher |title=Succession to the Throne and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms |journal=Law and Business Review of the Americas |date=2015 |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=205 |url=https://scholar.smu.edu/lbra/vol21/iss2/6 |access-date=March 17, 2024 |archive-date=18 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240318011546/https://scholar.smu.edu/lbra/vol21/iss2/6 |url-status=live}}</ref>

====Regency====
{{Multiple image
| total_width=260
| image1   =Sir Thomas Lawrence - George IV, 1762 - 1830. Reigned as Regent 1811 - 1820, as King 1820 - 1830 - PG 139 - National Galleries of Scotland.jpg
| image2   =Thomas Gainsborough (1727-88) - George III (1738-1820) - RCIN 401006 - Royal Collection.jpg
| footer   =[[George IV|Prince George, Prince Regent]] (left), Canada's last regent, serving as such from 1811 until the death of his father, [[George III]] (right), in 1820
}}

Canada has no laws allowing for a [[regency]], should the sovereign be a [[Minor (law)|minor]] or debilitated;<ref name=Heard/> none have been passed by the Canadian Parliament and it was made clear by successive cabinets since 1937 that the United Kingdom's [[Regency Acts|Regency Act]] had no applicability to Canada,<ref name=Heard/> as the Canadian Cabinet had not requested otherwise when the act was passed that year and again in 1943 and 1953. As the ''[[Letters Patent, 1947]]'', issued by King George VI permit the governor general of Canada to exercise almost all of the monarch's powers in respect of Canada, the viceroy is expected to continue to act as the personal representative of the monarch, and not any regent, even if the monarch is a child or incapacitated.{{Refn|<ref name=Heard/><ref>{{Citation |last=Kennedy |first=W. P. M. |title=The Regency Acts, 1937–53 |journal=University of Toronto Law Journal |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=248–254 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |location=Toronto |date=1954 |doi=10.2307/824845 |jstor=824845 |issn=0381-1638}}</ref><ref name=CRHT2>{{Cite web |url=http://www.crht.ca/DiscoverMonarchyFiles/FactsAboutMonarchy.html| last1=Bousfield| first1=Arthur| last2=Toffoli| first2=Gary |title=Facts About Canada's Monarchy |publisher=The Canadian Royal Heritage Trust |access-date=28 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505051909/http://www.crht.ca/DiscoverMonarchyFiles/FactsAboutMonarchy.html |archive-date=5 May 2008}}</ref>}}
 
This has led to the question of whether the governor general has the ability to remove themselves and appoint their viceregal successor in the monarch's name. While Lagassé argued that appears to be the case,<ref name=lagasse/> both the ''Canadian Manual of Official Procedures'', published in 1968, and the Privy Council Office took the opposite opinion.<ref>{{Citation |author=Canadian Privy Council Office |title=Manual of Official Procedure of the Government of Canada |chapter=Note 70 |page=565 |volume=2 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |location=Ottawa |date=1968}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |author=Privy Council Office |title=Open and Accountable Government |page=52 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |location=Ottawa |date=2015}}</ref> Lagassé and Patrick Baud claimed changes could be made to regulations to allow a governor general to appoint the next governor general;<ref>{{Citation| editor-last1=Bédard| editor-first1=Michel| editor-last2=Lagassé| editor-first2=Philippe |title=The Crown and the Parliament| last1=Lagassé| first1=Philippe| last2=Baud| first2=Patrick |chapter=The Crown and Constitutional Amendment in Canada |location=Montreal |publisher=Éditions Yvon Blais |date=2015 |pages=203, 225}}</ref> Christopher McCreery, however, criticised the theory, arguing it is impractical to suggest that a governor general would remove him or herself on ministerial advice,<ref>{{Citation| editor-last1=Smith| editor-first1=Jennifer| editor-last2=Jackson| editor-first2=D Michael |last=McCreery |first=Christopher |chapter=Myth and Misunderstanding: The Origins and Meaning of the Letters Patent Constituting the Office of the Governor General, 1947 |title=The Evolving Canadian Crown |pages=31, 52 |location=Montreal |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |date=2012}}</ref> with the consequence that, if a prolonged regency occurred, it would remove one of the checks and balances in the constitution.<ref name=Twomey52>{{Citation |url=https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/22.1-Full-Issue.pdf| editor-last1=Lagassé| editor-first1=Philippe| editor-last2=MacDonald| editor-first2=Nicholas A. |title=The Crown in the 21st Century| last1=Twomey| first1=Anne |series=Royal Succession, Abdication, and Regency in the Realms |journal=Review of Constitutional Studies |volume=22 |issue=1 |date=2017 |page=52 |publisher=Centre for Constitutional Studies |location=Edmonton |access-date=4 June 2023 |archive-date=16 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816131152/https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/22.1-Full-Issue.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The intent expressed whenever the matter of regency came up among Commonwealth realm heads of government was that the relevant parliament (other than the United Kingdom's) would pass a bill if the need for a regency arose and the pertinent governor-general would already be empowered to grant royal assent to it.<ref>{{Harvnb|Twomey|2017|p=51}}</ref> The governor general appointing their successor is not a power that has been utilized to date.<ref name=lagasse/>

===Foreign visits===
{{See also|List of state and official visits by Canada}}
{{Multiple image
| total_width=600
| align      =centre
| image1     =Unveiling of Canadas national Memorial at Vimy Ridge - His Majesty, King Edward VIII, descends from Vimy Monument to greet Canadian Pilgrims at the Unveiling ceremony.jpg
| caption1   =King [[Edward VIII]] in [[Vimy]], France, 1936
| image2     =FDR-George-VI-June-8-1939.jpg
| caption2   =King [[George VI]] in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]], United States, 1939
| image3     =Museum of Science and Industry Chicago souvenir booklet 1960s - crop Queen Elizabeth II.jpg
| caption3   =Queen [[Elizabeth II]] in [[Chicago]], United States, 1959
| image4     =1984-01 Prince Phillip, Madame Mitterrand, Monsieur François Mitterrand, Queen Elizabeth and Mr. Trudeau.jpg
| caption4   =Queen Elizabeth II in [[Beny-sur-Mer]], France, 1984
}}

The following [[state visits|state and official visits]] to foreign countries have been made by the monarch as the sovereign of Canada (sometimes representing other realms on the same visit):

{|class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|- style="background:#f8f4ff; text-align:left; color:#708090;"
! scope=col style="width:20%"| Visit to
! scope=col style="width:20%"| Date
! scope=col style="width:30%"| Monarch of Canada
! scope=col style="width:23%"| Received by
! scope=col style="width:10%"| Type
|-
|{{Flag|France}}
|26 July 1936
|King [[Edward VIII]]
|President [[Albert Lebrun]]
|Official{{Refn|<ref>{{Cite web |author=Veterans Affairs Canada |title=Canada Remembers > Memorials to Canadians' Achievements and Sacrifices > First World War Memorials in Europe > Vimy Memorial > The Battle of Vimy Ridge > The Canadian National Vimy Memorial - Fast Facts |url=http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=memorials/ww1mem/vimy/battle&CFID=14831976&CFTOKEN=67789669 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617191924/http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=memorials%2Fww1mem%2Fvimy%2Fbattle&CFID=14831976&CFTOKEN=67789669 |archive-date=17 June 2008 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=24 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Foot |first=Richard |title=Vimy memorial had a turbulent history of its own |date=4 April 2007 |newspaper=The Vancouver Sun |page=A4}}</ref><ref name=Bell139>{{Harvnb|Bell|Bousfield|Toffoli|2007|pp=139, 147}}</ref>}}
|-
|{{Flag|United States|1912}}
|7–11 June 1939
|King [[George VI]]
|President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]
|State<ref>{{Cite book| last1=Bousfield| first1=Arthur |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Go5p_CN8UQC |title=Royal Spring: The Royal Tour of 1939 and the Queen Mother in Canada| first2=Gary| last2=Toffoli |publisher=Dundurn Press |date=1989 |isbn=1-5500-2065-X |location=Toronto |pages=60, 66 |ref=CITEREF_Bousfield_1989}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lanctot |first=Gustave |title=Royal Tour of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Canada and the United States of America 1939 |publisher=E.P. Taylor Foundation |date=1964 |location=Toronto |author-link=Gustave Lanctot}}</ref><ref name=Tidridge49>{{Harvnb|Tidridge|2011|p=49}}</ref>
|-
|{{Flag|United States|1912}}
| 17 October 1957
 |rowspan=8|Queen [[Elizabeth II]]
 |rowspan=2|President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]
| State{{Refn|<ref name=Tidridge49/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.crht.ca/DiscoverMonarchyFiles/QueenElizabethII.html |author=Canadian Royal Heritage Trust |title=Elizabeth II Queen of Canada |publisher=Canadian Royal Heritage Trust |access-date=22 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090618075325/http://www.crht.ca/DiscoverMonarchyFiles/QueenElizabethII.html |archivedate=18 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Royal Visit |magazine=Time |volume=IXX |issue=17 |location=New York |date=21 October 1957 |url=http://www.time.com:80/time/magazine/article/0,9171,937945,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070513184211/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,937945,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 May 2007 |issn=0040-781X |access-date=22 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |author=Elizabeth II |author-link=Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom |date=1957 |contribution=Radio address to Canadians |contribution-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030309015603/http://www.royal.gov.uk/files/pdf/1957canada.pdf |editor=The Royal Household |title=Images and Broadcasts > The Queen's Speeches |location=London |publisher=Queen's Printer |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/Home.aspx |access-date=3 October 2008 |archive-date=31 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831232450/http://www.royal.gov.uk/Home.aspx |url-status=live}}</ref>}}
|-
|{{Flag|United States|1912}}
| 26 June 1959
| Official<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/26/newsid_2988000/2988148.stm |title=1959: Queen and Eisenhower open seaway |date=26 June 1959 |publisher=BBC News |archive-date=26 June 2021 |access-date=8 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626094712/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/26/newsid_2988000/2988148.stm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=league>{{Cite web |url=https://www.monarchist.ca/index.php/our-monarchy/our-royal-family/the-queen-of-canada |title=The Queen & the Duke of Edinburgh |date=8 July 2021 |publisher=The Monarchist League of Canada |access-date=8 July 2021 |archive-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709185435/https://www.monarchist.ca/index.php/our-monarchy/our-royal-family/the-queen-of-canada |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|{{Flag|United States|1912}}
| 6 July 1959
| Governor [[William Stratton]]
| State{{Refn|<ref name=Tidridge49/><ref name=Buckner69>{{Harvnb|Buckner|2005|p=69}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://diefenbaker.usask.ca/exhibits/online-exhibits-content/the-crown-in-canada-en.php |title=The Crown in Canada (1957) |publisher=Diefenbaker Canada Centre |access-date=21 August 2022 |archive-date=2 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002035138/https://diefenbaker.usask.ca/exhibits/online-exhibits-content/the-crown-in-canada-en.php |url-status=live}}</ref>}}
|-
|{{Flag|France}} 
|6 June 1984
 |rowspan=2|President [[François Mitterrand]]
|Official{{Refn|<ref name=CMNDDay>{{Cite journal |last=Fidelis |date=2004 |title=Canadian Confusion on Juno Beach |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/sites/default/files/documents/2004/8/135.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Canadian Monarchist News |location=Toronto |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |volume=Summer 2004 |issue=22 |page=2 |access-date=16 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114134201/http://www.monarchist.ca/sites/default/files/documents/2004/8/135.pdf |archive-date=14 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Bousfield|Toffoli|2002|p=182}}</ref><ref name=dlnx>{{Citation |page=51 |title=Now You Know Royalty |date=2009 |isbn=978-1-7707-0406-0 |publisher=Dundurn Press |first=Doug |last=Lennox}}</ref>}}
|-
|{{Flag|France}} 
|1994
|Official<ref name=league/><ref name=dlnx/>
|-
|{{Flag|France}} 
|6 June 2004
|President [[Jacques Chirac]]
|Official<ref name=monarchist3>{{Cite journal |date=2007 |title=Royal Respect for Canada's Vimy Heroes, Queen of Canada Rededicates Memorial on French Soil |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2007/Summer_2007_CMN.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Canadian Monarchist News |location=Toronto |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |volume=Summer 2007 |issue=26 |page=3 |access-date=22 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326043238/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2007/Summer_2007_CMN.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2009}}</ref><ref name=league/>
|-
|{{Flag|France}} 
|9 April 2007
|Prime Minister [[Dominique de Villepin]]
|Official{{Refn|<ref name=Bell139/><ref name=monarchist3/><ref name=league/><ref name=dlnx/>}}
|-
|{{Flag|United States}}
|6 July 2010
|Governor [[David Paterson]]
|Official<ref name=Tidridge49/><ref>{{Cite web |author=Royal Household |title=The Queen's speech in Toronto, Canada, 5 July 2010 |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Speechesandarticles/2010/TheQueensspeechinTorontoCanada5July2010.aspx |url-status=dead |publisher=Queen's Printer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100920005435/http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Speechesandarticles/2010/TheQueensspeechinTorontoCanada5July2010.aspx |archive-date=20 September 2010 |quote=Just as in 1957, when I last visited the UN, I shall be travelling from this Northern Realm as Queen of Canada, a country whose whole-hearted commitment to the United Nations throughout its history is without equal.}}</ref>
|}

==Federal and provincial aspects==
{{Further|Monarchy in the Canadian provinces}}
[[File:Canada's Governor General, Lieutenant Governors, Territorial Commissioners and their Private Secretaries, 2016.jpg|thumb|The one federal and 10 provincial viceroys, along with the three territorial commissioners, at their annual meeting in 2016, accompanied by their respective partners and secretaries]]

The origins of [[Canadian sovereignty]] lie in the early 17th century, during which time the monarch in England fought with parliament there over who had ultimate authority, culminating in the [[Glorious Revolution]] in 1688 and the subsequent ''Bill of Rights, 1689'', which, as mentioned elsewhere in this article, is today part of Canadian constitutional law. This brought to Canada the British notion of the [[Parliamentary supremacy|supremacy of parliament]]—of which the monarch is a part—and it was carried into each of the provinces upon the implementation of [[responsible government]]. That, however, was superseded when the ''[[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms|Charter of Rights and Freedoms]]'' (within the ''Constitution Act, 1982'') introduced into Canada the American idea of the [[Supremacy Clause|supremacy of the law]].<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sovereignty |last=McWhinney |first=Edward Watson |title=Sovereignty |date=8 October 2019 |encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia |publisher=Historica Canada |access-date=5 March 2023 |archive-date=29 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529215957/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sovereignty |url-status=live}}</ref> Still, the King remains the [[Sovereignty|sovereign]] of Canada.{{#tag:ref|Upon acceding to the throne on 8 September 2022, King [[Charles III]] stated, "I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty, which have now passed to me. In taking up these responsibilities, I shall strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set in upholding constitutional government and to seek the peace, harmony, and prosperity of [...] the Commonwealth realms and territories throughout the world."<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/crown-canada/monarch.html |author=Government of Canada |title=Culture, history, and sport > Canadian identity and society > Monarchy and the Crown > The Crown in Canada |date=11 August 2017 |publisher=King's Printer for Canada |access-date=5 March 2023 |archive-date=24 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324212245/https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/crown-canada/monarch.html |url-status=live}}</ref>|group=n|name=Sovereignty}}<ref>{{Harvnb|Newman|2017|p=62}}</ref>

Canada's monarchy was established at Confederation, when its executive government and authority were declared, in section 9 of the ''Constitution Act, 1867'', to continue and be vested in the monarch. Placing such power, along with legislative power, with the tangible, living Queen, rather than the abstract and inanimate Crown, was a deliberate choice by the framers of the constitution.<ref>{{Harvnb|Newman|2017|pp=58–59}}</ref> Still, the Crown is the foundation of the country<ref name=Tidridge16>{{Harvnb|Tidridge|2011|p=16}}</ref><ref name=Johnstonxi>{{Citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s5EHDAAAQBAJ&dq=history+of+the+%22queen%27s+personal+canadian+flag%22&pg=PR2| editor-last1=Jackson| editor-first1=D. Michael| editor-last2=Lagassé| editor-first2=Philippe |last=Johnston |first=David |title=Canada and the Crown: Essays on Constitutional Monarchy |chapter=Foreword |page=xi |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |location=Montreal |date=2013 |isbn=978-1-5533-9204-0 |access-date=17 April 2023}}</ref> as "the very centre of [Canada's] constitution and democracy."<ref name=Tidridge16/> Although Canada is a federation, the Canadian monarchy is unitary throughout all jurisdictions in the country,<ref name=Roberts13>{{Harvnb|Roberts|2009|p=13}}</ref> the sovereignty of the different administrations being passed on through the overreaching Crown itself as a part of the executive, legislative, and judicial operations in each of the federal and provincial spheres<ref>{{Harvnb|Newman|2017|p=60}}</ref> and the [[headship of state]] being a part of all equally.<ref name=Roberts13/> The Crown thus links the various governments into a federal state,<ref name=MacLeod17/> while it is simultaneously also "divided" into 11 legal jurisdictions, or 11 "crowns"—one federal and 10 provincial<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jackson |first=D. Michael |title=Golden Jubilee and Provincial Crown |journal=Canadian Monarchist News |volume=7 |issue=3 |page=6 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=2003 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmnews/CMN_winter_spring_2003_Update-3.pdf |access-date=21 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026215833/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmnews/CMN_winter_spring_2003_Update-3.pdf |archive-date=26 October 2007}}</ref>—with the monarch taking on a distinct [[legal person]]a in each.{{#tag:ref|For example, if a lawsuit is filed against the federal government, the respondent is formally described as ''His Majesty the King in Right of Canada'', or simply {{Lang|la|[[Rex (title)|Rex]]}}.<ref name=CRHT2/> Likewise, in a case in which a party sues both the province of [[Saskatchewan]] and the federal government, the respondents would be formally called ''His Majesty the King in Right of Saskatchewan'' and ''His Majesty the King in Right of Canada''.<ref>{{Cite court |litigants=Chief Myles Venne and all of the Councllors of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band v. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Saskatchewan |vol=Q.B. No. 2655 of 1987 |court=Court of Queen's Bench for Saskatchewan |date=14 July 1987 |url=https://www.usask.ca/nativelaw/factums/view.php?id=115 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509024133/http://www.usask.ca/nativelaw/factums/view.php?id=115 |url-status=dead}}</ref>|group=n|name=Pers2}}{{#tag:ref|Illustrative of this arrangement is property transfers; of this, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources states: "When public land is required by the federal government or one of its departments, or any provincial ministry, the land itself is not transferred. What is transferred is the responsibility to manage the lands on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen (HMQ). This is accomplished by an order-in-council or a minister's order, which transfers management of land either from HMQ in right of Ontario to HMQ in right of Canada as represented by a department or to HMQ in right of Ontario as represented by another ministry. The Crown does not transfer ownership to itself."<ref>{{Cite report |last=Ministry of Natural Resources |title=Disposition of Public Land to Other Governments and Agencies |location=Toronto |publisher=Queen's Printer for Ontario |date=24 January 2006 |page=2 |series=3.2.B |url=http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/mnr_e000096.pdf |access-date=25 April 2010 |archive-date=14 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114164538/http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/mnr_e000096.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>|group=n|name=OMNR}} As such, the constitution instructs that any change to the position of the monarch or his or her representatives in Canada requires the consent of the [[Senate of Canada|Senate]], the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]], and the legislative assemblies of all the provinces.<ref name=ElizabethII1982>{{Citation |author=Elizabeth II |author-link=Elizabeth II |publication-date=17 April 1982 |title=The Constitution Act, 1982 |series=V.41.a |location=Ottawa |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |url=http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/const/const1982.html#sec52 |access-date=16 May 2009 |date=1982 |archive-date=22 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222233202/http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/const/const1982.html#sec52 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Crown, being shared and balanced,<ref name=Johnstonxi/> provides the bedrock upon which all of Canada's different regions and peoples can live together peacefully<ref>{{Harvnb|Tidridge|2011|p=17}}</ref> and was said by David E. Smith, in 2017, to be the "keystone of the constitutional architecture" of Canada.<ref>{{Citation |last=Smith |first=David E. |title=The Constitution in a Hall of Mirrors: Canada at 150 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |location=Toronto |date=2017 |page=iii |isbn=978-1-4875-0247-8}}</ref>
[[File:DSC01923 - Royal Window (29867749537).jpg|thumb|left|The Royal Window in the [[Rideau Hall#The McKay villa and Mappin block|foyer]] of [[Rideau Hall]], commemorating Queen [[Elizabeth II]]'s [[Ruby Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Ruby Jubilee]]. At centre is the [[Arms of Canada|Royal Coat of Arms of Canada]] surrounded by the shields of each of the sovereign's 10 provincial and then-two territorial coats of arms.]]

The Crown is located beyond politics, existing to give authority to and protect the constitution and system of governance.<ref name=Tidridge16/> Power, therefore, rests with an institution that "functions to safeguard it on behalf of all its citizens", rather than any singular individual.<ref>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=16}}</ref> The sovereign and his representatives typically "act by 'not acting'"{{#tag:ref|Robert E. Hawkins called this "inefficient efficiency", which can "be placed alongside the other oxymorons that convention embeds in our constitution, oxymorons like loyal opposition, liberal democracy, and constitutional monarchy itself."<ref name=Hawkins104/>|group=n|name=REH}}—holding power, but, not exercising it—both because they are unelected figures and to maintain their neutrality, "deliberately, insistently, and resolutely",<ref>{{Citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s5EHDAAAQBAJ&dq=history+of+the+%22queen%27s+personal+canadian+flag%22&pg=PR2| editor-last1=Jackson| editor-first1=D. Michael| editor-last2=Lagassé| editor-first2=Philippe |last=Hawkins |first=Robert E. |title=Canada and the Crown: Essays on Constitutional Monarchy |chapter="Inefficient efficiency": The Use of Vice-Regal Reserve Powers |page=103 |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |location=Montreal |date=2013 |isbn=978-1-5533-9204-0 |access-date=18 April 2023}}</ref> in case they have to be an impartial arbiter in a constitutional crisis and ensure that normal democratic discourse can resume.{{Refn|<ref>{{Citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s5EHDAAAQBAJ&dq=history+of+the+%22queen%27s+personal+canadian+flag%22&pg=PR2| editor-last1=Jackson| editor-first1=D. Michael| editor-last2=Lagassé| editor-first2=Philippe |last=McCreery |first=Christopher |title=Canada and the Crown: Essays on Constitutional Monarchy |chapter=Confidante and Chief of Staff: The Governor General's Secretary |page=201 |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |location=Montreal |date=2013 |isbn=978-1-5533-9204-0 |access-date=18 April 2023}}</ref><ref name=Hawkins104>{{Harvnb|Hawkins|2013|p=104}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Jackson|Lagassé|2013|p=7}}</ref>}} Consequently, the Crown performs two functions:<ref name=Jackson11-13>{{Harvnb|Jackson|Smith|2012|pp=11–30}}</ref> as a unifying symbol and a protector of democratic rights and freedoms,<ref name=Johnstonxi/> "tightly woven into the fabric of the Canadian constitution."<ref name=Jackson11-13/>

At the same time, a number of freedoms granted by the constitution to all other Canadians are denied to, or limited for, the monarch and the other senior members of the royal family: freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom to travel, freedom to choose a career, freedom to marry, and freedom of privacy and family life.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hazell|Morris|2017|p=30}}</ref>

While the Crown is empowered by statute and the [[royal prerogative]], it also enjoys inherent powers not granted by either.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/22.1-Full-Issue.pdf| editor-last1=Lagassé| editor-first1=Philippe| editor-last2=MacDonald| editor-first2=Nicholas A. |title=The Crown in the 21st Century| last1=Daly| first1=Paul |series=Royal Treatment: The Crown's Special Status in Administrative Law |page=87 |volume=22 |issue=1 |date=2017 |publisher=Centre for Constitutional Studies |location=Edmonton |access-date=5 June 2023 |archive-date=16 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816131152/https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/22.1-Full-Issue.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Court of Appeal of British Columbia]] ruled in 1997 that "the Crown has the capacities and powers of a natural person"<ref>{{Cite court |litigants=Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Assn of Canada v British Columbia (Attorney General) |vol=4 |reporter=Dominion Law Reports |opinion=613 |pinpoint=149 |court=Court of Appeal of British Columbia |date=1997}}</ref> and its actions as a natural person are, as with the actions of any natural person, subject to judicial review.<ref>{{Harvnb|Newman|2017|p=85}}</ref> Further, it was determined in ''R. v Secretary of State for Health the ex parte C'' that, "as a matter of capacity, no doubt, [the Crown] has power to do whatever a private person can do. But, as an organ of government, it can only exercise those powers for the public benefit, and for identifiably 'governmental' purposes within limits set by the law."<ref>{{Cite court |litigants=Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council v Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government |reporter=Civilian |opinion=148 |pinpoint=Paragraphs 47–48, Note 36 |court=Court of Appeal (England and Wales) |date=2008}}</ref> Similarly, use of the royal prerogative is justiciable,<ref>{{Harvnb|Daly|2017|p=93}}</ref> though, only when the "subject matter affects the rights or legitimate expectations of an individual".<ref>{{Cite court |litigants=Black v Canada (Prime Minister) |vol=54 |reporter= |opinion=215 |pinpoint=3d |court=Ontario Court of Appeal |date=2001}}</ref>

The governor general is appointed by the monarch on the advice of his federal prime minister and the lieutenant governors are appointed by the governor general on the advice of the federal prime minister. The [[commissioner]]s of Canada's territories are appointed by the federal governor-in-council, at the recommendation of the [[minister of Crown–Indigenous relations]], but, as the territories are not sovereign entities, the commissioners are not personal representatives of the sovereign. The [[Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments]], which may seek input from the relevant premier and provincial or territorial community, proposes candidates for appointment as governor general, lieutenant governor, and commissioner.<ref>{{Citation |url=http://home.mytelus.com/telusen/portal/NewsChannel.aspx?ArticleID=news%2Fcapfeed%2Fnational%2F20654467.xml&CatID=National |last=Cheadle |first=Bruce |title=Harper creates new panel to ensure 'non-partisan' vice regal appointments |date=4 November 2012 |publisher=The Canadian Press |access-date=4 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130207122847/http://home.mytelus.com/telusen/portal/NewsChannel.aspx?ArticleID=news%2Fcapfeed%2Fnational%2F20654467.xml&CatID=National |archive-date=7 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=1&featureId=6&pageId=26&id=5139 |last=Office of the Prime Minister of Canada |title=PM announces new Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments |date=4 November 2012 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=4 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106084858/http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=1&featureId=6&pageId=26&id=5139 |archive-date=6 November 2012}}</ref>

===Sovereign immunity===
It has been held since 1918 that the federal Crown is immune from provincial law.<ref>{{Cite CanLII |litigants=Gauthier v The King |court=Supreme Court of Canada |num=85 |format=canlii |pinpoint=p 194 |parallelcite=[1918] 56 SCR 176 |date=5 March 1918 |courtname=auto}}</ref> Constitutional convention has also held that the Crown in right of each province is outside the jurisdiction of the courts in other provinces. This view, however, has been questioned.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Walker |first=Janet |title=Interprovincial Sovereign Immunity Revisited |url=http://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1608&context=ohlj |journal=[[Osgoode Hall Law Journal]] |date=1997 |volume=35 |issue=2 |pages=379–397 |doi=10.60082/2817-5069.1608| s2cid=141661165 |doi-access=free |archive-date=30 January 2023 |access-date=1 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130022614/https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1608&context=ohlj |url-status=live}}</ref>

Lieutenant governors do not enjoy the same immunity as the sovereign in matters not relating to the powers of the viceregal office, as decided in the case of former Lieutenant Governor of Quebec [[Lise Thibault]], who had been accused of misappropriating public funds.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/lise-thibault-ex-quebec-lieutenant-governor-testifies-at-her-fraud-trial-1.2720523 |title=Lise Thibault, ex-Quebec lieutenant-governor, testifies at her fraud trial |date=2014 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=1 February 2023 |archive-date=17 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917174228/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/lise-thibault-ex-quebec-lieutenant-governor-testifies-at-her-fraud-trial-1.2720523 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Personification of the Canadian state==
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| image3      = Stamp 1967 CAN MiNr402Ax pm B002.jpg
| image4      = Stamp 1971 CAN MiNr0494AxDF pm B002.jpg
| footer      = [[Elizabeth II]], Queen of Canada, depicted on various [[Postage stamps and postal history of Canada|Canadian stamps]] through the 1960s and 1970s
}}

As the living embodiment of [[the Crown]],<ref name=InterpAct/><ref>{{Harvnb|Newman|2017|p=63}}</ref> the sovereign is regarded as the [[personification]] of the Canadian [[State (polity)|state]]{{#tag:ref|The sovereign has been described by [[Eugene Forsey]] as the "symbolic embodiment of the people—not a particular group or interest or party, but the people, the whole people";<ref name=Forsey/> his daughter, Helen Forsey, said of his opinion on the Crown, "for him, the essence of the monarchy was its impartial representation of the common interests of the citizenry as a whole, as opposed to those of any particular government."<ref name=Forsey/> The [[Department of Canadian Heritage]] said the Crown serves as the "personal symbol of allegiance, unity and authority for all Canadians,"<ref name=DCHCrown/><ref name=DCH3>{{Cite book |url=http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2011/pc-ch/CH4-130-2010-eng.pdf |title=Symbols of Canada |publisher=Queen Printer for Canada |author=Department of Canadian Heritage |date=2010 |location=Ottawa |page=3 |isbn=978-1-1001-4692-8 |archive-date=21 October 2020 |access-date=6 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021093649/http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2011/pc-ch/CH4-130-2010-eng.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> a concept akin to that expressed by King [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]]: "{{Lang|fr|l'État, c'est moi}}", or, "I am the state".<ref name=ontla1996>{{Citation |first=Shea |last=Derwyn |author-link=Derwyn Shea |contribution=Bill 22, Legislative Assembly Oath of Allegiance Act, 1995 > 1720 |contribution-url=http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/committee-proceedings/committee_transcripts_details.do;jsessionid=c72d607830d68e75be455a5244a3950ae2235bd3f36e.e3eQbNaNa3eRe34KaN4RaNeRb310n6jAmljGr5XDqQLvpAe?locale=en&Date=1996-04-10&ParlCommID=45&BillID=&Business=Bill+22%2C+Legislative+Assembly+Oath+of+Allegiance+Act%2C+1995&DocumentID=19205 |title=Committee Transcripts: Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly |date=10 April 1996 |place=Toronto |publisher=Queen's Printer for Ontario |url=http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/committee-proceedings/committee_transcripts_details.do?locale=en&Date=1996-04-10&ParlCommID=45&BillID=&Business=Bill+22%2C+Legislative+Assembly+Oath+of+Allegiance+Act%2C+1995 |access-date=16 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611135306/https://www.ontla.on.ca/web/committee-proceedings/committee_transcripts_details.do?locale=en&Date=1996-04-10&ParlCommID=45&BillID=&Business=Bill+22,+Legislative+Assembly+Oath+of+Allegiance+Act,+1995 |archive-date=11 June 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Robertson Davies]] stated in 1994, "the Crown is the consecrated spirit of Canada",<ref>{{Cite book |last=Davies |first=Robertson |author-link=Robertson Davies |title=Hunting Stuart and The Voice of the People |publisher=Simon & Pierre |date=8 August 1996 |location=Toronto |isbn=978-0-8892-4259-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/huntingstuartvoi0000davi}}</ref> and past Ontario chairman of the [[Monarchist League of Canada]] Gary Toffoli opined, "the Queen is the legal embodiment of the state at both the national and the provincial levels [...] She is our sovereign and it is the role of the Queen, recognized by the constitutional law of Canada, to embody the state."<ref>{{Citation |first=Gary |last=Toffoli |contribution=Bill 22, Legislative Assembly Oath of Allegiance Act, 1995 > 1620 |contribution-url=http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/committee-proceedings/committee_transcripts_details.do;jsessionid=c72d607930d600b4e9b4ead54d5496d1d6b94ab16cbc.e3eRb3iNcheNe34OaN4La3yRa3j0n6jAmljGr5XDqQLvpAe?locale=en&Date=1996-04-10&ParlCommID=45&BillID=&Business=Bill+22%2C+Legislative+Assembly+Oath+of+Allegiance+Act%2C+1995#P58_1620 |title=Committee Transcripts: Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly |date=10 April 1996 |place=Toronto |publisher=Queen's Printer for Ontario |url=http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/committee-proceedings/committee_transcripts_details.do?locale=en&Date=1996-04-10&ParlCommID=45&BillID=&Business=Bill+22%2C+Legislative+Assembly+Oath+of+Allegiance+Act%2C+1995 |access-date=16 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611135306/https://www.ontla.on.ca/web/committee-proceedings/committee_transcripts_details.do?locale=en&Date=1996-04-10&ParlCommID=45&BillID=&Business=Bill+22,+Legislative+Assembly+Oath+of+Allegiance+Act,+1995 |archive-date=11 June 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|group=n|name=Pers1}}{{Refn|<ref name=SKEX10/><ref name=Buck2/><ref name=DCH3/><ref name=Bell125>{{Harvnb|Bell|Bousfield|Toffoli|2007|p=125}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sovereign |last=Harris |first=Carolyn |title=Sovereign |date=12 January 2023 |encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia |publisher=Historica Canada |access-date=5 March 2023 |archive-date=27 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240427163745/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sovereign |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Compendium>{{Cite web |website=House of Commons of Canada |title=Role of the Crown and the Governor General |date=March 2008 |page=1 |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/compendium/web-content/pdf-e/parliamentaryframework-e/c_d_rolecrowngovernorgeneral-e.pdf |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20121016145855/http://www.parl.gc.ca/compendium/web-content/pdf-e/parliamentaryframework-e/c_d_rolecrowngovernorgeneral-e.pdf |archive-date=16 October 2012 |access-date=14 October 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=51}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Marleau|Montpetit|2000|loc=The Crown}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Citizenship and Immigration Canada |author-link=Citizenship and Immigration Canada |title=Discover Canada |place=Ottawa |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |date=2009 |page=2 |url=http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/pub/discover.pdf |isbn=978-1-1001-2739-2 |access-date=3 December 2009 |archive-date=22 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091122160954/http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/pub/discover.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Tidridge|2011|p=17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite conference |url=http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/committee-proceedings/committee_transcripts_details.do?locale=en&BillID=&ParlCommID=45&Date=1996-04-10&Business=Bill+22%2C+Legislative+Assembly+Oath+of+Allegiance+Act%2C+1995&DocumentID=19205 |title=Committee Transcripts |publisher=Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Ontario |access-date=28 November 2015 |author=Legislative Assembly of Ontario |book-title=Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly - 1996-Apr-10 - Bill 22, Legislative Assembly Oath of Allegiance Act, 1995 |date=1996 |location=Toronto |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208153822/http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/committee-proceedings/committee_transcripts_details.do?locale=en&BillID=&ParlCommID=45&Date=1996-04-10&Business=Bill+22%2C+Legislative+Assembly+Oath+of+Allegiance+Act%2C+1995&DocumentID=19205 |archive-date=8 December 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Tidridge|2011|pp=79, 143}}</ref>}} and is meant to represent all Canadians, regardless of political affiliation.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.westernstandard.news/opinion/chartrand-even-if-no-longer-defender-of-the-faith-the-crown-still-defends-canadian-values/article_d29e0ad4-e440-11ed-9e71-0b02d8fda693.html |last=Chartrand |first=Philippe |title=Even if no longer defender of the faith, the Crown still defends Canadian values |date=26 April 2023 |newspaper=Western Standard |publisher=New Media Corporation |access-date=30 April 2023}}</ref> As such, he, along with his or her viceregal representatives, must "remain strictly neutral in political terms".<ref name=Forsey/>

The person of the reigning sovereign thus holds two distinct personas in constant coexistence, an ancient theory of the "King's two bodies"—the body natural (subject to infirmity and death) and the body politic (which never dies).<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/22.1-Full-Issue.pdf |title=The Role of Monarchy in Modern Democracy: European Monarchies Compared| editor-last1=Hazell| editor-first1=Robert| editor-last2=Morris| editor-first2=Bob |chapter=Royal Succession, Abdication, and Regency in the Realms |last=Twomey |first=Anne |date=17 September 2020 |page=34 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |location=London |isbn=978-1-5099-3103-3 |access-date=2 May 2023 |archive-date=16 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816131152/https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/22.1-Full-Issue.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The Crown and the monarch are "conceptually divisible but legally indivisible [...] The office cannot exist without the office-holder",{{#tag:ref|As Peter Boyce put it: "The Crown as a concept cannot be disentangled from the person of the monarch; but, standard reference to the Crown extends well beyond the Queen's person."<ref>{{Harvnb|Boyce|2008|p=5}}</ref>|group=n|name=Boyce}}<ref name=OCCanThrone/> so, even in private, the monarch is always "on duty".<ref name=Bell125/> The terms ''the state'', ''the Crown'',<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/F-11/FullText.html |author=Elizabeth II |title=Financial Administration Act |date=9 October 2012 |at=83.1 |website=Justice Laws |access-date=6 December 2012 |archive-date=2 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120802061843/http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/F-11/FullText.html |url-status=live}}</ref> ''the Crown in Right of Canada'', ''His Majesty the King in Right of Canada'' ({{Langx|fr|Sa Majesté le Roi du chef du Canada}}),<ref>{{Cite web |author=Elizabeth II |author-link=Elizabeth II |title=Memorandum for Understanding of Cooperation on Addressing Climate Change |date=21 May 2004 |page=1 |url=http://arizonaenergy.org/images/ontario_mou_e.pdf |access-date=16 May 2009 |website=Arizona Energy |archive-date=20 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120042909/http://arizonaenergy.org/images/ontario_mou_e.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> and similar are all synonymous and the monarch's [[legal personality]] is sometimes referred to simply as ''Canada''.<ref name=Compendium/><ref>{{Cite web |author=Assembly of First Nations |author-link=Assembly of First Nations| author2=Elizabeth II| author2-link=Elizabeth II |title=A First Nations – Federal Crown Political Accord |date=2004 |page=3 |website=Assembly of First Nations |url=http://www.afn.ca/cmslib/general/PolAcc.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502153215/http://www.afn.ca/cmslib/general/PolAcc.pdf |archive-date=2 May 2009 |access-date=29 September 2009}}</ref>

[[File:1TS 0197 (16440153338).jpg|thumb|A photo portrait of Queen Elizabeth II stands at the front of a citizenship ceremony led by [[Lieutenant Governor of Ontario]] [[Elizabeth Dowdeswell]], illustrating the sovereign as the focus of the [[Oath of Citizenship (Canada)|Oath of Citizenship]]]]

The monarch is at the apex of the [[Canadian order of precedence]] and, as the embodiment of the state, is also the focus of oaths of allegiance,{{#tag:ref|It is stated in the ''Rules & Forms of the House of Commons of Canada'' that, "allegiance to the King means allegiance to the country."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Beauchesne |first=Arthur |title=Rules & Forms of the House of Commons of Canada |publisher=The Carswell Company Limited |date=1958 |location=Toronto |page=14 |edition=4 |isbn=0-4593-2210-9}}</ref>|group=n|name=Oath}}{{Refn|<ref name=DCH3/><ref name=Compendium/><ref name=CIC29>{{Harvnb|Citizenship and Immigration Canada|2009|page=29}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=30}}</ref>}} required of many of the aforementioned employees of the Crown, as well as by new [[citizenship|citizens]], as by the [[Oath of citizenship (Canada)|Oath of Citizenship]]. Allegiance is given in [[Reciprocal (grammar)|reciprocation]] to the sovereign's [[Coronation]] Oath,<ref>{{Harvnb|Bousfield|Toffoli|2002|p=78}}</ref> wherein he or she promises to govern the people of Canada "according to their respective laws and customs".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oremus.org/liturgy/coronation/cor1953b.html |title=The Form and Order of Service that is to be performed and the Ceremonies that are to be observed in the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the Abbey Church of St. Peter, Westminster, on Tuesday, the second day of June 1953 |publisher=Anglican Liturgical Library |access-date=16 May 2009 |archive-date=7 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007112304/http://www.oremus.org/liturgy/coronation/cor1953b.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Head of state===
Although it has been argued that the term ''head of state'' is a republican one inapplicable in a constitutional monarchy such as Canada, where the monarch is the embodiment of the state and thus cannot be head of it,<ref name=Bell125/> the sovereign is regarded by official government sources,{{Refn|<ref name=DCHMon/><ref name=Buck1>{{Cite web |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/Canada.aspx |author=The Royal Household |title=The Queen and the Commonwealth > Queen and Canada |publisher=Queen's Printer |access-date=14 May 2009 |archive-date=21 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821082408/http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/Canada.aspx |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=51}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Aird|1985|p=2}}</ref>}} judges,<ref>{{Cite court |litigants=Roach v. Canada (Attorney General) |vol=05-CV-301832 CP |court=Ontario Superior Court |date=23 January 2009 |url=http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2009/2009canlii7178/2009canlii7178.pdf |archive-date=20 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320123916/https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2009/2009canlii7178/2009canlii7178.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> constitutional scholars,<ref name=Compendium/><ref>{{Harvnb|Forsey|2005|p=34}}</ref> and pollsters as the head of state,<ref name=IR2008>{{Cite press release |title=In the Wake of Constitutional Crisis: New Survey Demonstrates that Canadians Lack Basic Understanding of Our Country's Parliamentary System |place=Toronto |publisher=Ipsos Reid |date=15 December 2008 |page=1 |url=http://www.dominion.ca/DominionInstituteDecember15Factum.pdf |access-date=18 May 2010 |via=Dominion Institute |archive-date=12 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612183428/http://www.dominion.ca/DominionInstituteDecember15Factum.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> while the governor general and lieutenant governors are all only representatives of, and thus equally subordinate to, that figure.<ref name=Boswell>{{Cite news |last=Boswell |first=Randy |title=Governor General calling herself 'head of state' riles monarchists |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |date=7 October 2009 |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/Governor+General+calling+herself+head+state+riles+monarchists/2077884/story.html |access-date=7 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010185406/http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Governor%2BGeneral%2Bcalling%2Bherself%2Bhead%2Bstate%2Briles%2Bmonarchists/2077884/story.html |archive-date=10 October 2009}}</ref> Some governors general, their staff, government publications,<ref name=Compendium/> and constitutional scholars like Ted McWhinney and C.E.S. Franks have,<ref>{{Harvnb|McWhinney|2005|p=8}}</ref><ref name=Franks>{{Citation |last=Franks |first=C.E.S. |title=Keep the Queen and choose another head of state |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=9 April 2010 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/keep-the-queen-and-choose-another-head-of-state/article1529705/singlepage  |access-date=23 January 2011 |location=Toronto |archive-date=13 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110213224654/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/keep-the-queen-and-choose-another-head-of-state/article1529705/singlepage  |url-status=dead}}</ref> however, referred to the position of governor general as that of Canada's head of state;<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jean |first=Michaëlle |author-link=Michaëlle Jean |date=5 October 2009 |contribution=Speech at UNESCO |contribution-url=http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=5890 |editor-last=Office of the Governor General of Canada |editor-link=Governor General of Canada |title=Media > Speeches |place=Paris |publication-place=Ottawa |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=7 October 2009}}{{Dead link|date=February 2021|bot=medic}}{{Cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gg.ca/osgg-bsgg/fin/2005-06/fs-2006-03_e.asp |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090224205433/http://www.gg.ca/osgg-bsgg/fin/2005-06/fs-2006-03_e.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 February 2009 |last=Office of the Governor General of Canada |author-link=Governor General of Canada |title=The Office > Annual Reports > Report on Performance |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=7 October 2009}}</ref> though, sometimes qualifying the assertion with {{Lang|la|[[de facto]]}} or ''effective'';{{Refn|<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gg.ca/osgg-bsgg/fin/2003-04/index_e.asp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20060220042411/http://www.gg.ca/osgg-bsgg/fin/2003-04/index_e.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 February 2006 |last=Office of the Governor General of Canada |author-link=Governor General of Canada |title=The Office > Annual Reports > 2003–2004 > Annual Report 2003–2004 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=7 October 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gg.ca/gg/rr/index_e.asp |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20071211191052/http://www.gg.ca/gg/rr/index_e.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 December 2007 |last=Office of the Governor General of Canada |title=Governor General > Role and Responsibilities |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=15 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=12247 |publisher=Office of the Governor General of Canada |title=Media > News Releases and Messages > For the First Time, a Head of State is Officially Welcomed at the Governor General's Residence at the Citadelle: One of the Highlights of the Governor General's Program During Her Stay in Quebec City from September 18 to 24, 2006 |date=18 September 2006 |agency=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=4 December 2016 |archive-date=20 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220052548/http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=12247 |url-status=live}}</ref>}} Franks has hence recommended that the governor general be named officially as the head of state.<ref name=Franks/> Still others view the role of head of state as being shared by both the sovereign and his viceroys.{{Refn|<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Heard |first=Andrew |title=The Governor General's Decision to Prorogue Parliament: Parliamentary Democracy Defended or Endangered |journal=Points of View |volume=Discussion Paper No. 7 |page=12 |publisher=Centre for Constitutional Studies |location=Edmonton |date=January 2009 |url=http://www.law.ualberta.ca/centres/ccs/uploads/PointsofView7.pdf |isbn=978-0-9811-7510-2 |access-date=10 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128090048/http://www.law.ualberta.ca/centres/ccs/uploads/PointsofView7.pdf |archive-date=28 November 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Geddes |first=John |title=How the term "head of state" is actually used in Canada |magazine=Maclean's |publisher=Roger's Communications |location=Toronto |date=9 October 2009 |url=http://www.macleans.ca/2009/10/09/how-the-term-head-of-state-is-actually-used-in-canada |issn=0024-9262 |access-date=10 October 2009 |archive-date=15 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015094041/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/10/09/how-the-term-head-of-state-is-actually-used-in-canada  |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Boyce>{{Harvnb|Boyce|2008|p=29}}</ref>}} Since 1927, governors general have been received on [[state visit]]s abroad as though they were heads of state.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gg.ca/gg/sv/index_e.asp |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20081204063625/http://www.gg.ca/gg/sv/index_e.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 December 2008 |last=Office of the Governor General of Canada |author-link=Governor General of Canada |title=Governor General > State Visits |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=7 October 2009}}</ref>
[[File:The Governor General of Canada, Mr. David Johnston inspecting the Guard of Honour, at the Ceremonial Reception, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on February 24, 2014.jpg|thumb|left|Then-Governor General [[David Johnston (governor general)|David Johnston]] reviews the guard of honour at [[Rashtrapati Bhavan]] during a state visit to India, 24 February 2014]]

Officials at Rideau Hall have attempted to use the ''Letters Patent, 1947'', as justification for describing the governor general as head of state. However, the document makes no such distinction,<ref name=Coup>{{Cite news |last=Gardner |first=Dan |title=A very Canadian coup |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |date=9 October 2009 |url=http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/katzenjammer/archive/2009/10/09/a-very-canadian-coup.aspx |access-date=10 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119020358/http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/katzenjammer/archive/2009/10/09/a-very-canadian-coup.aspx |archive-date=19 January 2013}}</ref> nor does it effect an abdication of the sovereign's powers in favour of the viceroy,<ref name=Heard/> as it only allows the governor general to "act on the Queen's behalf".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://canadiancrown.gc.ca/eng/1396015117980 |last=Department of Canadian Heritage |title=The Crown |publisher=Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada |date=24 September 2014 |access-date=8 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101230729/http://canadiancrown.gc.ca/eng/1396015117980 |archive-date=1 January 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://canadiancrown.gc.ca/eng/1396356285001 |last=Department of Canadian Heritage |title=Governor General Ceremonies |publisher=Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada |date=2 October 2014 |access-date=8 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102063140/http://canadiancrown.gc.ca/eng/1396356285001 |archive-date=2 January 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> D. Michael Jackson, former Chief of Protocol of Saskatchewan, argued that Rideau Hall had been attempting to "recast" the governor general as head of state since the 1970s and doing so preempted both the Queen and all of the lieutenant governors.<ref name=Boswell/> This caused not only "precedence wars" at provincial events (where the governor general usurped the lieutenant governor's proper spot as most senior official in attendance)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jackson |first=D. Michael |date=2002 |contribution=Political Paradox: The Lieutenant Governor in Saskatchewan |editor-last=Leeson |editor-first=Howard A |title=Saskatchewan Politics Into the 21st Century |location=Regina |publisher=Canadian Plains Research Center}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Gardner |first=Dan |title=A stealth campaign against the Queen |newspaper=Calgary Herald |date=17 February 2009 |url=https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/blogs/stealth+campaign+against+Queen/1297679/story.html |access-date=26 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617115509/http://www.calgaryherald.com/opinion/blogs/stealth%2Bcampaign%2Bagainst%2BQueen/1297679/story.html |archive-date=17 June 2009}}</ref> and Governor General Adrienne Clarkson to accord herself precedence before the Queen at a national occasion,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fidelis |title=Canadian Confusion on Juno Beach |journal=Canadian Monarchist News |volume=Summer 2004 |issue=22 |page=2 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=2004 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/sites/default/files/documents/2004/8/135.pdf |access-date=16 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114134201/http://www.monarchist.ca/sites/default/files/documents/2004/8/135.pdf |archive-date=14 November 2013}}</ref> but also constitutional issues by "unbalancing&nbsp;[...] the federalist symmetry".<ref name=Roberts13/><ref name=GardnerRight>{{Cite news |last=Gardner |first=Dan |title=Governor General to Dan Gardner: you're right |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |date=13 February 2009 |url=http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/katzenjammer/archive/2009/02/14/governor-general-to-dan-gardner-you-re-right.aspx |access-date=26 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707180847/http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/katzenjammer/archive/2009/02/14/governor-general-to-dan-gardner-you-re-right.aspx |archive-date=7 July 2012}}</ref> This has been regarded as both a natural evolution and as a dishonest effort to alter the constitution without public scrutiny.<ref name=Coup/><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Geddes |first=John |title=If you do all the head-of-state stuff, aren't you the head of state? |magazine=Maclean's |publisher=Roger's Communications |location=Toronto |date=9 October 2009 |url=http://www.macleans.ca/2009/10/09/if-you-do-all-the-head-of-state-stuff-arent-you-the-head-of-state |issn=0024-9262 |access-date=10 October 2009 |archive-date=13 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091013055347/http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/10/09/if-you-do-all-the-head-of-state-stuff-arent-you-the-head-of-state  |url-status=live}}</ref>

In a poll conducted by [[Ipsos-Reid]] following the [[2008–2009 Canadian parliamentary dispute#Governor General prorogues parliament|first prorogation of the 40th parliament]] on 4 December 2008, it was found that 42 per cent of the sample group thought the prime minister was head of state, while 33 per cent felt it was the governor general. Only 24 per cent named the Queen as head of state,<ref name=IR2008/> a number up from 2002, when the results of an [[EKOS Research Associates]] survey showed only 5 per cent of those polled knew the Queen was head of state (69 per cent answered that it was the prime minister).<ref>{{Cite book |author=EKOS Research Associates |author-link=EKOS Research Associates |title=Trust and the Monarchy: an examination of the shifting public attitudes toward government and institutions |chapter-url=http://www.ekos.com/admin/articles/31may2001.pdf |access-date=8 February 2009 |date=30 May 2002 |publisher=EKOS Research Associates |location=Montreal |page=47 |chapter=F. Monarchy |ref={{Harvid|EKOS|2002}} |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219001238/http://www.ekos.com/admin/articles/31may2001.pdf |archive-date=19 December 2008}}</ref>

===Arms===<!-- ONLY THE OFFICIAL 1957 ARMS TO BE USED: Only the last official rendition from 1957 which is free for use should be used. The more recent 1994 emblem is still subject to copyright and will be automatically removed. -->
{{Main|Arms of Canada|Royal standards of Canada}}
[[File:Royal Standard of Canada.svg|thumb|The [[Royal standards of Canada|Sovereign's Flag for Canada]] employing the shield of the royal arms in banner form]]

The [[Arms of Canada|Arms of His Majesty the King in Right of Canada]] is the [[arms of dominion]] of the Canadian monarch and, thus, equally the official [[coat of arms]] of Canada{{Sfn|Tidridge|2011|p=71}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://canadiancrown.gc.ca/eng/1396525887776 |author=Department of Canadian Heritage, Government of Canada |title=Canadian Flags of the Royal Family |date=2 October 2014 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=9 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102234745/http://canadiancrown.gc.ca/eng/1396525887776 |archive-date=2 January 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and a symbol of [[Canadian sovereignty|national sovereignty]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Swann |first=Conrad |title=Canada Symbols of Sovereignty: An investigation of the arms and seals borne from the earliest times to the present in connection with public authority in and over Canada. along with consideration of some connected flags |chapter=Chapter I, Arms of dominion and sovereignty and public authority |location=Toronto |publisher=University of Toronto Press}}</ref> It is closely modelled after the [[royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom]], with French and distinctive Canadian elements replacing or added to those derived from the British version, which was employed in Canada before the granting of the Canadian arms in 1921.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Use of Non-Traditional Evidence: A case study using heraldry to examine competing theories for Canada's Confederation |first=Bruce M. |last=Hicks |journal=British Journal of Canadian Studies |date=2010 |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=87–117 |doi=10.3828/bjcs.2010.5 |issn=0269-9222}}</ref>

The [[Royal standards of Canada|royal standard]] is the monarch's official flag, which depicts the royal arms in [[Banner of arms|banner form]].<ref name=CHA>{{Citation |url=http://archive.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project-pic.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=518&ProjectElementID=1811 |author=Office of the Governor General of Canada: Canadian Heraldic Authority |title=Public Register of Arms, Flags, and Badges > Registration of the Flag of Her Majesty the Queen for personal use in Canada |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=22 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921080127/http://reg.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project-pic.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=518&ProjectElementID=1811 |archive-date=21 September 2013}}</ref> It takes precedence above all other flags in Canada—including the [[Flag of Canada|national flag]] and those of the other members of the royal family<ref name=DCHMon/>—and is typically flown from buildings, vessels, and vehicles in which the sovereign is present (although exceptions have been made for its use when the monarch is not in attendance). The royal standard is never flown at half-mast because there is always a sovereign: when one dies, his or her successor becomes the sovereign instantly. Elements of the royal arms have also been incorporated into the [[Flag of the governor general of Canada|governor general's flag]]; similarly, the [[Flags of the lieutenant governors of Canada|flags of the lieutenant governors]] employ the shields of the relevant provincial coat of arms.

==Federal constitutional role==
[[Constitution of Canada|Canada's constitution]] is based on the [[Westminster system|Westminster parliamentary model]], wherein the role of the King is both legal and practical, but not political.<ref name=Forsey/> The sovereign is vested with all the powers of state, collectively known as the [[royal prerogative]],<ref name=PCO>{{Cite book |author=Privy Council Office |author-link=Privy Council Office (Canada) |title=Accountable Government: A Guide for Ministers and Ministers of State—2008 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |date=2008 |location=Ottawa |page=45 |url=http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/index.asp?lang=eng&page=information&sub=publications&doc=ag-gr/2008/ag-gr-eng.htm |isbn=978-1-1001-1096-7 |access-date=17 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100318110030/http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/index.asp?lang=eng&page=information&sub=publications&doc=ag-gr%2F2008%2Fag-gr-eng.htm |archive-date=18 March 2010}}</ref> leading the populace to be considered subjects of the Crown.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Peter |last=Prince |title=We are Australian: The Constitution and Deportation of Australian-born Children |website=Parliament of Australia |date=24 November 2003 |url=http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rp/2003-04/04rp03.htm#weare |id=Research Paper no. 3 200304 |access-date=16 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090702140930/http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rp/2003-04/04RP03.htm#weare |archive-date=2 July 2009}}</ref> However, as the sovereign's power stems from [[People#Legal|the people]]<ref name=Forseyp1/><ref>{{Harvnb|Boyce|2008|p=2}}</ref> and the monarch is a [[Constitutional monarchy|constitutional one]], he or she does not rule alone, as in an [[absolute monarchy]]. Instead, the Crown is regarded as a [[corporation sole]], with the monarch being the centre of a construct in which the power of the whole is shared by multiple institutions of government<ref name=Tidridge16/>—the [[Executive (government)|executive]], [[Legislature|legislative]], and [[Judiciary|judicial]]<ref name=DCH20094/>—acting under the sovereign's authority,<ref name=Compendium/><ref name=Murdoch>{{Cite journal |last=Cox |first=Noel |title=Black v Chrétien: Suing a Minister of the Crown for Abuse of Power, Misfeasance in Public Office and Negligence |journal=Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law |volume=9 |issue=3 |page=12 |publisher=Murdoch University |location=Perth |date=September 2002 |url=http://www.murdoch.edu.au/elaw/issues/v9n3/cox93.html |access-date=17 May 2009 |archive-date=26 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626163652/http://www.murdoch.edu.au/elaw/issues/v9n3/cox93.html |url-status=live}}</ref> which is entrusted for exercise by the politicians (the elected and appointed parliamentarians and the ministers of the Crown generally drawn from among them) and the [[Court system of Canada|judges]] and [[Justice of the Peace#Canada|justices of the peace]].<ref name=MacLeod16/> The monarchy has thus been described as the underlying principle of Canada's institutional unity and the monarch as a "guardian of constitutional freedoms"<ref name=Senate/><ref name=CIC29/> whose "job is to ensure that the political process remains intact and is allowed to function."<ref name=Forsey/>
[[File:Great Seal of Canada.png|thumb|right|The Great Seal of Canada used during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II]]

The [[Great Seal of Canada]] "signifies the power and authority of the Crown flowing from the sovereign to [the] parliamentary government"<ref name=GSoC>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=317 |author=Office of the Governor General of Canada |title=The Great Seal of Canada |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=14 December 2015 |archive-date=20 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620180024/http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=317 |url-status=live}}</ref> and is applied to state documents such as royal proclamations and letters patent commissioning Cabinet ministers, senators, judges, and other senior government officials.<ref name=DCHGSoC>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/eng/1363632655992/1363632732678 |author=Department of Canadian Heritage |title=he Great Seal of Canada |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=14 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102063140/http://www.pch.gc.ca/eng/1363632655992/1363632732678 |archive-date=2 January 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The "lending" of royal authority to Cabinet is illustrated by the great seal being entrusted by the governor general, the official keeper of the seal, to the [[Minister of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development|minister of innovation, science, and economic development]], who is ''ex officio'' the [[Registrar General of Canada|registrar general of Canada]].<ref name=DCHGSoC/> Upon a change of government, the seal is temporarily returned to the governor general and then "lent" to the next incoming registrar general.<ref name=GSoC/>

The Crown is the pinnacle of the [[Canadian Armed Forces]], with the constitution placing the monarch in the position of [[Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces|commander-in-chief of the entire force]], though the governor general carries out the duties attached to the position and also bears the title of ''Commander-in-Chief in and over Canada''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gg.ca/gg/rr/cc/hist_e.asp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20061009193225/http://www.gg.ca/gg/rr/cc/hist_e.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 October 2006 |last=Office of the Governor General of Canada |title=Governor General > Role and Responsibilities > Commander-in-Chief of Canada |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=20 May 2009}}</ref>

===Executive (King-in-Council)===
[[File:Queen Elizabeth and members of the federal government of Canada in Ottawa 1957-10-14.jpg|thumb|The first meeting of the [[Queen's Privy Council for Canada]] before the reigning sovereign, Queen [[Elizabeth II]], in the State Dining Room of Rideau Hall, 14 October 1957]]
[[File:Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her Canadian Ministers at Rideau Hall 1 July 1967.jpg|thumb|Elizabeth II with her [[19th Canadian Ministry|Cabinet]] in the ballroom of Rideau Hall, on [[Canada Day|Dominion Day]], 1 July 1967, the [[Canadian Centennial|centennial of Confederation]]]]

The [[government of Canada]]—formally termed ''[[His Majesty's Government (term)|His Majesty's Government]]''<ref name=MacLeod18>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=18}}</ref>—is defined by the constitution as the King acting on the [[advice (constitutional)|advice]] of his Privy Council;{{Refn|<ref name=MacLeod18/><ref>{{Harvnb|Victoria|1867|loc=III.9 & 11}}</ref><ref name=MarleauExecutive>{{Harvnb|Marleau|Montpetit|2000|loc=The Executive}}</ref>}} what is technically known as the ''[[King's Privy Council for Canada#King-in-Council|King-in-Council]]'',<ref name=MacLeod17/> or sometimes the ''Governor-in-Council'',<ref name=InterpAct/> referring to the governor general as the King's stand-in, though, a few tasks must be specifically performed by, or bills that require assent from, the King.{{Refn|<ref name=Heard/><ref name=ECF>{{Cite web |last=Michener |first=Roland |author-link=Roland Michener |date=19 November 1970 |title=Dinner in Honour of His Excellency, the Right Honourable Roland Michener C.C., C.D., Governor General of Canada |url=https://speeches.empireclub.org/60367/data?n=1 |website=Empire Club of Canada |access-date=18 May 2009 |archive-date=5 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705170039/http://speeches.empireclub.org/60367/data?n=1 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Victoria|1867|loc=IV.26}}</ref>}} One of the main duties of the Crown is to "ensure that a democratically elected government is always in place,"<ref name=Boyce/> which means appointing a [[prime minister]] to thereafter head the [[Cabinet of Canada|Cabinet]]<ref name=GG>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gg.ca/media/fs-fd/P1_e.asp |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080616012920/http://www.gg.ca/media/fs-fd/P1_e.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 June 2008 |last=Office of the Governor General of Canada |title=Media > Fact Sheets > The Swearing-In of a New Ministry |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=18 May 2009}}</ref>—a committee of the Privy Council charged with advising the Crown on the exercise of the royal prerogative.<ref name=MarleauExecutive/> The monarch is informed by his viceroy of the swearing-in and resignation of prime ministers and other members of the ministry,<ref name=GG/> remains fully briefed through regular communications from his Canadian ministers, and holds audience with them whenever possible.<ref name=Buck1/> By convention, the content of these communications and meetings remains confidential so as to protect the impartiality of the monarch and his representative.<ref name=Forsey/><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.660news.com/news/national/article.jsp?content=n1205126A |last=Panetta (with Canadian Press) |first=Alexander |title=Off the record: what GG told Harper not for public consumption |date=5 December 2008 |publisher=660 News (Rogers Broadcasting) |access-date=7 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229231043/http://www.660news.com/news/national/article.jsp?content=n1205126A |archive-date=29 December 2008}}</ref> The appropriateness and viability of this tradition in an age of [[social media]] has been questioned.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/549450 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209020501/http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/549450 |archive-date=9 December 2008 |last=Tyler |first=Tracey |title=Politicians, scholars say Governor General must dispel secrecy |date=6 December 2008 |newspaper=Toronto Star |access-date=7 December 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1314339--lt-gov-david-onley-explains-prorogation-decision-cohn |last=Cohn |first=Martin Regg |title=Lt.-Gov. David Onley explains prorogation decision |date=13 January 2013 |newspaper=Toronto Star |access-date=15 January 2013 |archive-date=16 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116135847/http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1314339--lt-gov-david-onley-explains-prorogation-decision-cohn |url-status=live}}</ref>

In the construct of constitutional monarchy and [[responsible government]], the ministerial advice tendered is typically binding,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Russell |first=Peter |publication-date=1983 |contribution=Bold Statecraft, Questionable Jurisprudence |editor-last=Banting |editor-first=Keith G.| editor2-last=Simeon| editor2-first=Richard |title=And no one cheered: federalism, democracy, and the Constitution Act |page=217 |location=Toronto |publisher=Taylor & Francis |date=1983 |isbn=978-0-4589-5950-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sUwOAAAAQAAJ |access-date=12 June 2010}}</ref> meaning the monarch ''reigns'' but does not ''rule'',<ref name=Cyr>{{Citation |url=https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/22.1-Full-Issue.pdf| editor-last1=Lagassé| editor-first1=Philippe| editor-last2=MacDonald| editor-first2=Nicholas A. |title=The Crown in the 21st Century| last1=Cyr| first1=Hugo |series=On the Formation of Government |page=117 |volume=22 |issue=1 |date=2017 |publisher=Centre for Constitutional Studies |location=Edmonton |access-date=5 June 2023 |archive-date=16 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816131152/https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/22.1-Full-Issue.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> the Cabinet ruling "in trust" for the monarch.<ref>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=8}}</ref> This has been the case in Canada since the [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|Treaty of Paris]] ended the reign of the territory's last [[absolute monarch]], King [[Louis XV of France]]. However, the royal prerogative belongs to the Crown and not to any of the ministers{{Refn|<ref name=MacLeod16/><ref name=Murdoch/><ref name=Neitsch23>{{Harvnb|Neitsch|2008|p=23}}</ref>}} and the royal and viceroyal figures may unilaterally use these powers in exceptional [[constitutional crisis]] situations (an exercise of the [[reserve power]]s),{{#tag:ref|See '[[Cabinet of Canada#Responsibilities|Responsibilities]]' and [[Cabinet of Canada#cite note-RP-14|Note 1]] at [[Cabinet of Canada]].|group=n|name=RP}} thereby allowing the monarch to make sure "the government conducts itself in compliance with the constitution";<ref name=Boyce/> he and the viceroys being guarantors of the government's constitutional, as opposed to democratic, legitimacy and must ensure the continuity of such.<ref>{{Harvnb|Cyr|2017|p=117}}</ref> Use of the royal prerogative in this manner was seen when [[King–Byng affair|the Governor General refused his prime minister's advice to dissolve Parliament]] in 1926 and when, in 2008, the Governor General took some hours to decide whether or not to accept her Prime Minister's advice to prorogue Parliament to avoid a vote of non-confidence.<ref name=ISCC>{{Cite web |url=https://iscc-iecc.ca/backgrounder/reserve-powers-of-the-crown |title=Reserve Powers of the Crown |date=4 February 2022 |publisher=Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada |access-date=25 July 2022 |archive-date=19 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719184608/https://iscc-iecc.ca/backgrounder/reserve-powers-of-the-crown  |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Jackson|Lagassé|2013|p=3}}</ref> The prerogative powers have also been [[Monarchy in the Canadian provinces#Executive|used numerous times in the provinces]].<ref name=ISCC/>

The royal prerogative further extends to foreign affairs, including the ratification of treaties, alliances, international agreements, and [[Declaration of war by Canada|declarations of war]],<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.lawtimesnews.com/20060501549/Headline-News/War-power-and-the-Royal-Prerogative |last=Brode |first=Patrick |title=War power and the Royal Prerogative |date=1 May 2006 |journal=Law Times |access-date=22 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122075404/http://www.lawtimesnews.com/20060501549/Headline-News/War-power-and-the-Royal-Prerogative |archive-date=22 November 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> the accreditation of Canadian high commissioners and ambassadors and receipt of similar diplomats from foreign states,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://archive.gg.ca/gg/fgg/bios/03/02e_e.asp |last=Office of the Governor General of Canada |author-link=Governor General of Canada |title=The Governor General – the evolution of Canada's oldest public institution |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=16 January 2011 |archive-date=13 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613180418/http://archive.gg.ca/gg/fgg/bios/03/02e_e.asp |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=CMN23>{{Cite journal |title=Martin Government Removes Queen From Diplomatic Documents |journal=Canadian Monarchist News |volume=Spring 2005 |issue=23 |page=2 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=2005 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2005/Spring_2005_CMN.pdf |access-date=17 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625225427/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2005/Spring_2005_CMN.pdf |archive-date=25 June 2008}}</ref> and the issuance of [[Canadian passport]]s,<ref name=CPO>{{Citation |author=Elizabeth II |author-link=Elizabeth II |publication-date=28 June 2006 |title=Canadian Passport Order |series=4.4 |location=Ottawa |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |url=http://www.pptc.gc.ca/publications/pdfs/81-86_administrative_2006_eng.pdf |access-date=19 May 2009 |date=2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326043231/http://www.pptc.gc.ca/publications/pdfs/81-86_administrative_2006_eng.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2009}}</ref> which remain the sovereign's property.<ref>{{Harvnb|Elizabeth II|2006|loc=3.b, 3.c}}</ref> It also includes the creation of [[Dynastic order of knighthood|dynastic]] and [[Order (honour)|national]] [[Orders, decorations, and medals of Canada|honours]],<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.lawtimesnews.com/200605011204/headline-news/war-power-and-the-royal-prerogative |last=Brode |first=Patrick |title=War power and the Royal Prerogative |date=1 May 2006 |journal=Law Times |access-date=28 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518013839/http://www.lawtimesnews.com/200605011204/headline-news/war-power-and-the-royal-prerogative |archive-date=18 May 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> though only the latter are established on official ministerial advice.

===Parliament (King-in-Parliament)===
[[File:RoyalVisitSenate.jpg|thumb|King [[George VI]], with [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Queen Elizabeth]], grants [[royal assent]] to bills in the [[Senate of Canada|Senate chamber]], 1939]]

All laws in Canada are the monarch's and the sovereign is one of the three components of the Parliament of Canada<ref>{{Harvnb|Victoria|1867|loc=VI.91}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Victoria|1867|loc=IV.17}}</ref>—formally called the ''[[King-in-Parliament]]''<ref name=MacLeod17/>—but, the monarch and viceroy do not participate in the legislative process, save for [[King's consent|royal consent]], typically expressed by a minister of the Crown,<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-3/ch_16_5-e.html#16-5-5-3 |title=Royal Consent |date=2017 |publisher=Parliament of Canada |access-date=6 June 2023 |archive-date=11 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211220918/https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-3/ch_16_5-e.html#16-5-5-3 |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[royal assent]], which is necessary for a bill to be enacted as law. Either figure or a delegate may perform this task and the constitution allows the viceroy the option of deferring assent to the sovereign.<ref>{{Harvnb|Victoria|1867|loc=IV.55}}</ref>

The governor general is further responsible for summoning the House of Commons, while either the viceroy or monarch can [[Prorogation in Canada|prorogue]] and [[dissolution of Parliament|dissolve]] the legislature, after which the governor general usually [[Writ of election|calls for a general election]]. This element of the royal prerogative is unaffected by legislation [[Fixed election dates in Canada|"fixing" election dates]], as ''An Act to Amend the Canada Elections Act'' specifies that it does not curtail the Crown's powers.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/22.1-Full-Issue.pdf |title=The Role of Monarchy in Modern Democracy: European Monarchies Compared| last1=Hazell| first1=Robert| last2=Morris| first2=Bob |chapter=If the Queen Has No Reserve Powers Left, What Is the Modern Monarchy For? |date=17 September 2020 |page=9 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |location=London |isbn=978-1-5099-3103-3 |access-date=2 May 2023 |archive-date=16 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816131152/https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/22.1-Full-Issue.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The new parliamentary session is marked by either the monarch, governor general, or some other representative reading the [[Speech from the throne|Speech from the Throne]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/compilations/OfficersAndOfficials/ProceduralOfficersAndSeniorOfficials_Senate.aspx |last=Library of Parliament |author-link=Library of Parliament |title=Parliament > Officers and Officials of Parliament > Procedural Officers and Senior Officials > Senate |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=19 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201130735/http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/compilations/OfficersAndOfficials/ProceduralOfficersAndSeniorOfficials_Senate.aspx |archive-date=1 December 2008}}</ref> Members of Parliament must recite the Oath of Allegiance before they may take their seat. Further, the [[Official Opposition (Canada)|official opposition]] is traditionally dubbed as ''[[Loyal opposition|His Majesty's Loyal Opposition]]'',{{Refn|<ref name=CIC29/><ref>{{Harvnb|Marleau|Montpetit|2000|loc=The Opposition}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |first=Gerald |last=Schmitz |title=The Opposition in a Parliamentary System |date=December 1988 |place=Ottawa |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/PRBpubs/bp47-e.htm |access-date=21 May 2009 |isbn=0-6601-3283-4 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425171259/http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/PRBpubs/bp47-e.htm |archive-date=25 April 2009}}</ref>}} illustrating that, while its members are opposed to the incumbent government, they remain loyal to the sovereign (as personification of the state and its authority).<ref>{{Citation |last=Ignatieff |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Ignatieff |date=2012 |editor-last=Ibbitson |editor-first=John |editor-link=John Ibbitson |title=Michael Ignatieff's timely warning on the politics of fascism |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |publication-date=30 October 2012 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/michael-ignatieffs-timely-warning-on-the-politics-of-fascism/article4753299  |access-date=30 October 2012 |location=Toronto |archive-date=9 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009144703/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/michael-ignatieffs-timely-warning-on-the-politics-of-fascism/article4753299/  |url-status=live}}</ref>

The monarch does not have the prerogative to impose and collect new taxes without the authorization of an [[act of Parliament]]. The consent of the Crown must, however, be obtained before either of the houses of Parliament may even debate a bill affecting the sovereign's prerogatives or interests and no act of Parliament binds the King or his rights unless the act states that it does.<ref>{{Harvnb|Newman|2017|p=67}}</ref>

===Courts (King-on-the-Bench)===
[[File:The Nine.jpg|thumb|A [[Supreme Court of Canada]] courtroom displaying on the focal wall a rendition of the Royal Arms.]]
The sovereign is responsible for rendering justice for all his subjects and is thus traditionally deemed the ''fount of justice''<ref name=Cools>{{Cite hansard |chapter-url=https://sencanada.ca/en/Content/Sen/chamber/362/debates/029db_2000-02-17-e#0.2.W54BJ2.MERRJT.A7B6PH.2F |house=Senate |date=17 February 2000| column_start=1500| column_end=1510 |url-status=dead |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/36/2/parlbus/chambus/senate/deb-e/029db_2000-02-17-e.htm?Language=E&Parl=36&Ses=2#0.2.W54BJ2.MERRJT.A7B6PH.2F |archive-date=4 September 2007 |title=Archived copy |access-date=21 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070904143557/http://www.parl.gc.ca/36/2/parlbus/chambus/senate/deb-e/029db_2000-02-17-e.htm?Language=E&Parl=36&Ses=2#0.2.W54BJ2.MERRJT.A7B6PH.2F}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070904143557/http://www.parl.gc.ca/36/2/parlbus/chambus/senate/deb-e/029db_2000-02-17-e.htm?Language=E&Parl=36&Ses=2#0.2.W54BJ2.MERRJT.A7B6PH.2F |date=4 September 2007}}</ref> and his position in the [[Court system of Canada|Canadian courts]] formally dubbed the ''King on the Bench''.<ref name=MacLeod17/> The [[Arms of Canada|Arms of His Majesty in Right of Canada]] are traditionally displayed in Canadian courtrooms,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oEVXpBEcgaUC&pg=PA219 |first=John |last=Honsberger |title=Osgoode Hall: An Illustrated History |publisher=Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History |date=2004 |pages=219–20 |isbn=978-1-5500-2513-2}}</ref> as is a portrait of the sovereign.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/calgary-courtroom-home-to-special-exhibit-1.782769 |title=Calgary courtroom home to special exhibit |publisher=CTV News |date=19 March 2012 |archive-date=12 March 2017 |access-date=10 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312055637/http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/calgary-courtroom-home-to-special-exhibit-1.782769 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[:File:Supreme Court of Canada Coat of Arms.png|badge of the Supreme Court]] also bears a St. Edward's Crown to symbolize the source of the court's authority.

The monarch does not personally rule in judicial cases; this function of the [[royal prerogative]] is instead performed in trust and in the King's name by officers of His Majesty's court.<ref name=Cools/> Common law holds the notion that the sovereign "[[Sovereign immunity|can do no wrong]]": the monarch cannot be prosecuted in his own courts—judged by himself—for criminal offences under his own laws.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://rdo-olr.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/olr_9.1_marasinghe.pdf |last=Marasinghe |first=M. L. |title=A Reassessment of Sovereign Immunity |journal=Ottawa Law Review |page=474 |access-date=31 January 2023 |archive-date=1 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201021514/https://rdo-olr.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/olr_9.1_marasinghe.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Canada inherited the common law version of Crown immunity from British law.<ref name=Justice>{{Citation |url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2022/jus/J2-522-1999-eng.pdf |author=Department of Justice |title=The Liability of Public Authorities |edition=Fourth |page=11 |date=June 1999 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=31 January 2023}}</ref> However, over time, the scope of said immunity has been steadily reduced by statute law. With the passage of relevant legislation through the provincial and federal parliaments, the Crown in its public capacity (that is, lawsuits against the King-in-Council), in all areas of Canada, is now liable in [[tort]], as any normal person would be.<ref name=Justice/> In international cases, as a sovereign and under established principles of [[international law]], the King of Canada is not subject to suit in foreign courts without his express consent.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wrong |first=Humphrey Hume |author-link=Humphrey Hume Wrong |contribution=Telegram 219 |date=10 November 1952 |title=Relations With the United States |editor-last=Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada |editor-link=Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade |series=Documents on Canadian External Relations |volume=18 – 867 |contribution-url=http://www.international.gc.ca/department/history-histoire/dcer/details-en.asp?intRefid=4363 |access-date=18 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111123085615/http://www.international.gc.ca/department/history-histoire/dcer/details-en.asp?intRefid=4363|archive-date=23 November 2011}}{{Primary source inline|date=April 2024}}</ref>

Within the royal prerogative is also the granting of immunity from prosecution,<ref>{{Cite book |author=Public Prosecution Service of Canada |title=The Federal Prosecution Service Deskbook |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |date=October 2005 |location=Ottawa |url=http://www.ppsc-sppc.gc.ca/eng/fps-sfp/fpd/ch35.html#note9 |id=35.4.3 |access-date=30 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090521212900/http://www.ppsc-sppc.gc.ca/eng/fps-sfp/fpd/ch35.html |archive-date=21 May 2009}}</ref> mercy, and [[Pardon#Canada|pardoning]] offences against the Crown.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dimmock |first=Gary |title=The quality of mercy |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |date=27 February 2008 |url=http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/story.html?id=e8b51861-a813-4c83-9d55-c2aeb6bb3bf7&k=28950 |access-date=4 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080504160514/http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/story.html?id=e8b51861-a813-4c83-9d55-c2aeb6bb3bf7&k=28950 |archive-date=4 May 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite report |first=Molly |last=Dunsmuir |title=Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide |publisher=Parliamentary Information and Research Service |date=22 November 2004 |url=http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection-R/LoPBdP/CIR-e/919-e.pdf |access-date=20 May 2009 |archive-date=26 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326043227/http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection-R/LoPBdP/CIR-e/919-e.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Since 1878, the prerogative of pardon has always been exercised upon the recommendation of ministers.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kDN1WzoaFNEC&pg=PA16 |first=James |last=Mallory |title=The Pattern of the Constitution |journal=Essential Readings in Canadian Constitutional Politics |editor-first=Peter H |editor-last=Russell| editor2-first=Christian| editor2-last=Leuprecht |publisher=University of Toronto Press |date=2011 |page=16 |isbn=978-1-4426-0368-4}}</ref>

===The Crown and Indigenous peoples===
{{Main|Monarchy of Canada and the Indigenous peoples of Canada}}
[[File:Presentation of Membertou Portrait to Queen Elizabeth II.jpg|thumb|[[Mi'kmaq people|Mi'kmaq]] leaders present a portrait of Grand Chief [[Henri Membertou]] to Queen [[Elizabeth II]] in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]], 28 June 2010]]

Included in Canada's constitution are the various treaties between the Crown and Canada's [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]], [[Inuit]], and [[Métis people (Canada)|Métis]] peoples, who, like the [[Māori people|Māori]] and the [[Treaty of Waitangi]] in New Zealand,<ref>{{Citation |last=Cox |first=Noel |title=The Evolution of the New Zealand monarchy: The Recognition of an Autochthonous Polity |publisher=University of Auckland |date=2001 |url=http://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/bitstream/2292/107/16/01front.pdf.txt |access-date=29 September 2009 |archive-date=28 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228063318/https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/2292/107/01front.pdf.txt?sequence=16 |url-status=live}}</ref> generally view the affiliation as being not between them and the ever-changing Cabinet, but instead with the continuous Crown of Canada, as embodied in the reigning sovereign,<ref>{{Citation |last=Mainville |first=Sara |title=Lawsuits, treaty rights and the sacred balance |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=1 June 2007 |url=https://www.thestar.com/comment/article/220171 |access-date=18 May 2008 |archive-date=27 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927022943/http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/220171 |url-status=live}}</ref> meaning the link between monarch and Indigenous peoples in Canada will theoretically last for "as long as the sun shines, grass grows, and rivers flow."<ref name=FN>{{Citation| last1=Assembly of First Nations |author-link=Assembly of First Nations| last2=Elizabeth II| author2-link=Elizabeth II |title=A First Nations – Federal Crown Political Accord |url=http://www.afn.ca/cmslib/general/PolAcc.pdf |series=1 |date=2004 |page=3 |place=Ottawa |publisher=Assembly of First Nations |access-date=29 September 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100816041503/http://www.afn.ca/cmslib/general/PolAcc.pdf |archive-date=16 August 2010}}</ref><ref name=Clarkson>{{Citation |last=Clarkson |first=Adrienne |author-link=Adrienne Clarkson |date=31 March 2004 |title=Address at the University of Toronto Faculty Association's C.B. Macpherson Lecture |url=http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?DocID=4158&lang=e |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040406003127/http://gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4158 |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 April 2004 |editor-last=Office of the Governor General of Canada |editor-link=Governor General of Canada |place=Toronto |publication-place=Ottawa |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada}}</ref>

The association stretches back to the [[Timeline of colonization of North America|first decisions]] between [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|North American Indigenous peoples]] and European colonialists and, over centuries of interface, [[Treaty|treaties]] were established concerning the monarch and indigenous nations. The only treaties that survived the [[American Revolution]] are those in Canada, which date to the beginning of the 18th century. Today, the main guide for relations between the monarchy and Canadian First Nations is King [[George III]]'s ''[[Royal Proclamation of 1763]]'';<ref name=CE>{{Citation |last=Hall |first=Anthony J. |contribution=Native Peoples > Native Peoples, General > Indian Treaties |title=The Canadian Encyclopedia |editor-last=Marsh |editor-first=James Harley |place=Toronto |publisher=Historica Foundation of Canada |url=http://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/aboriginal-treaties  |access-date=30 September 2009}}</ref><ref name=RC261>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ch/rcap/sg/shm2_e.html |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080803202443/http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca:80/ch/rcap/sg/shm2_e.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 August 2008 |last=Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada |author-link=Indian and Northern Affairs Canada |title=Aboriginal Peoples & Communities > Royal Commission Report on Aboriginal Peoples > Volume 2 – Restructuring the Relationship: Part One: 2.6.1 A Royal Proclamation |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=28 June 2010 |ref=CITEREF_Department_of_Indian_and_Northern_Affairs_Canada_1991}}</ref> while not a treaty, it is regarded by First Nations as their [[Magna Carta]] or "Indian [[bill of rights]]",<ref name=RC261/><ref name=Valpy>{{Citation |last=Valpy |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Valpy |title=The monarchy: Offshore, but built-in |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=13 November 2009 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/offshore-but-built-in/article1363088  |access-date=14 November 2009}}{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no}}</ref> as it affirmed native title to their lands and made clear that, though under the [[sovereignty]] of the Crown, the aboriginal bands were autonomous political units in a "nation-to-nation" association with non-native governments,<ref name=CT6FN>{{Cite web |url=http://www.treaty6.ca/default.aspx?page=Treaty%20Principles&ID=6 |title=About Us > Treaty Principals |publisher=Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations |access-date=29 September 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706205758/http://www.treaty6.ca/default.aspx?page=Treaty%20Principles&ID=6 |archive-date=6 July 2011}}</ref><ref name=CAP>{{Cite web| last1=Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples |title=Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Volume 2 – Restructuring the Relationship |url=http://data2.archives.ca/e/e448/e011188230-02.pdf |website=Library and Archives Canada |publisher=Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada |access-date=20 July 2017 |pages=16–19 |date=October 1996| author1-link=Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples |archive-date=21 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321151216/http://data2.archives.ca/e/e448/e011188230-02.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> with the monarch as the intermediary.<ref name=Match>{{Citation |first=Jean-Maurice |last=Matchewan |title=Presentation to the Members of the Committee to Examine Matters Relating to the Accession of Quebec to Sovereignty |url=http://www.cwis.org/fwdp/Americas/algonqin.txt |date=4 February 1992 |location=Quebec City |publisher=Center for World Indigenous Studies |access-date=29 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090822033913/http://cwis.org/fwdp/Americas/algonqin.txt |archive-date=22 August 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The agreements with the Crown are administered by [[Canadian Aboriginal law|aboriginal law]] and overseen by the [[Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations|minister of Crown-Indigenous relations]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/dfrp-rbif/treaty-traite.asp?Language=EN |author=Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat |author-link=Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat |title=Treaty areas |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=17 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070822043231/http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/dfrp-rbif/treaty-traite.asp?Language=EN |archive-date=22 August 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/al/hts/index-eng.asp |last=Indian and Northern Affairs Canada |author-link=Indian and Northern Affairs Canada |title=Acts, Agreements & Land Claims > Historic Treaties |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=17 November 2009 |archive-date=28 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828165101/http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/al/hts/index-eng.asp |url-status=dead}}</ref>

{{Quote box
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| quote = I have greatly appreciated the opportunity to discuss [...] the vital process of reconciliation in this country—not a one-off act, of course, but an ongoing commitment to healing, respect and understanding [...] with indigenous and non-indigenous peoples across Canada committing to reflect honestly and openly on the past and to forge a new relationship for the future.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/speech/speech-hrh-prince-wales-during-welcome-ceremony-confederation-building-st-johns-canada |title=A speech by HRH The Prince Of Wales during a Welcome Ceremony at Confederation Building, St John's, Canada |date=17 May 2022 |publisher=Prince of Wales}}</ref>
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The link between the Crown and Indigenous peoples will sometimes be symbolically expressed through ceremony.<ref name=POW>{{Cite journal |last=Radforth |first=Ian |title=Performance, Politics, and Representation: Aboriginal People and the 1860 Royal Tour of Canada |journal=Canadian Historical Review |volume=84 |issue=1 |pages=1–32 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |location=Toronto |date=March 2003 |doi=10.3138/CHR.84.1.1| s2cid=154326223 |issn=0008-3755 |url=https://commerce.metapress.com/content/4n45604665183553/resource-secured/?target=fulltext.pdf&sid=huj4zu55sspaxbj5hrrpp545&sh=utpjournals.metapress.com |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121217155231/https://commerce.metapress.com/content/4n45604665183553/resource-secured/?target=fulltext.pdf&sid=huj4zu55sspaxbj5hrrpp545&sh=utpjournals.metapress.com |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 December 2012|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Gifts have been frequently exchanged and aboriginal titles have been bestowed upon royal and viceregal figures since the early days of indigenous contact with the Crown.{{Refn|<ref name=Clarkson/><ref name="HBC">{{Citation |title=Peguis |place=Winnipeg |publisher=Hudson's Bay Company |id=B.235/a/3 fos. 28-28d}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Buckner|2005|page=77}}</ref><ref name=DCHsymb>{{Cite web |url=http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/special/royalvisit/kids-zone-answers.htm |last=Department of Canadian Heritage |author-link=Department of Canadian Heritage |title=Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > The Canadian Monarchy > Royal Visit of the Prince of Wales > Are You an "Ace" at Kings and Queens?: A children's quiz on monarchy in Canada |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=15 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080616093914/http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/special/royalvisit/kids-zone-answers.htm |archive-date=16 June 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/redbox/royalinvolvement.doc |title=Royal Involvement With Canadian Life |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |access-date=30 September 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029053459/http://www.monarchist.ca/redbox/royalinvolvement.doc |archive-date=29 October 2008}}</ref>}} As far back as 1710, Indigenous leaders have met to discuss treaty business with royal family members or viceroys in private audience and many continue to use their connection to the Crown to further their political aims;<ref name="Coates 2006 13">{{Cite book |last=Coates |first=Colin MacMillan |title=Majesty in Canada: essays on the role of royalty |publisher=Dundurn Press Ltd. |date=2006 |location=Toronto |page=13 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FhFyvhpPx8MC |isbn=978-1-5500-2586-6}}</ref> public ceremonies attended by the monarch or another member of the royal family have been employed as a platform on which to present complaints, witnessed by both national and international cameras.{{Refn|<ref name=Valpy/><ref>{{Citation |last=Valpy |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Valpy |title=Reasons to love the Queen: No. 1, she's funky |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=2 February 2002 |url=http://members.fortunecity.com/foul2/queen.htm |access-date=4 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040526173044/http://members.fortunecity.com/foul2/queen.htm |archive-date=26 May 2004}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/05/23/first-nations-meet-prince-charles-ask-see-queen-elizabeth-ii-114551 |title=First Nations Meet With Prince Charles, Ask to See Queen Elizabeth II |date=23 May 2012 |publisher=Indian Country |access-date=1 October 2015 |archive-date=19 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119203037/http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/05/23/first-nations-meet-prince-charles-ask-see-queen-elizabeth-ii-114551 |url-status=dead}}</ref>}} Following country-wide [[Idle No More|protests]], beginning in 2012, and the close of the [[Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada|Truth and Reconciliation Commission]] in 2015, focus turned toward rapprochement between the nations in the nation-to-nation relationship.{{Refn|<ref name=Campbell>{{Citation |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61505852 |last=Campbell |first=Sarah |title=Charles' message of listening, learning and reflecting |date=19 May 2022 |publisher=BBC |access-date=22 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/charles-camilla-royal-visit-stjohns-1.6454689 |title=Prince Charles, Camilla depart St. John's as Day 1 of Canadian Royal Tour wraps up |date=17 May 2022 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=22 August 2022}}</ref><ref name=G&M>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-prince-charles-camilla-royal-visit-canada-latest-updates  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519204021/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-prince-charles-camilla-royal-visit-canada-latest-updates  |archive-date=19 May 2022 |title=Prince Charles and Camilla's tour ends in the Northwest Territories today. Latest updates on the royal visit |newspaper=The Globe and Mail}}</ref><ref name=cbcyd>{{Cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/charles-and-camilla-royal-visit-yellowknife-1.6459250 |title=Prince Charles and Camilla wrap up whirlwind visit to N.W.T. |date=19 May 2022 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=22 August 2022}}</ref><ref name=pow>{{Cite web |url=https://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/prince-wales-and-duchess-cornwall-visit-canada |title=The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visit Canada |date=19 May 2022 |publisher=Clarence House |access-date=22 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61505852 |title=Canada's indigenous leaders ask for royal apology |date=19 May 2022 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=20 May 2022}}</ref>}}

====Hereditary chiefs====
{{Main|Hereditary chiefs in Canada}}
{{See also|History of monarchy in Canada#Pre-colonial}}
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The hereditary chiefs are leaders within [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] who represent different houses or clans and whose chieftaincies are passed down intergenerationally; most First Nations have a hereditary system.<ref name=Todd>{{Citation |url=https://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/douglas-todd-powers-of-hereditary-chiefs-test-many-first-nations |last=Todd |first=Douglas |title=Powers of hereditary chiefs test many First Nations |date=26 January 2023 |newspaper=Vancouver Sun |access-date=10 March 2023}}</ref> The positions are rooted in traditional models of [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous]] governance that predate the [[colonization of Canada]]<ref name=Joseph>{{Citation |url=https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/hereditary-chief-definition-and-5-faqs| last1=Joseph| first1=Bob |title=Hereditary Chief definition and 5 FAQs |date=1 March 2016 |publisher=Indigenous Corporate Training Inc. |access-date=28 February 2020}}</ref><ref name=Abedi>{{Cite news |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4833830/band-councils-hereditary-chiefs-indigenous-governance | last1=Abedi| first1=Maham |title=Band councils, hereditary chiefs — here's what to know about Indigenous governance |date=10 January 2019 |publisher=Global News |access-date=28 February 2020}}</ref> and are organized in a fashion similar to the [[Western world|occidental]] idea of monarchy.{{Refn|<ref name=Todd/><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ferguson |first=Will |author-link=Will Ferguson |title=The Lost Kingdom |magazine=Maclean's |publisher=Rogers Media |location=Toronto |date=27 October 2003 |url=http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20031027_68038_68038&source=srch |issn=0024-9262 |access-date=27 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807100344/http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20031027_68038_68038&source=srch |archive-date=7 August 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.worldandi.com/specialreport/2001/october/Sa21577.htm |last=Kehoe |first=Alice Beck |title=First Nations History |publisher=The World & I Online |date=October 2001 |access-date=27 January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mapleleafweb.com/features/monarchy-canada#introduction |last=Makarenko |first=Jay |title=The Monarchy in Canada |publisher=Maple Leaf Web |date=1 June 2007 |access-date=10 March 2023 |archive-date=19 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419161314/http://www.mapleleafweb.com/features/monarchy-canada#introduction |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Guichon>{{Citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nHebDwAAQBAJ |editor-last=Jackson |editor-first=D. Michael |title=Royal Progress: Canada's Monarchy in the Age of Disruption |last=Jakson |first=D. Michael |chapter=Introduction: The Crown in a Time of Transition |date=8 February 2020 |publisher=Dundurn |location=Toronto |isbn=978-1-4597-4575-9 |access-date=1 May 2023}}</ref>}} Indeed, early European explorers often considered territories belonging to different aboriginal groups to be kingdoms—such as along the north shore of the [[St. Lawrence River]], between the Trinity River and the [[L'Isle-aux-Coudres, Quebec|Isle-aux-Coudres]], and the neighbouring "kingdom of Canada", which stretched west to the [[Island of Montreal]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bourinot |first=J.G. |title=The Story of Canada |publisher=Read Books |date=2009 |page=35 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GiyViOSkLcwC |isbn=978-1-4446-3974-2 |ref=CITEREF_Bourinot_2009}}</ref>—and the leaders of these communities were referred to as kings,<ref name="Coates 2006 13"/> particularly those chosen through heredity.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bousfield|Toffoli|2002|p=8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/4Chiefs.html |last=Odrowaz-Sypniewska |first=Margaret |title=The Four Indian Kings |publisher=The Bear Clan |access-date=27 January 2010}}</ref>

Today, the hereditary chiefs are not sovereign; according to the [[Supreme Court of Canada]], the Crown holds sovereignty over the whole of Canada, including reservation and traditional lands.{{Refn|<ref name=SCC1>{{Cite court |litigants=Haida Nation v British Columbia (Minister of Forests) |vol=3 |reporter=Haida Nation |pinpoint=73 |court=Supreme Court of Canada |date=2004 |postscript=511}}</ref><ref name=SCC2>{{Cite court |litigants=Taku River Tlingit First Nation v British Columbia (Project Assessment Director) |vol=3 |reporter=Taku River |pinpoint=74 |court=Supreme Court of Canada |date=2004 |postscript=550}}</ref><ref name=SCC3>{{Cite court |litigants=Mikasew Cree First Nation v Canada (Minister of Canadian Heritage) |vol=3 |pinpoint=69 |court=Supreme Court of Canada |date=2005 |postscript=388}}</ref>}} However, by some interpretations of case law from the same court, the chiefs have jurisdiction over [[List of traditional territories of the indigenous peoples of North America|traditional territories]] that fall outside of [[Band government|band]]-controlled [[Indian reserve|reservation land]],<ref>{{Citation |url=https://thetyee.ca/News/2020/02/14/Wetsuweten-Crisis-Whose-Rule-Law |last=Hyslop |first=Katie |title=Wet'suwet'en Crisis: Whose Rule of Law? |date=14 February 2020 |publisher=The Tyee |access-date=28 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.chonfm.com/news/chon-fm-northern-news/wetsuweten-hereditary-chiefs-it-is-complicated |title=Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chiefs - elected Band Council - it is complicated |date=20 February 2020 |publisher=CHON-FM |access-date=28 February 2020}}</ref> beyond the elected band councils established by the ''[[Indian Act]]''.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indian-act| last1=Henderson| first1=William B. |title=Indian Act |encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia |date=2006 |publisher=Historica Canada |access-date=28 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Elected vs. hereditary chiefs: What's the difference in Indigenous communities? |url=https://bc.ctvnews.ca/elected-vs-hereditary-chiefs-what-s-the-difference-in-indigenous-communities-1.4247466 |date=9 January 2019 |publisher=CTV News |access-date=28 February 2020}}</ref> Although recognized by, and accountable to, the federal Crown-in-Council (the [[Government of Canada]]), band chiefs do not hold the cultural authority of hereditary chiefs, who often serve as knowledge-keepers, responsible for the upholding of a First Nation's [[Traditional knowledge|traditional customs, legal systems, and cultural practices]].{{Refn|<ref name=Joseph/><ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/chief |last=Robinson |first=Amanda |title=Chief |encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia |date=6 November 2018 |publisher=Historica Canada |access-date=28 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/951203045| last1=Neel| first1=David| last2=Harper| first2=Elijah |title=Our Chiefs and Elders: Words and Photographs of Native Leaders |page=78 |publisher=UBC Press |date=1992 |isbn=978-0-7748-5656-0 |location=Vancouver |oclc=951203045}}</ref>}} When serving as Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, [[Judith Guichon]] postulated that the role of hereditary chiefs mirrored that of Canada's constitutional monarch, being the representative of "sober second thought and wisdom, not the next political cycle; but, rather, enduring truths and the evolution of our nation through generations."<ref name=Guichon/> For these reasons, the Crown maintains formal relations with Canada's hereditary chiefs, including on matters relating to treaty rights and obligations.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/what-we-know-about-the-deal-governments-agreed-to-with-wetsuweten-hereditary-chiefs |first=Ryan |last=Tumilty |publisher=National Post |publication-date=2 March 2020 |title=What we know about the deal governments agreed to with Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs |access-date=20 March 2023}}</ref>

==Cultural role==
===Royal presence and duties===
{{Further|Royal tours of Canada}}
[[File:Prince of Wales lays last stone of Victoria Bridge.jpg|thumb|[[Edward VII|Prince Albert Edward, Prince of Wales]], lays the last stone for the [[Victoria Bridge (Montreal)|Victoria Bridge]] in [[Montreal]] during his 1860 royal tour]]

Members of the royal family have been present in Canada since the late 18th century, their reasons including participating in military manoeuvres, serving as the federal viceroy, or undertaking official royal tours, which "reinforce [the] country's collective heritage".<ref name=CHP>{{Citation |url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/pages/28_royalty_royaute.aspx |title="At Home in Canada": Royalty at Canada's Historic Places |publisher=Canada's Historic Places |access-date=30 April 2023}}</ref> At least one royal tour has been conducted every year between 1957 and 2018.<ref>{{Harvnb|Heard|2018|p=117}}</ref>

The "welfare and service" function of the monarchy is regarded as an important part of the modern monarchy's role and demonstrates a significant change to the institution in recent generations, from a heavily ceremonialized, imperial crown to a "more demotic and visible" head of state "interacting with the general population far beyond confined court circles."<ref>{{Harvnb|Hazell|Morris|2017|pp=26–27}}</ref> As such, a prominent feature of tours are royal walkabouts; a tradition initiated in 1939 by [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Queen Elizabeth]] when she was in Ottawa and broke from the royal party to speak directly to gathered veterans.<ref name=Benoit>{{Harvnb|Benoit|2002|p=3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Pigott |first=Peter |title=Royal Transport: An Inside Look at the History of Royal Travel |publisher=Dundurn Press |date=2005 |location=Toronto |page=14 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8WSLImiMDhAC |isbn=978-1-5500-2572-9}}</ref> Usually important milestones, anniversaries, or celebrations of [[Culture of Canada|Canadian culture]] will warrant the presence of the monarch,<ref name=Benoit/> while other members of the royal family will be asked to participate in lesser occasions. A [[#Federal residences and royal household|household]] to assist and tend to the monarch forms part of the royal party.

Official duties involve the sovereign [[List of state and official visits by Canada|representing the Canadian state at home or abroad]], or her relations as members of the [[#Royal family and house|royal family]] participating in government organized ceremonies either in Canada or elsewhere;{{#tag:ref|Though the royal family represents other countries abroad, as directed by their respective cabinets, and typically the governor general will undertake [[state visit]]s and other foreign duties on behalf of the Queen of Canada,<ref name=Compendium/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/executive-decree/023004-2020-e.html |last=Library and Archives Canada |author-link=Library and Archives Canada |title=Politics and Government > By Executive Decree > The Governor General |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=18 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090811074157/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/executive-decree/023004-2020-e.html |archive-date=11 August 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gg.ca/osgg-bsgg/fin/2004-05/fs-2005-03_e.asp |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080608231931/http://www.gg.ca/osgg-bsgg/fin/2004-05/fs-2005-03_e.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 June 2008 |last=Office of the Governor General of Canada |title=The Office > Annual Reports > 2004–2005 > Report on Performance |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=22 May 2009}}</ref> members of the royal family will also take part in Canadian events overseas.{{Refn|<ref name=Buckner69/><ref name=CRHT>{{Cite web |url=http://www.crht.ca/DiscoverMonarchyFiles/QueenElizabethII.html |author=Canadian Royal Heritage Trust |title=Elizabeth II Queen of Canada |publisher=Canadian Royal Heritage Trust |access-date=22 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080418061228/http://www.crht.ca/DiscoverMonarchyFiles/QueenElizabethII.html |archive-date=18 April 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=memorials/ww1mem/vimy/battle&CFID=14831976&CFTOKEN=67789669 |author=Veterans Affairs Canada |title=Canada Remembers > Memorials to Canadians' Achievements and Sacrifices > First World War Memorials in Europe > Vimy Memorial > The Battle of Vimy Ridge > The Canadian National Vimy Memorial – Fast Facts |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=24 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617191924/http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=memorials%2Fww1mem%2Fvimy%2Fbattle&CFID=14831976&CFTOKEN=67789669 |archive-date=17 June 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Foot |first=Richard |title=Vimy memorial had a turbulent history of its own |newspaper=The Vancouver Sun |page=A4 |date=4 April 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author=Elizabeth II |author-link=Elizabeth II |date=1957 |contribution=Radio address to Canadians |contribution-url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/files/pdf/1957canada.pdf |editor=The Royal Household |title=Images and Broadcasts > The Queen's Speeches |location=London |publisher=Queen's Printer |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/Home.aspx |access-date=3 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831232450/http://www.royal.gov.uk/Home.aspx |archive-date=31 August 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Royal Visit |magazine=Time |volume=IXX |issue=17 |location=New York |date=21 October 1957 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,937945,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070513184211/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,937945,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 May 2007 |issn=0040-781X |access-date=22 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/CourtCircular/Todaysevents.aspx |author=The Royal Household |title=Past events (Court Circular) > Search the Court Circular > 13 May 1998 |publisher=Queen's Printer |access-date=22 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Valpy |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Valpy |title=A Queen and her agent may mix |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=8 June 2004}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Remembering Vimy – 90th Anniversary Celebrations on CTV, April 9 |publisher=CTV |date=4 April 2007 |url=http://www.tvthrong.ca/remembering-vimy/remembering-vimy-90th-anniversary-celebrations-on-ctv-april-9 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618053606/http://www.tvthrong.ca/remembering-vimy/remembering-vimy-90th-anniversary-celebrations-on-ctv-april-9 |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 June 2008 |access-date=22 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Royal Respect for Canada's Vimy Heroes, Queen of Canada Rededicates Memorial on French Soil |journal=Canadian Monarchist News |volume=Summer 2007 |issue=26 |page=3 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=2007 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2007/Summer_2007_CMN.pdf |access-date=22 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625225416/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2007/Summer_2007_CMN.pdf |archive-date=25 June 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Prince Charles, Clarkson honour D-Day fallen |publisher=CTV |date=6 June 2004 |url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/print/CTVNews/20040606/d-day_charles_040605/20040606?hub=Canada&subhub=PrintStory |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605233002/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/print/CTVNews/20040606/d-day_charles_040605/20040606?hub=Canada&subhub=PrintStory |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 June 2008 |access-date=22 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/CourtCircular/Todaysevents.aspx |author=The Royal Household |title=Past events (Court Circular) > Search the Court Circular > 14 April 2007 |publisher=Queen's Printer |access-date=22 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Another Member of the Canadian Royal Family Performs Duties Abroad |journal=Canadian Monarchist News |volume=Summer 2007 |issue=26 |page=4 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=2007 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2007/Summer_2007_CMN.pdf |access-date=22 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625225416/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2007/Summer_2007_CMN.pdf |archive-date=25 June 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/CourtCircular/Todaysevents.aspx |author=The Royal Household |title=Past events (Court Circular) > Search the Court Circular > 7–8 June 2008 |publisher=Queen's Printer |access-date=22 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Bousfield|Toffoli|2002|p=67}}</ref>}}|group=n|name=Duties}}{{Refn|<ref name=RT2010>{{Cite web |url=http://www.royaltour.gc.ca/faq-eng.cfm |last=Government of Canada |author-link=Government of Canada |title=2010 Royal Tour > Frequently Asked Questions > Who pays for Royal Tours of Canada? |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=15 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621033614/http://royaltour.gc.ca/faq-eng.cfm |archive-date=21 June 2010}}</ref><ref name=MJ>{{Cite journal |last=Jackson |first=D. Michael |title=The "Working" Princess: Saskatchewan Welcomes the Princess Royal |journal=Canadian Monarchist News |volume=Summer 2004 |issue=24 |page=8 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=2004 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2004/Sum04PDFPRinSask.pdf |access-date=22 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625225450/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2004/Sum04PDFPRinSask.pdf |archive-date=25 June 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Queen arrives in Saskatchewan |publisher=CBC |date=18 May 2005 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/queen-arrives-in-saskatchewan-1.564154 |access-date=22 May 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203051253/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/05/17/royal-visit-050517.html |archive-date=3 December 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |author=The Royal Household |title=The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh pay a centenary visit to Canada, 17 – May 24, 2005 |magazine=Royal Insight Magazine |volume=May 2005 |publisher=Queen's Printer |location=London |date=2005 |url=http://194.203.40.17/output/page4120.asp |access-date=22 May 2009}}{{Dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{Cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>}} sometimes these individuals are employed in asserting Canada's sovereignty over its territories.{{#tag:ref|In 1970, Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles, and Princess Anne undertook a tour of [[Northern Canada]], in part to demonstrate to an unconvinced American government and the [[Soviet Union]] that [[Territorial claims in the Arctic|Canada had certain claim to its Arctic territories]], which were strategic during the [[Cold War]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.canadaka.net/link.php?id=87466 |last=Davison |first=Janet |title=Princess Anne's Ottawa tour will honour 'everyday heroes' |date=7 November 2014 |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=23 November 2014}}</ref>|group=n|name=Arctic}} The advice of the Canadian Cabinet is the impetus for royal participation in any Canadian event, though, at present, the Chief of Protocol and his staff in the [[Department of Canadian Heritage]] are, as part of the State Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Program,<ref>{{Cite journal |author=Canada Post |author-link=Canada Post |title=Queen Elizabeth: 1926–2006 |journal=Canada's Stamp Details |volume=XV |issue=1 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |location=Ottawa |date=January–March 2006 |url=http://www.canadapost.ca/personal/collecting/default-e.asp?stamp=stpartl&detail=1350 |access-date=14 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023071429/http://www.canadapost.ca/personal/collecting/default-e.asp?stamp=stpartl&detail=1350 |archive-date=23 October 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/actvt/105-eng.cfm |last=Department of Canadian Heritage |title=Subjects > Citizenship and Identity > Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > Reinforcement of constitutional links with the institutions of the Canadian Monarchy |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=22 May 2009 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225075402/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/actvt/105-eng.cfm |url-status=dead}}</ref> responsible for orchestrating any official events in or for Canada that involve the royal family.<ref name=Hansard62>{{Cite hansard |url=https://sencanada.ca/content/sen/Chamber/392/Debates/PDF/062db_2008-05-27-E.pdf |title=Debates of the Senate |house=Senate |date=27 May 2008| column_start=1373| column_end=1374 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326043230/https://sencanada.ca/content/sen/Chamber/392/Debates/PDF/062db_2008-05-27-E.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2009}}</ref>
[[File:Prince Philip as Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Regiment.jpg|thumb|[[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Philip]] with the [[Royal Canadian Regiment]] as their [[colonel-in-chief]], April 2013]]

Conversely, unofficial duties are performed by royal family members for Canadian organizations of which they may be [[Patronage|patrons]], through their attendance at charity events, visiting with members of the Canadian Forces as colonel-in-chief, or marking certain key anniversaries.<ref name=RT2010/><ref name=MJ/> The invitation and expenses associated with these undertakings are usually borne by the associated organization.<ref name=RT2010/> In 2005, members of the royal family were present at a total of 76 Canadian engagements, as well as several more through 2006 and 2007.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.monarchist.ca/files/publications/costofthecrown2009.pdf |last=Berezovsky |first=Eugene |title=The Cost of Canada's Constitutional Monarchy |edition=4 |date=2009 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |access-date=14 April 2023 |archive-date=14 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414233305/https://www.monarchist.ca/files/publications/costofthecrown2009.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> In the period between 2019 and 2022, they carried out 53 engagements, the number reduced, and all through the latter year and a half being virtual, because of restrictions in place during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Canada|COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.monarchist.ca/cost-of-the-crown |author=Monarchist League of Canada |title=Canada's Constitutional Monarchy: Good Value, Small Cost |journal=Canadian Monarchist News |page=5 |volume=Winter 2021 |issue=53 |date=2021 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |access-date=1 June 2023}}</ref> The various viceroys took part in 4,023 engagements through 2019 and 2020, both in-person and virtually.<ref>{{Harvnb|Monarchist League of Canada|2021|p=3}}</ref>

Apart from Canada, the King and other members of the royal family regularly perform public duties in the other 14 Commonwealth realms in which the King is head of state. This situation, however, can mean the monarch and members of the royal family will be promoting one nation and not another; a situation that has been met with criticism.{{#tag:ref|Former Minister of External Affairs [[Mitchell Sharp]] commented on a situation wherein Elizabeth II was in Latin America to promote British goods at the same time a Canadian ministerial trip to the same area was underway to promote Canadian products. Sharp stated: "We couldn't ask Her Majesty to perform the function she was performing for Britain on that Latin American trip because the Queen is never recognized as Queen of Canada, except when she is in Canada."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sharp |first=Mitchell |author-link=Mitchell Sharp |title=Which Reminds Me: A Memoir |publisher=University of Toronto Press |date=1994 |location=Toronto |page=[https://archive.org/details/whichremindsmeme0000shar/page/223 223] |isbn=978-0-8020-0545-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/whichremindsmeme0000shar/page/223}}</ref> The Queen's participation in Canadian events overseas contradicts Sharp's statement, however.{{#tag:ref||group=n|name=RoyVis}}{{#tag:ref||group=n|name=Duties}}|group=n|name=Sharp}}

===Symbols, associations, and awards===
{{Main|Canadian royal symbols|Monarchy of Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces}}

The main symbol of the monarchy is the sovereign himself,<ref name=Tidridge16/> described as "the personal expression of the Crown in Canada,"<ref>{{Harvnb|MacKinnon|1976|p=69}}</ref> and his image is thus used to signify Canadian sovereignty and government authority—his image, for instance, appearing on [[Canadian dollar|currency]], and his portrait in government buildings.<ref name=CIC29/> The sovereign is further both mentioned in and the subject of songs, [[loyal toast]]s, and salutes.<ref>{{Citation |last=Department of National Defence |author-link=Department of National Defence (Canada) |title=The Honours, Flags and Heritage Structure of the Canadian Forces |place=Ottawa |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |date=1 April 1999 |pages=404, 449–450 |url=http://www.saskd.ca/heritage.pdf |id=A-AD-200-000/AG-000 |access-date=23 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325162006/http://www.saskd.ca/heritage.pdf |archive-date=25 March 2009}}</ref> A [[royal cypher]], appearing on buildings and official [[Seal (emblem)|seals]], or a crown, seen on provincial and [[Coat of Arms of Canada|national coats of arms]], as well as [[police]] force and [[Canadian Forces]] regimental and maritime badges and rank insignia, is also used to illustrate the monarchy as the locus of authority,<ref name=DCH2>{{Harvnb|Department of Canadian Heritage|2010|p=2}}</ref> the latter without referring to any specific monarch.
{{Multiple image
| align       = right
| total_width = 260
| image_style = border:1;
| perrow      = 1/2/1
| image1      = Queen's Park.JPG
| image2      = Sovereign's Medal for Volunteer Medal and Pin.jpg
| image3      = King's College royal charter 1827 leaf1.jpg
| image4      = Canadian Forces Flag.svg
| footer      = (Clockwise from top) equestrian statue of King [[Edward VII]], [[Queen's Park (Toronto)|Queen's Park]], [[Toronto]]; [[George IV]]'s [[royal charter]] establishing the [[University of Toronto]]; flag of the [[Canadian Armed Forces]], with a [[St. Edward's Crown]] atop the forces' emblem; [[Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers]], with the effigy of Elizabeth II wearing a [[Canadian royal symbols#Snowflake Diadem|snowflake diadem]]
}}

Since the days of King [[Louis XIV]],<ref name=McCreery1>{{Cite conference |last=McCreery |first=Christopher |title=The Crown and Honours: Getting it Right |conference=The Crown in Canada: Present Realities and Future Options |place=Kingston |publisher=Queen's University Press |date=10 June 2010 |page=1 |url=http://www.queensu.ca/iigr/conf/ConferenceOnTheCrown/CrownConferencePapers/The_Crown_and_Honours.pdf |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5sGgu5vLO?url=http://www.queensu.ca/iigr/conf/ConferenceOnTheCrown/CrownConferencePapers/The_Crown_and_Honours.pdf |archive-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=dead |access-date=11 August 2010}}</ref> the monarch is the [[Fount of honour|fount]] of all [[Orders, decorations, and medals of Canada|honours in Canada]] and the orders,<ref name=McCreery1/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/hon/nat-honour-honneur/index-eng.htm |author=Royal Canadian Mounted Police |title=Honours and Recognition Programs > Canadian National Honours |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=20 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090323114038/http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/hon/nat-honour-honneur/index-eng.htm |archive-date=23 March 2009}}</ref> decorations, and medals form "an integral element of the Crown."<ref name=McCreery1/> Hence, the insignia and medallions for these awards bear a crown, cypher or portrait of the monarch. Similarly, [[Canadian Heraldic Authority|the country's heraldic authority]] was created by Queen Elizabeth II and, operating under the authority of the governor general, grants new [[coats of arms]], [[flag]]s, and [[Heraldic badge|badges]] in Canada. Use of the royal crown in such symbols is a gift from the monarch showing royal support or association and requires his approval before being added.<ref name=DCH2/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Royal Crown and Cypher |url=http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1445001063723 |website=Government of Canada |access-date=4 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220031029/http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1445001063723 |archive-date=20 December 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Members of the royal family also act as ceremonial [[Colonel-in-Chief|colonels-in-chief]], [[Commodore-in-Chief|commodores-in-chief]], [[Captain general|captains-general]], [[Air Commodore-in-Chief|air commodores-in-chief]], [[General (Canada)|generals]], and [[Admiral (Canada)|admirals]] of various elements of the Canadian Forces, reflecting [[The Canadian Crown and the Canadian Forces|the Crown's relationship with the country's military]] through participation in events both at home and abroad.{{#tag:ref|Such events include [[Trooping the Colour|Troopings of the Colour]], inspections of the troops, and anniversaries of key battles; whenever the sovereign or a member of his family is in [[Ottawa]], they lay a wreath at the [[National War Memorial (Canada)|National War Memorial]].|group=n|name=CF}} The monarch also serves as the Commissioner-in-Chief, and Prince Edward and Princess Anne as Honorary Deputy Commissioners, of the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Jackson|2013|p=57}}</ref>

A number of Canadian civilian organizations have association with the monarchy, either through their being founded via a [[Royal charter#Canada|royal charter]], having been granted [[List of Canadian organizations with royal prefix|the right to use the prefix ''royal'' before their name]], or because at least one member of the royal family serves as a [[Patronage|patron]]. In addition to [[The Prince's Trust#Subsidiaries|The Prince's Trust Canada]], established by Charles III when Prince of Wales, some other charities and volunteer organizations have also been founded as gifts to, or in honour of, some of Canada's monarchs or members of the royal family, such as the [[Victorian Order of Nurses]], a gift to Queen Victoria for her [[Diamond Jubilee#Commonwealth Realms/British Empire|Diamond Jubilee]] in 1897; the Canadian Cancer Fund, set up in honour of King George V's [[Silver Jubilee#Silver Jubilees in the British Empire and Commonwealth Realms|Silver Jubilee]] in 1935; and the Queen Elizabeth II Fund to Aid in Research on the Diseases of Children. A number of [[List of Canadian awards|awards in Canada]] are likewise issued in the name of previous or present members of the royal family. Further, organizations will give commemorative gifts to members of the royal family to mark a visit or other important occasion. All Canadian coins bear the image of the monarch reigning at the time of the coin's production, with an inscription, {{Lang|la|[[Dei gratia Rex]]}} (often abbreviated to {{Lang|la|DG Rex}}), a Latin phrase translated to English as, "[[by the grace of God]], king".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.mint.ca/store/mint/learn/faces-of-the-monarch-1100026 |title=Faces of the Monarch on Coins |publisher=Royal Canadian Mint}}</ref> During the reign of a female monarch, {{Lang|la|rex}} is replaced with {{Lang|la|regina}}, which is Latin for 'queen'.

Throughout the 1970s, symbols of the monarch and monarchy were slowly removed from the public eye. For instance, the Queen's portrait was seen less in [[Public school (government funded)|public schools]] and the Royal Mail became [[Canada Post]]. Smith attributed this to the attitude the government of the day held toward Canada's past;<ref>{{Harvnb|Smith|1995|p=47}}</ref> though, it never raised the policy in public or during any of the constitutional conferences held that decade.<ref name=Toporoski1998/> Andrew Heard argued, however, that dispensing with such symbols was necessary to facilitate the simultaneous increasing embrace of the monarch as Queen of Canada.<ref>{{Harvnb|Heard|2018|p=116}}</ref> Emblems such as the Royal Coat of Arms remained, however, and others, such as the [[Royal standards of Canada|monarch's royal standard]], were created. With the later developments of the [[flag of the governor general of Canada|governor general's flag]], foundation of the Canadian Heraldic Authority, royal standards for other members of the royal family, and the like, Canada, along with New Zealand, is one of the two [[Commonwealth realm|realms]] that have "paid the greatest attention to the nationalization of the visual symbols of the monarchy."<ref>{{Harvnb|Palmer|2018|p=215}}</ref>

===Significance to Canadian identity===
{{Main|Canadian identity}}
In his 2018 book, ''The Canadian Kingdom: 150 Years of Constitutional Monarchy'', Jackson wrote that "the Canadian manifestation of the monarchy is not only historical and constitutional, it is political, cultural, and social, reflecting, and contributing to, change and evolution in Canada's governance, autonomy, and identity."<ref name=Jackson14/> Since at least the 1930s,<ref>{{Harvnb|Buchan|1969|pp=94–101}}</ref> supporters of the Crown have held the opinion that the monarch is a unifying focal point for the nation's "historic consciousness"—the country's heritage being "unquestionably linked with the history of monarchy"<ref name=CHP/>—and Canadian [[patriotism]], traditions, and shared values,<ref name=CHP/> "around which coheres the nation's sense of a continuing personality".<ref>{{Harvnb|Buchan|1969|p=98}}</ref> This infusion of monarchy into Canadian governance and society helps strengthen [[Canadian identity]]<ref name=CHP/> and distinguish it from American identity,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Skolnik |first=Michael L. |date=1990 |title=Lipset's "Continental Divide" and the Ideological Basis for Differences in Higher Education between Canada and United States |url=https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ420197 |journal=Canadian Journal of Higher Education |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=81–93 |doi=10.47678/cjhe.v20i2.183075 |issn=0316-1218 |doi-access=free}}</ref> a difference that has existed since at least 1864, when it was a factor in the Fathers of [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]] choosing to keep constitutional monarchy for the new country in 1866.<ref name=Tidridge20>{{Harvnb|Tidridge|2011|p=20}}</ref> Former Governor General [[Vincent Massey]] articulated in 1967 that the monarchy "stands for qualities and institutions which mean Canada to every one of us and which, for all our differences and all our variety, have kept Canada Canadian."<ref>{{Harvnb|Bousfield|Toffoli|2002 |page=86}}</ref>
{{Quote box
| width = 250px
| border = 1px
| align = left
| bgcolor = #F5F5DC
| quote = I want the Crown in Canada to represent everything that is best and most admired in the Canadian ideal. I will continue to do my best to make it so during my lifetime.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Platinum Jubilee |access-date=19 February 2022 |url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/visit/events/platinum-jubilee |publisher=Legislative Assembly of Alberta}}</ref>
| salign = right
| source = Elizabeth II, 1973
}}

But, Canadians were, through the late 1960s to the 2000s, encouraged by federal and provincial governments to "neglect, ignore, forget, reject, debase, suppress, even hate, and certainly treat as foreign what their parents and grandparents, whether spiritual or blood, regarded as the basis of Canadian nationhood, autonomy, and history", including the monarchy.<ref>{{Cite journal| last1=Bousfield| first1=Arthur| last2=Toffoli| first2=Gary |title=The "British" Character of Canada |journal=Monarchy Canada |issue=Spring 1996 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=April 1996 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/mc/britchar.htm |access-date=16 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006170100/http://www.monarchist.ca/mc/britchar.htm |archive-date=6 October 2007}}</ref> resulting in a disconnect between the Canadian populace and their monarch.<ref name=Tidridge20/> Former Governor General [[Roland Michener]] said in 1970 that anti-monarchists claimed the Canadian Crown is foreign and incompatible with Canada's multicultural society,<ref name=ECF/> which the government promoted as a Canadian identifier, and [[Lawrence Martin (journalist)|Lawrence Martin]] called in 2007 for Canada to become a republic in order to "re-brand the nation".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Lawrence |author-link=Lawrence Martin (journalist) |title=Wallflowers, it's time for a new stage of nationhood |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=29 July 2007 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v5/content/subscribe?user_URL=https://www.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2Fstory%2FRTGAM.20070729.comartin30%2FBNStory%2FFront%2Fhome&ord=2734943&brand=theglobeandmail&force_login=true |location=Toronto}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> However, Michener also stated, "[the monarchy] is our own by inheritance and choice, and contributes much to our distinctive Canadian identity and our chances of independent survival amongst the republics of North and South America."<ref name=ECF/> Journalist Christina Blizzard emphasized in 2009 that the monarchy "made [Canada] a haven of peace and justice for immigrants from around the world",<ref>{{Cite news |last=Blizzard |first=Christina |title=Royally impressed |newspaper=Toronto Sun |date=8 November 2009 |url=http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/christina_blizzard/2009/11/08/11674786-sun.html |access-date=8 November 2009}}</ref> while [[Michael Valpy]] contended in 2009 that the Crown's nature permitted non-conformity amongst its subjects, thereby opening the door to multiculturalism and pluralism.<ref name=Valpy1109/> Johnston described the Crown as providing "space for our values and beliefs as Canadians."<ref name=Johnstonxi/>

===In media and popular culture===
{{Further|Canadian royal symbols#Artworks|Personality and image of Elizabeth II}}

====Painting and sculpture====
Aside from official artworks, such as monuments and portraits commissioned by government bodies, Canadian painters have, by their own volition or for private organizations, created more expressive, informal depictions of Canada's monarchs and other members of the royal family, ranging from [[fine art]] to irreverent [[graffiti]]. For example, the English-Canadian artist [[Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith]] produced ''[[Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith#Painting Queen Victoria|The Artist Painting Queen Victoria]]'' in 1895, which now resides at the [[National Gallery of Canada]]. At [[Library and Archives Canada]] is the painting ''The Unveiling of the National War Memorial'', capturing [[National War Memorial (Canada)#Dedication and onward|the dedication]] of [[National War Memorial (Canada)|the monument]], in Ottawa, by King [[George VI]] and [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Queen Elizabeth]] in 1939; though, the artist is unknown.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?app=fonandcol&IdNumber=2937010 |author=Library and Archives Canada |title=The Unveiling of the National War Memorial, Ottawa |date=1939 |ref=OP-0992 |id=2937010 |publisher=King's Printer for Canada |access-date=24 March 2023}}</ref>
{{Multiple image
| align       = right
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| image_style = border:1;
| perrow      = 1/2/1/2
| image1      = Painting of Queen Elizabeth II by Lorena Ziraldo 2014.jpg
| image2      = Victoria Day 2013.jpg
| image3      = Charles - RLWMV (5034821673).jpg
| image4      = Frederic M. Bell-Smith - The Artist Painting Queen Victoria.jpg
| image5      = Ottawa-1939.jpg
| image6      = Queen Vic (218234903).jpeg
| footer      = (Clockwise from top) portrait of [[Elizabeth II]] by [[Lorena Ziraldo]], 2014; wax figure of Prince Charles (now Charles III) at the Royal London Wax Museum, Victoria; [[Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith]]'s ''[[Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith#Painting Queen Victoria|The Artist Painting Queen Victoria]]'', 1895; [[pop art]] portrait of Victoria, Toronto; ''The Unveiling of the National War Memorial'', 1939; irreverent graffiti in Montreal depicting Elizabeth II
}}

[[Hilton Hassell]] depicted Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) [[Square dance|square dancing]] at Rideau Hall in 1951 and a portrait of Elizabeth II by [[Lorena Ziraldo]], of [[Ottawa]], was featured in the ''[[Hill Times]]'' and ''[[Ottawa Citizen]]''.

[[Charles Pachter]], from [[Toronto]], fashioned the painting ''Noblesse Oblige'' in 1972, which shows Queen Elizabeth II, in her Guards Regiment uniform and saluting, as she did during [[Trooping the Colour]] ceremonies, except atop a moose instead of her horse, [[Burmese (horse)|Burmese]]. Despite great controversy when it was first exhibited,<ref name=Pachter>{{Citation |url=https://macleans.ca/uncategorized/canada-posts-diamond-jubilee-stamp-strikes-all-the-right-chords |last=Treble |first=Patricia |title=Canada Post's Diamond Jubilee stamp strikes all the right chords |date=13 February 2012 |magazine=Macleans |publisher=Rogers Media |access-date=28 March 2023}}</ref> it "has become a Canadian cultural image; the people's image".<ref name=Pachter/><ref name=Knelman>{{Cite news |last=Knelman |first=Martin |title=Charlie's royal moose is loose again |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=14 October 2009 |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/709758--knelman-charlie-s-royal-moose-is-loose-again |access-date=14 October 2009}}</ref> Pachter, subsequently made numerous variations on the theme,<ref>{{Citation |url=https://cpachter.com/painting/?album=2&gallery=4 |title=Painting |date=23 March 2011 |publisher=Charles Pachter |access-date=28 March 2023 |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329052313/https://cpachter.com/painting/?album=2&gallery=4 |url-status=dead}}</ref> including ''Queen & Moose'' (1973)<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.caviar20.com/products/charles-pachter-queen-moose-painted-collage-1973 |title=Charles Pachter "Queen & Moose" Painted Collage, 1973 |publisher=Caviar 20 |access-date=29 March 2023}}</ref> and ''The Queen on a Moose'' (1988).<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.caviar20.com/products/charles-pachter-august-rose-painting-year |title=Charles Pachter "Queen on a Moose" Acrylic on Canvas, 1988 |publisher=Caviar 20 |access-date=29 March 2023}}</ref> The artist said, "there was an amazing symmetry of putting the sovereign of her northern realm (Canada) on an animal who is the 'monarch of the north, awkward but majestic{{'"}}.<ref name=Pachter/> Pachter made similar pieces showing Elizabeth's son, Prince Charles (now King Charles III) and his wife, [[Queen Camilla|Camilla]], standing alongside a moose<ref name=Knelman/> and Charles's son, [[William, Prince of Wales|Prince William]], and his wife, [[Catherine, Princess of Wales|Catherine]], with Canadian wildlife, such as a moose and a squirrel.<ref>{{Citation |title=Highnesses-in-Training Greet Monarch of the North; "Hat Check" |publisher=Charles Pachter}}</ref> For [[Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee]], Pachter created a series of fake [[postage stamp]]s using all his paintings that include members of the royal family,<ref name=Pachter/> which he called "my branded images
for Canada."<ref name=UC>{{Citation |url=https://www.uc.utoronto.ca/sites/default/files/2021-03/UC-Magazine-Spring2017-Web.pdf |last=Palkowski |first=Yvonne |title=Pachter's Canada |page=14 |journal=UC: University College Alumni Magazine |date=Spring 2017 |publisher=University College |location=Toronto |access-date=29 March 2023}}</ref> Some were featured on accessory items sold at the [[Hudson's Bay Company]].<ref name=UC/>

Portraits of Elizabeth II hung in several hockey arenas across Canada after her accession in 1952. One was in place in [[Maple Leaf Gardens]] until the early 1970s, when owner [[Harold Ballard]] had it removed to construct more seating, stating, "if people want to see pictures of the Queen, they can go to an art gallery."<ref name=puckstruck>{{Citation |url=https://puckstruck.com/2018/04/22/the-winnipeg-arenas-royal-quandary-if-the-queen-herself-walked-in-would-she-know-who-it-was |title=the winnipeg arena's royal quandary: if the queen herself walked in, would she know who it was? |date=22 April 2018 |publisher=Puckstruck |access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref> [[Monarchy in Manitoba#Winnipeg Arena portraits of Queen Elizabeth II|Three large portraits of Elizabeth II]] were created for [[Winnipeg Arena]], on display there from the building's opening in 1955 to 1999.{{Refn|<ref name=puckstruck/><ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/queen-portrait-that-hung-in-old-winnipeg-jets-arena-coming-home-1.2973613 |title=Queen portrait that hung in old Winnipeg Jets arena coming home |date=26 February 2015 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9117521/queen-elizabeth-painting-winnipeg-arena |last=Lambert |first=Steve |title=Plans underway to display massive painting of Queen Elizabeth from old Winnipeg Arena |date=9 September 2022 |publisher=Global News |access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/iconic-portrait-of-queen-elizabeth-ii-on-display-at-winnipeg-mall-1.6071849 |last=Unger |first=Danton |title=Iconic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on display at Winnipeg mall |date=16 September 2022 |publisher=CTV News |access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref>}}

At the time of [[150th anniversary of Canada|the sesquicentennial of Confederation]] in 2017, [[Vancouver Island]]-based<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.wilsonhoey.com/bio |last=Hoey |first=Timothy |title=Bio |publisher=Timothy Wilson Hoey |access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref> artist [[Timothy Hoey]] created a "Canada 150" version of his decade-long "O Canada" project, painting 150 Canadian icons in [[acrylic paint]] on 20.3 by 25.4 centimetre (eight by 10 inch) boards.<ref name=CBCHoey>{{Citation |url=https://www.cbc.ca/2017/150-paintings-87-days-one-cheezie-loving-queen-1.3896317 |last=Couture |first=Christa |title=150 paintings. 87 days. One Cheezie-loving Queen. |date=12 January 2017 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref><ref name=TC>{{Citation |url=https://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/one-artist-150-paintings-for-canadas-150th-birthday-4645200 |last=Delvin |first=Mike |title=One artist, 150 paintings for Canada's 150th birthday |date=12 January 2023 |newspaper=Times Colonist |access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref> Among them are numerous depictions of Queen Elizabeth II with other Canadian icons, such as [[beaver]]s, [[Cheezies]], the [[Grey Cup]],<ref name=CBCHoey/> the [[Stanley Cup]],<ref name=TC/> a bottle of beer (''O Canada Liz Enjoying Some Wobbly-Pops''),<ref name=EG>{{Citation |url=https://www.hive-elevationgallery.com/tim-hoey |title=Timothy Wilson Hoey |publisher=Elevation Gallery |access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref> [[Rush (band)|Rush]] (''O Canada [[Closer to the Heart]]''), the [[Hudson's Bay point blanket]],<ref name=EG/> the [[Trans-Canada Highway]], a birch [[canoe]], a [[Buckskin (leather)|buckskin]] jacket, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police uniform, a [[Montreal Canadiens]] [[Hockey jersey|hockey sweater]], and so on.<ref name=CBCHoey/> Hoey had previously painted Elizabeth, in formal attire and tiara, holding a hockey stick in front of a Hudson's Bay point blanket; the work titled ''O-Canada Liz''.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.wilsonhoey.com/o-canada?lightbox=dataItem-iww7e6lm |last=Hoey |first=Timothy |title=O-Canada Liz |publisher=Timothy Wilson Hoey |access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref> In 2021, he depicted the Queen in a decorative hat, uniform of the [[Vancouver Canucks]] from the 1978–1979 season, and full [[goaltender]] equipment.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://puckstruck.com/tag/timothy-wilson-hoey |title=Car ton bras sait porter l'épée |date=3 June 2022 |publisher=PuckStruck |access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref>

The also exist [[wax sculpture]]s of Queen Elizabeth II in private museums, such as the Royal London [[Wax Museum]] in [[Victoria, British Columbia]], and the [[Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls#Wax museums|Wax Museum of History]] in [[Niagara Falls, Ontario]].<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.infoniagara.com/attractions/Attractions-Niagara-USA/Niagara-Wax-Museum-of-History.aspx |title=Niagara's Wax Museum of History |publisher=Info Niagara |access-date=24 March 2023}}</ref>

====Television====
The television series ''[[Rideau Hall (TV series)|Rideau Hall]]'', starring [[Bette MacDonald]], was produced by the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] and aired for one season in 2002. Its premise was a brash, [[one-hit wonder]] [[Disco (music)|disco]] artist being appointed governor general on the advice of a republican prime minister.<ref>{{Citation |last=Atherton |first=Tony |title=Rooting for Rideau Hall: Bette MacDonald stars as a spaced-out boogie mama appointed as head of state |date=11 October 2002 |newspaper=Montreal Gazette}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Comic's parody of Rideau Hall debuts as CBC-TV series |newspaper=Pembroke Observer |date=11 October 2002}}</ref>
{{External media|video1=[https://vimeo.com/748072647 Scott Thompson as The Queen] Source: [[Broadway Video]].}}

Canadian comedian [[Scott Thompson (comedian)|Scott Thompson]] regularly played a parody of Queen Elizabeth II in a Canadian context on the [[sketch comedy]] television show ''[[The Kids in the Hall (TV series)|The Kids in the Hall]]'',<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/queen-elizabeth-scott-thompson-kids-in-the-hall.html |last=Clark |first=Anne Victoria |title=Scott Thompson, the Once (and Future?) Queen |date=9 September 2022 |publisher=Vulture |access-date=7 February 2023}}</ref> as well as in other productions, such as ''The Queen's Toast: A Royal Wedding Special''<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5546468 |title=The Queen's Toast: A Royal Wedding Special |publisher=IMDb |access-date=7 February 2023}}</ref> and ''[[Conan (talk show)|Conan]]''. Thompson also voiced a portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in Canada in the animated television show ''[[Fugget About It]]'', in the episode "Royally Screwed".<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3173940 |title=Royally Screwed |publisher=IMDb |access-date=7 February 2023}}</ref>

The Canadian monarchy was [[Parody|parodied]] in "[[Royal Pudding]]", the third [[episode]] of the [[South Park (season 15)|15th season]] of the [[Animation|animated]] television show ''[[South Park]]'', which first aired on 11 May 2011.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1913934 |title=Royal Pudding |publisher=IMDb |access-date=7 February 2023}}</ref> The opening focuses on a spoof of the [[wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton]],<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.avclub.com/south-park-royal-pudding-1798168242 |last=O'Neil |first=Sean |title=South Park: "Royal Pudding" |date=12 May 2011 |magazine=AV Club |access-date=7 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/redeye/redeye-south-park-spoofs-royal-wedding-with-royal-pudding-20110509-story.html |last=Wagner |first=Curt |title='South Park' spoofs royal wedding with 'Royal Pudding' |date=9 May 2011 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |access-date=7 February 2023}}</ref> featuring caricatures of Queen Elizabeth II; Prince William, Prince of Wales; and Catherine, Princess of Wales. Specific mention is made of "the Queen of Canada" and "the Canadian royal family".<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.planearium.de/downloads/scripts/scripts-1503.htm |title=Episode 1503 - Royal Pudding |publisher=Planetarium |access-date=7 February 2023}}</ref> The show subsequently, in the second episode of the [[South Park (season 26)|26th season]], "[[The Worldwide Privacy Tour]]", parodied [[Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex|the Duke]] and [[Meghan, Duchess of Sussex|Duchess of Sussex]] as a prince of Canada and "the wife", who, after hostile treatment at the [[Death and state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II|funeral of the late Queen of Canada]], go on national television and a world tour demanding people and the media not pay attention to them and [[Personal branding|branding]] themselves as victims.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/02/prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-are-not-suing-south-park |last=Murphy |first=Chris |title=Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are Not Suing South Park |date=21 February 2023 |magazine=Vanity Fair |publisher=Condé Nast |access-date=24 February 2023}}</ref>

==Royal family and house==
{{Anchor|Canada's royal family and house}}
[[File:Royal motorcade (8075978363).jpg|thumb|right|Members of the royal family standing in convertibles during the opening of [[1978 Commonwealth Games]] in [[Edmonton]]; Elizabeth II (front, left), Prince Philip (front, right), [[Prince Andrew, Duke of York|Prince Andrew]] (rear, left), and [[Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Edward]] (rear, right)]]

The Canadian royal family is the group of people who are comparatively closely related to the country's monarch and,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development |author-link=Indian and Northern Affairs Canada |title=Commissioners of the Territories |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |date=2000 |location=Ottawa |page=82 |url=http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/nth/pubs/comm/comm3-eng.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613193408/http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/nth/pubs/comm/comm3-eng.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 June 2011 |isbn=0-6626-3769-0 |access-date=24 February 2021}}</ref> as such, belong to the [[House of Windsor]] and owe their allegiance specifically to the reigning king or queen of Canada.<ref name=Noonan>{{Harvnb|Noonan|1998}}</ref> There is no legal definition of who is or is not a member of the royal family; though, the [[Government of Canada]]'s website lists "working members of the royal family".<ref name=Memb>{{Cite web |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/royal-family/members-royal-family.html |title=The Royal Family |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |date=28 September 2020 |access-date=24 February 2021}}</ref>

Unlike in the United Kingdom, the monarch is the only member of the royal family with a [[Style and title of the Canadian sovereign|title established through Canadian law]] and is styled by convention as ''His/Her Majesty'',<ref name=Style>{{Cite web |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/protocol-guidelines-special-event/styles-address.html#a1 |title=Styles of address |date=25 June 2021 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=9 August 2022}}</ref> as would be a [[queen consort]]. Otherwise, the remaining family members are, as a [[courtesy title|courtesy]], styled and titled as they are in the UK,<ref name=Style/> according to [[letters patent]] issued there,<ref>{{Citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CVFKAQAAIAAJ |date=1957 |last=Hood Phillips |first=Owen |title=The Constitutional Law of Great Britain and the Commonwealth |publisher=Sweet & Maxwell |page=370}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PUIqAQAAMAAJ |date=1963 |title=Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage, Privy Council, and Order of Preference |publisher=Burke's Peerage Limited |page=XXIX}}</ref> with additional French translations.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.canada.ca/fr/patrimoine-canadien/services/famille-royale/membres-famille-royale.html |author=Government of Canada |title=Membres de la Famille royale |date=11 August 2017 |publisher=Publishing and Depository Services Directorate |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref>

Those in the royal family are distant relations of the [[Monarchy of Belgium#Royal family|Belgian]], [[Danish royal family|Danish]], [[Greek royal family|Greek]], [[Norwegian royal family|Norwegian]], [[Spanish royal family|Spanish]], and [[Swedish royal family|Swedish royal families]] and,<ref name=Bousfield22>{{Harvnb|Bousfield|Toffoli|2002|p=22}}</ref> given the shared nature of the Canadian monarch, are also members of the [[British royal family]]. While Canadian and foreign media often refer to them as the "British royal family",<ref>{{Cite news |last=Howell |first=Peter |title=Queen rules for city critics |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=20 December 2006 |url=https://www.thestar.com/artsentertainment/article/163172 |access-date=24 May 2009}}{{Dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{Cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author=Canadian Press |author-link=Canadian Press |title=Royal wedding details emerge |newspaper=Winnipeg Sun |date=11 April 2005}}</ref> the Canadian government considers it inappropriate, as they are family members of the Canadian monarch.<ref name=SaskProtocol>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ops.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=4c4f7726-bc9c-497c-ac85-158c1b8c8d9d |last=Office of the Provincial Secretary |title=About OPS > Protocol Office > Royal Visits > Royal Family Titles |publisher=Queen's Printer for Saskatchewan |access-date=1 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003102014/http://www.ops.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=4c4f7726-bc9c-497c-ac85-158c1b8c8d9d |archive-date=3 October 2011}}</ref> Further, in addition to the few Canadian citizens in the royal family,{{#tag:ref|Two Canadian citizens married into the royal family: In 1988, [[Sylvana Windsor, Countess of St Andrews|Sylvana Jones]] (née Tomaselli in [[Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador|Placentia, Newfoundland]]) wed [[George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews]], a great-grandson of King [[George V]], and, on 18 May 2008, [[Autumn Phillips|Autumn Kelly]], originally from [[Montreal]], married Queen Elizabeth II's eldest grandson, [[Peter Phillips]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Montrealer Autumn Kelly weds Queen's eldest grandson |publisher=CBC |date=17 May 2008 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/montrealer-autumn-kelly-weds-queen-s-eldest-grandson-1.766014 |access-date=24 May 2009}}</ref> The latter couple has two children, 19th and 20th in line to the throne {{As of|2024|lc=on}}, who each hold dual Canadian and British citizenship,<ref>{{Cite news |title=Queen's first great-grandchild has Canadian roots |publisher=CTV |date=30 December 2010 |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/queen-s-first-great-grandchild-has-canadian-roots-1.591055 |access-date=2 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/the-queen-becomes-a-great-grandmother-for-the-second-time-1.789610 |title=The Queen becomes a great grandmother for the second time |date=30 March 2012 |publisher=CTV |access-date=30 March 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331172702/http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Entertainment/20120330/queen-great-grandmother-again-120330  |archive-date=31 March 2012}}</ref> as do the three children of George Windsor, though only the youngest, [[Lady Amelia Windsor]], is in line to the throne, 43rd {{As of|2023|lc=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/ThecurrentRoyalFamily/Successionandprecedence/Succession/Overview.aspx |author=Royal Household |title=The current Royal Family > Succession and precedence > Succession |publisher=Queen's Printer |access-date=4 March 2015}}</ref> More distantly, Princes Boris and [[Prince Hermann Friedrich of Leiningen|Hermann Friedrich]] of Leiningen, great-great-great grandsons of Queen Victoria, are also Canadian citizens.|group=n|name=Citizen}} the sovereign is considered Canadian,{{Refn|<ref>{{Cite court |litigants=Aralt Mac Giolla Chainnigh v. the Attorney-General of Canada |vol=T-1809-06 |pinpoint=14.4 |court=Federal Court of Canada |date=21 January 2008 |url=http://decisions.fct-cf.gc.ca/en/2008/2008fc69/2008fc69.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Holloway |first=Ian |title=Constitutional Silliness and the Canadian Forces |journal=Canadian Monarchist News |volume=Summer 2007 |issue=26 |page=9 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=2007 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2007/Summer_2007_CMN.pdf |access-date=14 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625225416/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2007/Summer_2007_CMN.pdf |archive-date=25 June 2008}}</ref><ref name=Proudfoot>{{Citation |url=http://www.canada.com/Will+Kate+royal+influence+everywhere+Canada+already/5012163/story.html |last=Proudfoot |first=Shannon |title=Will and Kate on way, but royal influence everywhere in Canada already |date=27 June 2011 |publisher=Postmedia |access-date=15 July 2015 |newspaper=Canada.com}}</ref>}} and those among his relations who do not meet the requirements of [[Canadian nationality law|Canadian citizenship law]] are considered Canadian, which entitles them to [[Diplomatic missions of Canada|Canadian consular assistance]] and the protection of the King's [[Canadian Forces|armed forces of Canada]] when they are in need of protection or aid outside of the Commonwealth realms,<ref name=Noonan/> as well as, since 2013, substantive appointment to the [[Order of Canada]] and [[Order of Military Merit (Canada)|Order of Military Merit]].<ref>{{Citation |author=Elizabeth II |date=2013 |title=The Constitution of the Order of Canada |at=9.2 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=14945 |access-date=2 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |author=Elizabeth II |date=2013 |title=The Constitution of the Order of Military Merit |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=15086 |access-date=24 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yj69BgAAQBAJ&dq=%22canadian+royal+family%22&pg=PT465 |last=McCreery |first=Christopher |title=The Canadian Honours System |chapter=Chapters 12 and 13 |publisher=Dundurn Press |location=Toronto |date=2005 |isbn=978-1-5500-2554-5}}</ref> Beyond formalities, members of the royal family have, on occasion, been said by the media and non-governmental organizations to be Canadian,{{#tag:ref|As early as 1959, it was recognized that the then-reigning Queen, Eliabeth II, was "equally at home in all her realms";<ref>{{Harvnb|Buckner|2005|p=66}}</ref> By the 1960s, loyal societies in Canada recognized the Elizabeth's cousin, [[Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Lady Ogilvy]], as a "Canadian princess";<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gowdy |first=Douglas M. |date=18 October 1967 |publication-date=1968 |contribution=Loyal Societies Dinner in Honor of Princess Alexandra. Remarks by Douglas M. Gowdy. The Loyal Societies Toast to Canada by Col. B.J. Legge. |contribution-url=http://speeches.empireclub.org/details.asp?r=vs&ID=60981&number=1 |editor=Empire Club of Canada |editor-link=Empire Club of Canada |title=The Empire Club of Canada Addresses, 1967–1968 |pages=107–113 |location=Toronto |publisher=The Empire Club Foundation |access-date=9 September 2009 |archive-date=26 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726031840/http://speeches.empireclub.org/details.asp?r=vs&ID=60981&number=1 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and, at the time of the 2011 royal tour of [[Prince William, Duke of Cambridge]], and [[Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge]], both [[Michael Valpy]], writing for the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]], and ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' referred to William as "a prince of Canada".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Valpy |first=Michael |title=So long, young royals, you did good |publisher=CBC |date=8 July 2011 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/michael-valpy-so-long-young-royals-you-did-good-1.985337 |access-date=8 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author=Editorial Board |title=The royal visit is no mere celebrity event |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |location=Toronto |date=30 June 2011 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/the-royal-visit-is-no-mere-celebrity-event/article2082941  |access-date=5 July 2011 |archive-date=4 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704234141/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/the-royal-visit-is-no-mere-celebrity-event/article2082941  |url-status=dead}}</ref>|group=n|name=CanadianRF}} have declared themselves to be Canadian,{{#tag:ref|In 1919, Prince Edward Albert (the future King [[Edward VIII]]) asserted, "I want Canada to look upon me as a Canadian, if not actually by birth, yet certainly in mind and spirit."<ref>{{Citation |last=Fabb |first=John |title=Royal Tours of the British Empire, 1860-1927 |page=105 |location=London |publisher=B.T. Batsford |date=1989 |isbn=978-0-7134-5191-7}}</ref> [[Elizabeth II|Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh]], said in 1951 that, when in Canada, she was "amongst fellow countrymen" and,<ref name=MacLeod3/><ref>{{Harvnb|Bousfield|Toffoli|2002|p=66}}</ref> after acceding to the throne as Queen Elizabeth II, she, when departing the United States for Canada in 1983, stated to [[President of the United States|President]] [[Ronald Reagan]], "I'm going home to Canada tomorrow".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.crht.ca/DiscoverMonarchyFiles/QueenElizabethII.html |title=Monarchy > Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada |publisher=Canadian Royal Heritage Trust |access-date=10 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090618075325/http://www.crht.ca/DiscoverMonarchyFiles/QueenElizabethII.html |archive-date=18 June 2009}}</ref> In 2005, Elizabeth said she agreed with the statement earlier made by her mother, [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother]], that Canada felt like a "home away from home";<ref name=MacLeod11>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=11}}</ref> in the same year, she remarked, "I have always felt not only welcome but at home in Canada."<ref name=CHP/> Similarly, the Queen said in 2010, in Nova Scotia, "it is very good to be home".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Treble |first=Patricia |title=Royal Redux |journal=Maclean's: The Royal Tour |page=66 |date=2011 |publisher=Rogers Media |location=Toronto}}</ref>|group=n|name=Canadians}} and some past members have lived in Canada for extended periods as viceroy or for other reasons.{{#tag:ref|[[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn]], served as the Commander of [[British North America]]n troops in Canada's [[Maritimes]] for nine years after 1791, mostly in [[City of Halifax|Halifax]];<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hall |first=Trevor |title=Royal Canada: A History of Royal Visits for Canada since 1786 |publisher=Archive |date=1989 |location=Toronto |isbn=978-0-8866-5504-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/royalcanadaahist0000hall}}</ref> his granddaughter, [[Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll|Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne]], lived in Canada between 1878 and 1883 as [[Viceregal consort of Canada|viceregal consort]];<ref>{{Cite book |last=Waite |first=P. B. |contribution=Campbell, John George Edward Henry Douglas Sutherland, Marquess of Lorne and 9th Duke of Argyll |date=2000 |title=Dictionary of Canadian Biography |editor-last=English |editor-first=John |volume=XIV |place=Ottawa |publisher=University of Toronto/Université Laval |url=http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=7267 |access-date=24 May 2009}}</ref> and her brother, [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn]], resided in Canada first through 1870 as a member of the [[Canadian Militia]], defending Canada from the [[Fenian Raids]],<ref name=Toffoli>{{Cite web |url=http://www.crht.ca/DiscoverMonarchyFiles/ArmedForces.html |last=Toffoli |first=Gary |title=The Royal Family and the Armed Forces |publisher=Canadian Royal Heritage Trust |access-date=24 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701050507/http://www.crht.ca/DiscoverMonarchyFiles/ArmedForces.html |archive-date=1 July 2007}}</ref> and then as governor general from 1911 until 1916.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gg.ca/gg/fgg/bios/01/connaught_e.asp |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20081116035719/http://www.gg.ca/gg/fgg/bios/01/connaught_e.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 November 2008 |last=Office of the Governor General of Canada |title=Governor General > Former Governors General > Field Marshal His Royal Highness the Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=30 April 2009}}</ref> Later, for six years beginning in 1940, [[Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone]] (a great-grandchild of the Duke of Kent), lived in Canada with her husband, [[Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone|the Earl of Athlone]] (himself a great-grandchild of King [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]]),<ref name=Toffoli/> while he served as governor general.<ref name=GGCam>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gg.ca/gg/fgg/bios/01/athlone_e.asp |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080313003341/http://www.gg.ca/gg/fgg/bios/01/athlone_e.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 March 2008 |last=Office of the Governor General of Canada |title=Governor General > Former Governors General > Major General The Earl of Athlone |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=24 March 2009}}</ref>|group=n|name=RF2}}
[[File:Edward VIII unveils the figure of Canada on the Vimy Ridge Memorial.jpg|thumb|left|King [[Edward VIII]] unveiling the figure ''Canada Bereft'' on the [[Canadian National Vimy Memorial]] in July 1936]]

According to the Canadian Royal Heritage Trust, [[Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn]]—due to his having lived in Canada between 1791 and 1800 and fathering [[Queen Victoria]]—is the "ancestor of the modern Canadian royal family".<ref name=Toffoli/> Nonetheless, the concept of the Canadian royal family did not emerge until after the passage of the Statute of Westminster in 1931, when Canadian officials only began to overtly consider putting the principles of Canada's new status as an independent kingdom into effect.<ref name=Parl>{{Harvnb|Galbraith|1989|p=7}}</ref> Initially, the monarch was the only member of the royal family to carry out public ceremonial duties solely on the advice of Canadian ministers; King [[Edward VIII]] became the first to do so when in July 1936 he dedicated the [[Canadian National Vimy Memorial]] in France.{{#tag:ref||group=n|name=Duties}} Over the decades, however, the monarch's children, grandchildren, cousins, and their respective spouses began to also perform functions at the direction of the Canadian Crown-in-Council, representing the monarch within Canada or abroad, in a role specifically as members of the Canadian royal family.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bousfield|Toffoli|1991|p=8}}</ref>

However, it was not until October 2002 when the term ''Canadian royal family'' was first used publicly and officially by one of its members: in a speech to the [[Legislative Assembly of Nunavut|Nunavut legislature]] at its opening, Queen Elizabeth II stated: "I am proud to be the first member of the Canadian royal family to be greeted in Canada's newest territory."<ref>{{Citation |author=Elizabeth II |author-link=Elizabeth II |date=4 October 2002 |publication-date=1 September 2004 |contribution=Speech Given by The Queen at the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut on Friday 4 October 2002 |contribution-url=http://www.etoile.co.uk/Speech/021004Queen.html |editor-last=Voost |editor-first=Geraldine |title=Etoile's Unofficial Royalty Site |place=Iqualuit |publication-place=London |publisher=Geraldine Voost |url=http://www.etoile.co.uk  |access-date=24 May 2009}}</ref><ref name=Jackson210>{{Citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3glDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22canadian+royal+family%22&pg=PA210 |editor-last=Jackson |editor-first=D. Michael |last=Palmer |first=Sean |title=The Canadian Kingdom: 150 Years of Constitutional Monarchy |chapter=The Path to Nationalization: How the Realms Have Made the Monarchy Their Own |page=210 |publisher=Dundurn |location=Toronto |date=2018 |isbn=978-1-4597-4118-8 |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref> Princess Anne used it again when speaking at Rideau Hall in 2014,<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.thecanadianpress.com/english/online/OnlineFullStory.aspx?filename=DOR-MNN-CP.15465426dc4f4d39a8a3cc7f30c12d04.CPKEY2008111303&newsitemid=30646704&languageid=1 |last=Pedwell |first=Terry |title=Princess Anne to take part in Remembrance Day and rededication of memorial |publisher=The Canadian Press |access-date=1 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150604172205/http://www.thecanadianpress.com/english/online/OnlineFullStory.aspx?filename=DOR-MNN-CP.15465426dc4f4d39a8a3cc7f30c12d04.CPKEY2008111303&newsitemid=30646704&languageid=1 |archive-date=4 June 2015}}</ref> as did the now King Charles in Halifax the same year.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/a-special-joy-to-be-in-canada-prince-charles-says-1.1827940/comments-7.517485/comments-7.517485/comments-7.517485 |title=Hundreds Welcome Royal Visitors |publisher=CTV News |access-date=25 July 2022}}</ref> Also in 2014, then-[[Premier of Saskatchewan]] [[Brad Wall]] called Prince Edward a member of the Canadian royal family.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/news-and-media/2014/september/10/royal-visit-itinerary |title=Public Itinerary for Royal Visit Announced |date=10 September 2014 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Saskatchewan |access-date=25 July 2022}}</ref> By 2011, both Canadian and British media were referring to "Canada's royal family" or the "Canadian royal family".{{Refn|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rayner |first=Gordon |newspaper=The Telegraph |title=Royal tour: Prince William and Kate Middleton fly to Canada for first overseas tour as married couple |location=London |date=30 June 2011 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-william/8608406/Royal-tour-Prince-William-and-Kate-Middleton-fly-to-Canada-for-first-overseas-tour-as-married-couple.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-william/8608406/Royal-tour-Prince-William-and-Kate-Middleton-fly-to-Canada-for-first-overseas-tour-as-married-couple.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=5 July 2011}}{{Cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Palmer |first=Randall |title=Canadian cities ready to welcome Royals |newspaper=Toronto Sun |location=Toronto |date=30 June 2011 |url=http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/30/canadian-cities-ready-to-welcome-royals |access-date=5 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hough |first=Andrew |title=Royal tour: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's 14,000-mile first official trip |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=London |date=30 May 2011 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-william/8546311/Royal-tour-Kate-Middleton-and-Prince-Williams-14000-mile-first-official-trip.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-william/8546311/Royal-tour-Kate-Middleton-and-Prince-Williams-14000-mile-first-official-trip.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=5 July 2011}}{{Cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/royal-agricultural-winter-fair-prepares-for-royal-visit-535055851.html |title=Royal Agricultural Winter Fair prepares for Royal visit |author=Royal Agricultural Winter Fair |publisher=Canada Newswire |date=21 October 2015 |access-date=25 July 2022}}</ref>}}

While Heard observed in 2018 that no direct legal action has, so far, created a Canadian royal family,<ref name=Heard126>{{Citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3glDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22canadian+royal+family%22&pg=PA210 |editor-last=Jackson |editor-first=D. Michael |last=Heard |first=Andrew |title=The Canadian Kingdom: 150 Years of Constitutional Monarchy |chapter=The Crown in Canada: Is There a Canadian Monarchy? |page=126 |publisher=Dundurn |location=Toronto |date=2018 |isbn=978-1-4597-4118-8 |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref> he also asserted that the [[Canadian Heraldic Authority]] creating [[Royal standards of Canada|uniquely Canadian standards for members of the royal family other than the monarch]] was a symbolic "localization of the royal family";<ref name=Heard115>{{Harvnb|Heard|2018|p=115}}</ref> Sean Palmer agreed, stating the banners are a sign the country has taken "'ownership' not only of the Queen of Canada, but of the other members of her family as well" and that doing so was another formal affirmation of the concept of a Canadian royal family "as distinct as the Queen of Canada is from the Queen of the United Kingdom".<ref name=Jackson210/> Jai Patel and Sally Raudon also noted, in 2019, that the purpose of these heraldic banners was to recognize the owners' roles as members of the Canadian royal family.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lt6CDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22canadian+royal+family%22&pg=PT162| editor-last1=Shore| editor-first1=Chris| editor-last2=Williams| editor-first2=David V.| last1=Patel| first1=Jai| last2=Raudon| first2=Sally |title=The Shapeshifting Crown: Locating the State in Post-Colonial New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the UK |chapter=Localising the Crown |page=148 |date=2019 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-1-1084-9646-9 |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref>

==Federal residences and royal household==
{{Main|Government Houses in Canada}}
{{Multiple image|image1=Ottawa - Rideau Hall.JPG|alt1=|total_width=330|caption1=[[Rideau Hall]]|image2=Residence of the Governor General (Quebec) 01.jpg|alt2=|caption2=[[Citadelle of Quebec]]|footer=Official residences of the sovereign and their representative, the governor general}}

Buildings across Canada reserved by the Crown for the use of the monarch and his viceroys are called ''[[Government House]]'', but may be customarily known by some specific name. The sovereign's and governor general's [[official residence]]s are [[Rideau Hall]] in [[Ottawa]] and the [[Citadelle of Quebec|Citadelle]] in [[Quebec City]].{{#tag:ref|While the government houses are the King's official residences in Canada, they are almost exclusively occupied by the sovereign's representative in each of those jurisdictions.<ref name=Lanctot>{{Cite book |last=Lanctot |first=Gustave |title=Royal Tour of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Canada and the United States of America 1939 |publisher=E.P. Taylor Foundation |date=1964 |location=Toronto |author-link=Gustave Lanctot}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=XVII}}</ref>|group=n |name=Residence}}{{Refn|<ref>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=34}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Galbraith|1989|p=9}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Bousfield|Toffoli|2002|pp=10,190}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZxEiBQAAQBAJ |last=Tidridge |first=Nathan |title=The Queen at the Council Fire: The Treaty of Niagara, Reconciliation, and the Dignified Crown in Canada |publisher=Dundurn Press |date=2015 |location=Toronto |isbn=978-1-4597-3068-7 |access-date=8 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/royaltours1786200000bous |url-access=registration |quote=the queen's residence in canada.| last1=Bousfield| first1=Arthur| last2=Toffoli| first2=Gary |title=Royal Tours 1786–2010: Home to Canada |publisher=Dundurn Press |date=2010 |location=Toronto |page=[https://archive.org/details/royaltours1786200000bous/page/168 168] |isbn=978-1-4597-1165-5 |access-date=8 December 2015}}</ref><ref name=Mon>{{Cite journal |last=Aimers |first=John |author-link=John Aimers |title=The Palace on the Rideau |journal=Monarchy Canada |issue=Spring 1996 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=April 1996 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/mc/palace.htm |access-date=20 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080606042521/http://www.monarchist.ca/mc/palace.htm |archive-date=6 June 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Tidridge|2011|pp=92, 259}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5NsZAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22the+non-fiction+rideau+hall%2C+the+official+residence+in+ottawa%22+buchan&pg=PT3769 |first=John |last=Buchan |title=Complete Works of John Buchan (Illustrated) |publisher=Delphi Classics |date=2022 |location=Essex |isbn=978-1-9094-9658-3 |quote=Rideau Hall, the official residence in Ottawa of both the Canadian monarch and the Governor General of Canada—Buchan's last home and where he suffered the stroke that resulted in his death.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Toffoli |first=Gary |title=The Hnatyshyn Years |journal=Monarchy Canada |issue=Spring 1995 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=April 1995 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/mc/hnatysh.htm |access-date=20 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061012021157/http://www.monarchist.ca/mc/hnatysh.htm |archive-date=12 October 2006}}</ref>}} Each holds pieces from the [[Crown Collection]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gg.ca/media/fs-fd/art_e.asp |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20081009074914/http://www.gg.ca/media/fs-fd/art_e.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 October 2008 |last=Office of the Governor General of Canada |title=Media > Fact Sheets > Collection of Art and Furniture at Rideau Hall > The Crown Collection at Rideau Hall |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=27 May 2009}}</ref> Though neither was used for their intended purpose, [[Hatley Castle]] in British Columbia was purchased in 1940 by the federal government for the use of [[George VI]] and his family during the Second World War<ref>{{Cite web |first=Iona |last=Campagnolo |author-link=Iona Campagnolo |title=Speech to Retired Heads of Mission Association's Gala Dinner |url=http://www.ltgov.bc.ca/whatsnew/sp/sp_may07_2004.htm |date=7 May 2004 |place=Royal Roads University, Hatley Castle, Victoria |website=www.ltgov.bc.ca |access-date=27 May 2009 |url-status=dead  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040627085932/http://www.ltgov.bc.ca/whatsnew/sp/sp_may07_2004.htm |archive-date=27 June 2004}}</ref> and the [[Emergency Government Headquarters]], built between 1959 and 1961 at [[CFS Carp]] and decommissioned in 1994, included a residential apartment for the sovereign or governor general in the case of a [[nuclear attack]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Boutros |first=Magdaline |title=Deep History |journal=Destinations |volume=5 |issue=4 |publisher=Via Rail |location=Ottawa |date=August–September 2008}}</ref>

British royalty have also owned homes and land in Canada in a private capacity: [[Edward VIII]] owned Bedingfield Ranch, near [[Pekisko, Alberta]];<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/royalvisit/prince-quiz-answers.htm |last=Department of Canadian Heritage |title=Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > The Canadian Monarchy > Royal Visit 2001 > Getting to Know the Prince(s) of Wales |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=8 August 2007 |archive-date=6 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506124908/http://www.pch.gc.ca/royalvisit/prince-quiz-answers.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon|Princess Margaret]] owned [[Portland Island (British Columbia)|Portland Island]], which was given to her by British Columbia in 1958. She offered it back to the province on permanent loan in 1961, which was accepted in 1966, and the island and surrounding waters eventually became Princess Margaret Marine Park.<ref name=Legacy>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/exhibits/jubilee/legacy.htm |author=British Columbia Archives |title=Golden Jubilee > Welcoming the Royals: The Archival Legacy > The Legacy |publisher=Queen's Printer for British Columbia |access-date=27 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228171614/http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/exhibits/jubilee/legacy.htm |archive-date=28 February 2009}}</ref>
[[File:HRH The Duke of Connaught at Mohawk Church, Brantford (HS85-10-26794).jpg|thumb|left|[[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|Prince Arthur]] at [[Mohawk Chapel]] in 1913. The sanctuary was designated a [[chapel royal]] in 1904.]]

In addition to a [[maître d'hôtel]], [[chef]]s, [[footmen]], [[valets]], dressers, [[Page (servant)|pages]], aides-de-camp (drawn from the junior officers of the armed forces), [[equerries]], and others at Rideau Hall,<ref>{{Citation |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/rideau-hall-staff-recall-encounters-with-royalty |last=Laucius |first=Joanne |title=The Queen and I: Rideau Hall staff recall royal encounters |date=16 September 2022 |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |accessdate=24 October 2023}}</ref> the King appoints various people to his Canadian [[Household#Historical households|household]] to assist him in carrying out his official duties on behalf of Canada. Along with the [[Canadian secretary to the King]],<ref name=Hansard62/> the monarch's entourage includes the [[Equerry#Canada|equerry-in-waiting]] to the King, the King's police officer, two [[ladies-in-waiting]] for the Queen,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov.on.ca/ENGLISH/exhibits/jubilee/behind.htm#insiders |last=Archives of Ontario |title=A Celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II > Behind the Scenes |publisher=Queen's Printer for Ontario |access-date=27 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215040613/http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/ENGLISH/exhibits/jubilee/behind.htm |archive-date=15 December 2008}}</ref> the King's honorary physician, the King's honorary dental surgeon, and the King's honorary nursing officer<ref>{{Citation |last=Department of National Defence |author-link=Department of National Defence (Canada) |title=Canadian Forces Dress Instructions |pages=3–7–3 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |url=http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/land-terre/downloads-telechargements/reserve/dress-tenue/CF_dress_instructions_mod2008_0514.pdf |access-date=15 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721214752/http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/land-terre/downloads-telechargements/reserve/dress-tenue/CF_dress_instructions_mod2008_0514.pdf |archive-date=21 July 2011}}</ref>—the latter three being drawn from the Canadian Forces.<ref name=CRHT2/> [[Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh]], also has a Canadian private secretary and his wife,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=14708 |last=Office of the Governor General of Canada |title=Working Visit to Canada by The Earl and Countess of Wessex |date=10 September 2012 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=10 September 2012}}</ref> [[Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh]], a lady-in-waiting.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/how-prince-edward-and-sophie-forged-deep-ties-with-canada-1.1234460?cmp=rss |title=How Prince Edward and Sophie forged deep ties with Canada |date=18 September 2012 |publisher=CBC |access-date=18 September 2012}}</ref> [[Royal Canadian Air Force VIP aircraft]] are provided by [[412 Transport Squadron]].

There are three [[Household Division#Canada|household regiments]] specifically attached to the royal household—the [[Governor General's Foot Guards]], [[the Governor General's Horse Guards]], and [[the Canadian Grenadier Guards]]. There are also three [[chapels royal]], all in Ontario:<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mohawkchapel.ca/history.html |title=Mohawk Chapel > History |publisher=Her Majesty's Chapel of the Mohawks |access-date=28 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326161106/https://www.mohawkchapel.ca/history.html |archive-date=26 March 2009}}</ref> [[Mohawk Chapel]] in [[Brantford, Ontario|Brantford]]; [[Christ Church Royal Chapel]], near [[Deseronto]]; and St Catherine's Chapel in [[Massey College]], in [[Toronto]]. Though not a chapel royal, [[St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church (Ottawa)|St Bartholomew's Anglican Church]], located across MacKay Street from Rideau Hall, is regularly used by governors general and their families and sometimes by the sovereign and other visiting royalty, as well as by staff, their families, and members of the Governor General's Foot Guards, for whom the church serves as a regimental chapel.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.stbartsottawa.ca/history_part1.html |title=The History and Architecture of St. Barts |publisher=St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church |access-date=15 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150104064917/http://www.stbartsottawa.ca/history_part1.html |archive-date=4 January 2015}}</ref>

===Security===
{{Multiple image
| total_width =330
| image1      =Royal Visit Toronto 2010 5.JPG
| caption1    =A Queen's Police Officer, drawn from the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police|RCMP]], with [[Elizabeth II]] in [[Toronto]]
| image2      =Will and Kate in Prince Edward Island Canada 2011.jpg
| caption2    =The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with an RCMP escort, in [[Charlottetown]]
}}
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is tasked with providing security to the sovereign, the governor general (starting from when he or she is made [[-elect|governor general-designate]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/governor-general-designate/questions.html |title=Frequently asked questions — The Governor General Designate |author=Government of Canada |date=6 July 2021 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=3 August 2022}}</ref>), and other members of the royal family; as outlined in the ''RCMP Regulations'', the force "has a duty to protect individuals designated by the minister of public safety, including certain members of the royal family when visiting."<ref name=RCMP>{{Cite web |url=https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/trnsprnc/brfng-mtrls/prlmntry-bndrs/20200621/052/index-en.aspx |title=RCMP Royal Family Security |author=Royal Canadian Mounted Police |date=10 September 2020 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=3 August 2022}}</ref> The RCMP's provision of service is determined based on threat and risk assessment, the seniority of the individual in terms of precedence and.{{#tag:ref|For example, when [[Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex|the Duke]] and [[Meghan, Duchess of Sussex|Duchess of Sussex]] resided for a time on [[Vancouver Island]], as they were planning their future as members of the royal family, the RCMP provided the couple's security. However, when the Sussexes decided to step down as senior members of the royal family, the RCMP reassessed its provision of service. In a briefing note to the then-Minister of Public Safety, [[Bill Blair (politician)|Bill Blair]], the force noted, "the Sussex family's stay in Canada is of a private nature and, to date, there have been no official outings wherein the Duke and Duchess are representing the Queen. There is no indication of either the Duke or Duchess participating in any official capacity for the Crown in Canada in the next two months. Should this change, however, the RCMP will assess and provide security accordingly."<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/prince-harry-rcmp-protection-1.6276872 |last=Thompson |first=Elizabeth |title=Protecting Prince Harry cost Canadians more than $334,000 |date=8 December 2021 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=3 August 2022}}</ref>|group=n|name=Sussex}} for members of the royal family, the nature of the royal tour—i.e. an official tour by the King or on behalf of the King or a working or private visit.<ref name=RCMP/> The governor general receives round-the-clock security from the Governor General Protection Detail,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/protective-operations |title=Protective Operations |author=Royal Canadian Mounted Police |date=19 February 2015 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=3 August 2022}}</ref> part of the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police#Personal Protection Group|Personal Protection Group]], based at Rideau Hall.

==History==
{{Main|History of monarchy in Canada}}
{{Further|List of Canadian monarchs}}

===From colonies to independence===
{{Multiple image|total_width=330|align=right|image1=François Ier Louvre.jpg|alt1=|caption1=King [[Francis I of France]] established colonies in [[Acadia]] and [[Canada (New France)|Canada]] in 1534.|image2=Queen Victoria, c.1870. (7936242480).jpg|alt2=|caption2=[[Queen Victoria]] in 1870, three years after her royal assent to the ''[[Constitution Act, 1867|British North America Act, 1867]]'', creating the [[Canadian federalism|Canadian federation]]}}

The Canadian monarchy can trace its ancestral lineage back to the [[king of the Angles|kings of the Angles]] and the early [[List of Scottish monarchs|Scottish kings]] and through the centuries since the claims of King [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] in 1497 and King [[Francis I of France|Francis I]] in 1534; both being [[consanguinity|blood relative]]s of the current Canadian monarch. Former Prime Minister [[Stephen Harper]] said of the Crown that it "links us all together with the majestic past that takes us back to the [[House of Tudor|Tudors]], the [[House of Plantagenet|Plantagenets]], [[Magna Carta]], ''[[habeas corpus]]'', [[Petition of Right|petition of rights]], and English [[common law]]."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=1168 |last=Harper |first=Stephen |author-link=Stephen Harper |title=Prime Minister Harper introduces Australian counterpart to Parliament |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=12 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100329125220/http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=1168 |archive-date=29 March 2010}}</ref> Though the first French and British colonizers of Canada interpreted the hereditary nature of some indigenous North American chieftainships as a form of monarchy,{{Refn|<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/4Chiefs.html |last=Odrowaz-Sypniewska |first=Margaret |title=The Four Indian Kings |publisher=The Courtly Lives of Kings, Peerage, Saints, Knights, and the Commoners |access-date=24 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ferguson |first=Will |author-link=Will Ferguson |title=The Lost Kingdom |journal=Maclean's |publisher=Rogers Communications |location=Toronto |date=27 October 2003 |url=http://www.macleans.ca/switchboard/article.jsp?content=20031027_68038_68038 |issn=0024-9262 |access-date=23 December 2006}}{{Dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{Cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Bousfield|Toffoli|2002|p=8}}</ref>}} it is generally accepted that Canada has been a territory of a monarch or a monarchy in its own right only since the establishment of the French [[Canada (New France)|colony of Canada]] in the early 16th century;<ref name=MacLeod6/> according to historian [[Jacques Monet]], the Canadian Crown is one of the few that have survived through uninterrupted succession since before its inception.<ref name=Monet/>

After the Canadian colonies of France were, via war and treaties, ceded to the British Crown, and the population was greatly expanded by [[United Empire Loyalists|those loyal to George III]] fleeing north from persecution during and following the [[American Revolution]], [[British North America]] was in 1867 [[Confederation of Canada|confederated]] by [[Queen Victoria]] to form Canada as a kingdom in its own right.{{Refn|<ref name=DCHCrown/><ref name=Buck1/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.saintjohn.nbcc.nb.ca/heritage/CorporateSeal/heraldry.htm |title=Heritage Saint John > Canadian Heraldry |publisher=Heritage Resources of Saint John and New Brunswick Community College |access-date=3 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110617120638/http://www.saintjohn.nbcc.nb.ca/heritage/CorporateSeal/heraldry.htm |archive-date=17 June 2011}}</ref>}} By the end of the First World War, the increased fortitude of [[Canadian nationalism]] inspired the country's leaders to push for greater independence from the King in his British Council, resulting in the creation of the uniquely Canadian monarchy through the [[Statute of Westminster 1931|Statute of Westminster]], which was granted royal assent in 1931.<ref name=MacLeod9/><ref>{{Citation |last=Phillips |first=Stephen |title=Republicanism in Canada in the reign of Elizabeth II: the dog that didn't bark |journal=Canadian Monarchist News |volume=Summer 2004 |issue=22 |page=19 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=2004 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2004/Sum04PDFRepublicanism.pdf |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090708032249/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2004/Sum04PDFRepublicanism.pdf |archive-date=8 July 2009 |url-status=dead |access-date=24 May 2009}}</ref> Only five years later, Canada had three successive kings in the space of one year, with the death of [[George V]], the [[Edward VIII abdication crisis|accession and abdication]] of [[Edward VIII]], and his replacement by [[George VI]].

From 1786 through to the 1930s, members of the royal family toured Canada, including [[William IV|Prince William]] (later King William IV); [[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent]]; [[Edward VII|Prince Albert Edward, Prince of Wales]] (later King Edward VII); [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn]]; [[John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll|John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne]], and [[Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll|Princess Louise]]; [[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany|Prince Leopold]]; [[Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein|Princess Marie-Louise]]; Prince George, Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V), and [[Mary of Teck|Princess Victoria]] (later Queen Mary); [[Prince Arthur of Connaught|Prince Arthur]] (son of the Duke of Connaught); [[Princess Patricia of Connaught|Princess Patricia]]; Prince Albert (later King George VI); Prince Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII); [[Prince George, Duke of Kent]]; and [[Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester]].<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/past-royal-tours/royal-visits-1786-1951.html |author=Government of Canada |title=Royal Visits from 1786 to 1951 |date=11 August 2017 |publisher=King's Printer for Canada |access-date=6 February 2023}}</ref>

===The Canadian Crown===
[[File:George VI visits Woodbine Race Track.jpg|thumb|King George VI and Queen Elizabeth attending the [[King's Plate]] in Toronto during their 1939 royal tour]]

King George VI became in 1939 the first reigning monarch of Canada to [[1939 royal tour of Canada|tour the country]], doing so with his wife, [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Queen Elizabeth]]. Only weeks later, the King, on the advice of his Canadian Prime Minister, [[Canadian declaration of war on Germany|declared war on Nazi Germany]].<ref>{{Citation |url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection-R/LoPBdP/BP/bp303-e.htm |last=Rossignol |first=Michael |title=Parliament, the ''National Defence Act'', and the Decision to Participate |date=August 1992 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=8 February 2023}}</ref> Throughout [[World War II|the conflict]], George boosted the [[morale]] of his Canadian troops<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/themes/defence/caf/militaryhistory/dhh/official/book-1948-army-1939-1945-en.pdf |last=Stacey |first=C.P. |title=The Canadian Army 1939 - 1945 |date=1948 |journal=The Canada Gazette |publisher=King's Printer |location=Ottawa |pages=6, 13, 148, 182 |access-date=8 February 2023}}</ref> while Governor General [[Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone|the Earl of Athlone]] (the King's uncle) supported the war effort in Canada. The men were occasionally assisted in their efforts by other members of the royal family.
[[File:Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip sit on thrones before a full Parliament.jpg|thumb|Queen [[Elizabeth II]], wearing her [[Coronation gown of Elizabeth II|coronation gown]], with [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Philip]] during the opening of the [[23rd Canadian Parliament]], October 1957]]

[[Elizabeth II]] undertook her first tour of Canada in 1951, when Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh. She would go on to officiate at various moments of importance in the nation's history: She opened Parliament in 1957<ref>{{Harvnb|Bousfield|Toffoli|2002|pp=11–16}}</ref>—on the same tour, delivering, from Rideau Hall, her first-ever [[live television]] broadcast<ref>{{Harvnb|Bell|Bousfield|Toffoli|2007|p=135}}</ref>—and in 1977; opened the [[St. Lawrence Seaway]] in 1959;<ref name=CHP/> celebrated the [[Canadian Centennial]];<ref name=CHP/> and proclaimed the country to be fully independent, via constitutional [[patriation]], in 1982.<ref name=MacLeod11/> That act is said to have entrenched the monarchy in Canada,<ref>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=12}}</ref> due to the stringent amending formula that must be followed in order to alter the monarchy in any way.<ref name=ElizabethII1982/>

Through the 1960s and 1970s, the rise of [[Quebec nationalism]] and changes in [[Canadian identity]] created an atmosphere where the purpose and role of the monarchy [[Debate on the monarchy in Canada|came into question]]. Some references to the monarch and the monarchy were removed from the public eye and moves were made by the federal government to constitutionally alter the Crown's place and role in Canada, first by explicit legal amendments and later by subtle attrition.{{Refn|<ref name=GardnerRight/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Joyal |first=Serge |author-link=Serge Joyal |title=Diminishing the Crown |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=10 June 2010 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/diminishing-the-crown/article1598033  |access-date=13 August 2010 |location=Toronto |archive-date=12 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812141544/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/diminishing-the-crown/article1598033  |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Tidridge19>{{Harvnb|Tidridge|2011|p=19}}</ref>}} But, provincial and federal ministers, along with loyal [[Monarchism in Canada|national citizen's organizations]], ensured that the system remained the same in essence.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|2004|p=20}}</ref>

The Queen publicly expressed her personal support for the [[Meech Lake Accord]], which attempted to bring Quebec governmental support to the patriated constitution.<ref>{{Citation |last=Geddes |first=John |title=The day she descended into the fray |magazine=Maclean's |edition=Special Commemorative Edition: The Diamond Jubilee: Celebrating 60 Remarkable years |date=2012 |page=72 |publisher=Rogers Communications}}</ref> The accord failed, prompting Elizabeth to deliver a nationally-broadcast speech in Ottawa supporting Canadian unity.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactive/royalvisits/56.html |title=Royal Visits to Canada |publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] |access-date=7 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061128235245/http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactive/royalvisits/56.html |archive-date=28 November 2006}}</ref> In the lead-up to the [[1995 Quebec independence referendum|referendum on Quebec independence]] in 1995, the Queen was tricked by [[Pierre Brassard|a Montreal radio DJ]] into revealing her desire to see the "no" side win, offering to help however she could.<ref>{{Harvnb|Boyce|2008|p=37}}</ref><ref name=BousfieldMC>{{Cite journal |last=Bousfield |first=Arthur |title=A Queen Canada Should be Proud Of |journal=Monarchy Canada |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=April 1996 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/mc/queenpr.htm |access-date=7 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919121013/http://www.monarchist.ca/mc/queenpr.htm |archive-date=19 September 2008}}</ref> Elizabeth followed the results closely on the day of the vote.<ref name=BousfieldMC/>

Members of the royal family continued to be present at important national events through the decades: the Queen in 1970, 1971, and 1973, respectively, marked the anniversaries of [[Manitoba]], [[British Columbia]], and [[Prince Edward Island]] becoming Canadian provinces; celebrated [[Ontario]]'s and [[New Brunswick]]'s bicentennials in 1984 and the 125th anniversary of Confederation in 1992; and she opened the [[1976 Summer Olympics]] in [[Montreal]]<ref name=CHP/> and [[Legislative Assembly of Nunavut|Nunavut's parliament]] in 1999. [[Charles III|Prince Charles, Prince of Wales]], attended the 100th anniversary of [[Treaty 7]] in 1977; commemorated in 1983 the bicentennial of [[United Empire Loyalists]] settling in New Brunswick and [[Nova Scotia]]; and, with [[Diana, Princess of Wales]], opened [[Expo 86]] in [[Vancouver]]. Between them, the Queen and her family opened numerous [[Commonwealth Games]], [[Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting]]s, conferences, hospitals, community centres, and the like; handed out [[The Duke of Edinburgh Award]]s at ceremonies across the country, and visited many regiments and branches of the [[Canadian Armed Forces]].<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/past-royal-tours.html |author=Government of Canada |title=Private and official tours since 1953 |date=23 August 2017 |publisher=King's Printer for Canada |access-date=6 February 2023}}</ref>

===The 21st century===
[[File:Official Diamond Jubilee Portrait of the Queen of Canada.jpg|thumb|Elizabeth II, the first monarch to be titled ''Queen of Canada'', wearing her Canadian insignia, as sovereign of the [[Order of Canada]] and the [[Order of Military Merit (Canada)|Order of Military Merit]], 2010]]
By 2002, the royal tour and associated [[fête]]s for [[Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II#Canada|the Queen's Golden Jubilee]] proved popular with Canadians across the country,<ref>{{Cite news |title=Queen drops puck, raises cheer in arena |publisher=CBC |date=6 October 2002 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/queen-drops-puck-raises-cheer-in-arena-1.329242 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203051409/http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2002/10/06/queen_hockey021006.html |url-status=live |archive-date=3 December 2010 |access-date=13 May 2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Queen helps CBC TV mark 50th anniversary |publisher=CBC |date=10 October 2002 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/queen-helps-cbc-tv-mark-50th-anniversary-1.323865 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061115215452/http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2002/10/10/queencbc021010.html |url-status=live |archive-date=15 November 2006 |access-date=13 May 2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Queen begins visit to New Brunswick |publisher=CBC |date=11 October 2002 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/queen-begins-visit-to-new-brunswick-1.338714 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203050616/http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2002/10/11/queen_friday021011.html |url-status=live |archive-date=3 December 2010 |access-date=13 May 2006}}</ref> though Canada's first republican organization since the 1830s was also founded that year. Celebrations took place across the country to mark [[Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II|the Queen's Diamond Jubilee]] in 2012,<ref>{{Cite press release |title=PM announces the appointment of Kevin MacLeod as Canadian Secretary to the Queen |publisher=Office of the Prime Minister |date=1 April 2009 |url=http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=2501 |access-date=29 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090405014141/http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=2501 |archive-date=5 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Kenney |first=Jason |author-link=Jason Kenney |date=23 April 2007 |contribution=Lieutenant Governors Meeting |editor-last=Department of Canadian Heritage |editor-link=Department of Canadian Heritage |title=Speeches > The Honourable Jason Kenney |place=Regina |publication-place=Ottawa |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pc-ch/minstr/arc_disc-spch/kenney/2007/20070423-eng.cfm |access-date=29 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611163321/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pc-ch/minstr/arc_disc-spch/kenney/2007/20070423-eng.cfm |archive-date=11 June 2011}}</ref> the first such event in Canada since that for Victoria in 1897. On 9 September 2015, she became the second-longest reigning monarch in Canadian history (preceded only by King [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]]);<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2015/05/18/statement-prime-minister-canada-occasion-victoria-day |author=Office of the Prime Minister of Canada |title=Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the occasion of Victoria Day |date=18 May 2015 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=21 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529224820/http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2015/05/18/statement-prime-minister-canada-occasion-victoria-day |archive-date=29 May 2015}}</ref> events were organized to celebrate her as the "longest-reigning sovereign in Canada's modern era."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=16169&lan=eng |author=Office of the Governor General of Canada |title=Message from the Governor General of Canada Marking the Historic Reign of Her Majesty The Queen |date=9 September 2015 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=9 September 2015}}</ref> [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince Charles]] represented his mother, the Queen, two years later, at the main events in Ottawa recognizing the [[150th anniversary of Canada|150th anniversary of Confederation]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=16779&lan=eng |author=Office of the Governor General of Canada |title=Royal Tour 2017 |date=18 April 2017 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=18 April 2017}}</ref>

During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the Queen expressed her support for all Canadians and thanks to those who were caring for the vulnerable and providing essential services.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/media/news/2020/message-her-majesty-queen-people-canada-covid-19-pandemic |author=Office of the Governor General of Canada |title=Message from Her Majesty The Queen to the people of Canada on the COVID-19 pandemic |date=5 April 2020 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=6 August 2022}}</ref> As the pandemic waned into 2022, celebrations were mounted around the country and throughout the year to mark [[Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II#Canada|the Queen's Platinum Jubilee]];<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/celebrations-and-community-projects-across-the-country-for-her-majesty-the-queen-s-platinum-jubilee-819137185.html |author=CISION |title=Celebrations and community projects across the country for Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee |date=16 May 2022 |access-date=5 August 2022}}</ref> the first-ever such event in Canadian history.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.lgontario.ca/en/queens-platinum-jubilee/#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20Canada%20and%20Ontario,to%20celebrate%20a%20platinum%20jubilee. |title=The Queen's Platinum Jubilee |author=Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario |publisher=Queen's Printer for Ontario |access-date=5 August 2022}}</ref> It was also, though, the first time since at least [[Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria|Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee]] in 1887 that the federal Cabinet did not advise the Crown to create an associated medal.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/queen-elizabeth-jubilee-royal-tour-1.6455325 |last=Tasker |first=Jean-Paul |title=Monarchists criticize Canada's 'lacklustre' and 'embarrassing' Platinum Jubilee plans |date=17 May 2022 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=5 August 2022}}</ref> In response, six provinces produced their own [[Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal|Platinum Jubilee medal]]s; another first.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/platinum-jubilee-medals-provinces-royal-visit-charles-camilla-1.6421391 |last=Davison |first=Janet |title=Some provinces to offer medals to mark Queen's Platinum Jubilee after Ottawa opts out |date=17 April 2022 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=5 August 2022}}</ref>

The subject of [[Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada|reconciliation with Canada's Indigenous peoples]] came to the forefront of the public consciousness in 2021, particularly in regard to [[Canadian Indian residential school system|residential schools]]. Statues of [[Statue of Queen Victoria (Winnipeg)|Queen Victoria]] and [[Statue of Elizabeth II (Winnipeg)|Queen Elizabeth II]] in [[Winnipeg]] were vandalized.<ref name=Bergen>{{Cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/queen-victoria-statue-winnipeg-reactions-1.6087938 |last=Bergen |first=Rachel |title=Winnipeg police investigating toppling of queen statues at legislature |date=2 July 2021 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=4 July 2021 |archivedate=4 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704170605/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/queen-victoria-statue-winnipeg-reactions-1.6087938}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/queen-victoria-statue-winnipeg-1.6087684 |title=2 statues of queens toppled at Manitoba Legislature |date=1 July 2021 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=4 July 2021 |archive-date=12 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712111006/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/queen-victoria-statue-winnipeg-1.6087684}}</ref> On the first [[National Day for Truth and Reconciliation]], Elizabeth made a public statement, saying she "joins with all Canadians [...] to reflect on the painful history that Indigenous peoples endured in residential schools in Canada and on the work that remains to heal and to continue to build an inclusive society."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.royal.uk/queens-message-mark-canadas-first-national-day-truth-and-reconciliation |publisher=Royal.uk |date=30 September 2021 |title=The Queen's message to mark Canada's first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation |access-date=2 August 2022}}</ref> In the same year, the Queen appointed [[Mary Simon]] as the first Indigenous governor general in Canadian history.{{#tag:ref|Indigenous persons had already been appointed as lieutenant governors during Elizabeth's reign.|group=n|name=LGs}}<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-gg-mary-simon-1.6091376| last1=Tunney| first1=Catharine| last2=Tasker| first2=John Paul |title=Inuk leader Mary Simon named Canada's 1st Indigenous governor general |date=6 July 2021 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=5 August 2022}}</ref> During Charles's tour for his mother's Platinum Jubilee, the BBC's royal correspondent observed that "there [was] no shying away from acknowledging and highlighting the scandalous way many indigenous peoples have been treated in Canada."<ref name=Campbell/>

[[Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September 2022]] and was succeeded by her eldest son, [[Charles III]]. The Queen's final public statement was issued on 7 September, in the aftermath of the [[2022 Saskatchewan stabbings]],{{Sfn|Torrance|2022b}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 September 2022 |title=In last public statement, Queen Elizabeth extended condolences following Saskatchewan stabbing rampage |newspaper=[[Saskatoon StarPhoenix]] |url=https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/in-last-public-statement-queen-elizabeth-extended-condolences-following-saskatchewan-stabbing-rampage |access-date=8 September 2022 |archive-date=8 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908193354/https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/in-last-public-statement-queen-elizabeth-extended-condolences-following-saskatchewan-stabbing-rampage |url-status=live}}</ref> stating she "mourn[s] with all Canadians at this tragic time."<ref>{{Cite web |title=A message from The Queen to the Governor General and the people of Canada |url=https://www.royal.uk/message-queen-governor-general-and-people-canada |website=The Royal Family |access-date=7 September 2022 |date=7 September 2022 |archive-date=7 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907121150/https://www.royal.uk/message-queen-governor-general-and-people-canada |url-status=live}}</ref> Elizabeth reigned for almost half of Canada's history since Confederation,<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/timeline/politics-and-government |title=Timeline: Politics and government |journal=The Canadian Encyclopedia |publisher=Historica Canada |access-date=6 February 2023}}</ref> being only the sixth Canadian monarch since 1867.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-six-royal-funerals-one-changing-canada-what-the-deaths-of-monarchs |last=Annett |first=Evan |title=Six royal funerals, one changing Canada: What the deaths of monarchs have revealed about us |date=17 September 2022 |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |access-date=17 March 2023}}</ref>

{{Quote box
| width = 250px
| border = 1px
| align = right
| bgcolor = #F5F5DC
| quote = The Crown has for so long been a symbol of unity for Canada. It also represents stability and continuity from the past to the present. As it should, it stands proudly as a symbol of Canada today, in all her richness and dynamism.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/privy-council/campaigns/speech-throne/2025/building-canada-strong.html |title=Building Canada Strong: A bold, ambitious plan for our future |date=May 27, 2025 |publisher=Privy Council Office, Canada}}</ref>
| salign = right
| source = Charles III, [[2025 Speech from the Throne|Speech from the Throne]], 2025
}}

Immediately following a formal meeting of the [[King's Privy Council for Canada]], the [[Proclamation of accession of Charles III#Canada|new king was proclaimed]] on 10 September in a ceremony at [[Rideau Hall]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/media/news/2022/ceremony-proclaim-accession-king-charles-iii |title=Ceremony to proclaim the Accession of the Sovereign to take place at Rideau Hall |website=gg.ca |date=9 September 2022 |access-date=10 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-king-charles-ceremony-rideau-hall-canada |author=Canadian Press |title=King Charles III proclaimed Canada's new head of state in ceremony at Rideau Hall |date=10 September 2023 |newspaper=Globe and Mail |access-date=10 September 2022}}</ref> On 4 May 2023, the King held audiences with Simon and Indigenous leaders, who also attended [[Coronation of Charles III and Camilla|his coronation]] two days later.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canadian-indigenous-leaders-governor-general-meet-with-king-charles-1.6384480 |last=Otis |first=Daniel |title=Canadian Indigenous leaders, Governor General meet with King Charles |date=4 May 2023 |publisher=CTV News |accessdate=12 August 2023}}</ref>

In May 2025, King Charles III, accompanied by [[Queen Camilla]], visited Canada for the first time as monarch and delivered the [[2025 Speech from the Throne|speech from the throne]], the first time a Canadian monarch has done so in person since 1977.<ref>{{cite news |date=May 27, 2025 |title=King Charles hails 'incredible opportunity' for Canada in throne speech |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/livestory/king-charles-hails-incredible-opportunity-for-canada-in-throne-speech-9.6774177 |access-date=May 27, 2025 |work=CBC News}}</ref>

==Public perception and understanding==
[[File:His Majesty King Charles III, King of Canada.jpg|thumb|[[King Charles III]] delivering the [[2025 Speech from the Throne]] in the [[Senate of Canada Building]], May 2025]]
Prior to the 1970s, Canadians' view of the monarchy was more focused on the person of the monarch than the institution's place in the country's framework.<ref name=Heard115/> Smith, in 2017, and Jackson, in 2018, observed the shift continuing, especially as "the process of 'Canadianization' of the Crown picked up momentum in the early 21st century."<ref>{{Harvnb|Smith|2017|p=45}}</ref><ref name=Jackson15>{{Harvnb|Jackson|2018|p=15}}</ref>

Still, beginning in the later decades of the 20th century, commentators stated that contemporary Canadians had and have a poor understanding of the Canadian monarchy;<ref>{{Harvnb|Boyce|2008|p=115}}</ref> something the Monarchist League of Canada (MLC) claims opponents of the monarchy exacerbate by spreading disinformation and then take advantage of.<ref name=myths>{{Cite web |url=https://www.monarchist.ca/index.php/our-monarchy/myths-about-the-monarchy |title=Myths About the Monarchy |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |access-date=19 August 2022}}</ref> Jackson wrote in his book, ''The Crown and Canadian Federalism'', that this is part of a wider ignorance about Canadian civics<ref name=Jackson11>{{Harvnb|Jackson|2013|p=11}}</ref> and Hugo Cyr agreed,<ref>{{Harvnb|Cyr|2017|p=104}}</ref> while Smith researched for his 1995 book, ''The Invisible Crown'', he found it difficult to "find anyone who could talk knowledgeably about the subject".<ref name=Treble>{{Citation |url=http://www.macleans.ca/society/the-crown-is-everywhere-so-why-dont-we-actually-understand-it |last=Treble |first=Patricia |title=The Crown is everywhere. So why don't we understand it? |date=14 November 2015 |magazine=Maclean's |publisher=Rogers Media |location=Toronto |access-date=15 November 2015}}</ref> Former Governors General Clarkson and Johnston made similar observations<ref name=Johnstonxi/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Clarkson |first=Adrienne |title=Parliamentary Democracy in Crisis| editor1-last=Russell| editor1-first=Peter| editor2-last=Sossin| editor2-first=Lorne |publisher=University of Toronto Press |date=2009 |location=Toronto |page=ix |isbn=978-1-4426-1014-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/parliamentarydem0000unse}}</ref> and Senator [[Lowell Murray]] wrote in 2003, "the Crown has become irrelevant to most Canadians' understanding of our system of government", which he attributed to the "fault of successive generations of politicians, of an educational system that has never given the institution due study, and of past viceregal incumbents themselves".<ref>{{Citation |last=Murray |first=Lowell |author-link=Lowell Murray |title='Which Criticisms are Founded?' Protecting Canadian Democracy: The Senate You Never Knew |editor-last=Joyal |editor-first=Serge Joyal |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |location=Montreal |date=2003 |page=136}}</ref>
{{Multiple image
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| image1      = 1 panorama lake patricia 2006 alberta.jpg
| image2      = Queen TTC title tiles 6756443839.jpg
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| image4      = 1996 Ontario license plate 149♔OVH commercial.jpg
| image5      = A river runs through it (44196184722).jpg
| image6      = Burgee of Royal Vancouver YC.svg
| footer      = Examples of the prevalence of royal references and images around Canada (from top): [[Patricia Lake (Alberta)|Patricia Lake]], named for [[Princess Patricia of Connaught]]; [[Queen station]] beneath [[Toronto]]'s [[Queen Street, Toronto|Queen Street]], so named for [[Queen Victoria]]; badge of the [[Royal Newfoundland Constabulary]]; [[Vehicle registration plates of Ontario|Ontario vehicle licence plate]] showing the silhouette of a crown; [[Prince Edward Island]], named for [[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn]]; [[burgee]] of the [[Royal Vancouver Yacht Club]]
}}

On education, teacher and author Nathan Tidridge asserted that, beginning in the 1960s, the role of the Crown disappeared from provincial education curricula, as the general subject of civics came to receive less attention.<ref name=Tidridge19/> He said Canadians are being "educated to be illiterate, ambivalent, or even hostile toward our constitutional monarchy".<ref name=Jackson11/> The MLC agreed, stating Canada has "an educational system which unfortunately often fails to provide comprehensive knowledge of Canada's constitution."<ref name=myths/>

[[Michael Valpy]] also pointed to the fact that "the Crown's role in the machinery of Canada's constitutional monarchy rarely sees daylight. Only a handful of times in our history has it been subjected to glaring sunshine, unfortunately resulting in a black hole of public understanding as to how it works."<ref>{{Citation |last=Valpy |first=Michael |editor-last=Russell |editor-first=Peter H.| editor2-last=Sossin| editor2-first=Lorne |title=The 'Crisis' |journal=Parliamentary Democracy in Crisis |location=Toronto |publisher=University of Toronto Press |date=2009 |page=4 |url=http://www.cpsa-acsp.ca/papers-2009/Donovan.pdf}}</ref> He later iterated, "the public's attention span on the constitutional intricacies of the monarchy is clinically short".<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/michael-valpy-who-takes-the-crown |last=Valpy |first=Michael |title=Who takes the Crown |date=8 June 2015 |newspaper=National Post |access-date=8 June 2015}}</ref> At the same time, it has been theorized the monarchy is so prevalent in Canada—by way of all manner of symbols, place names, royal tours, etcetera—that Canadians fail to take note of it; the monarchy "functions like a tasteful wallpaper pattern in Canada: enjoyable in an absent-minded way, but so ubiquitous as to be almost invisible".<ref name=Proudfoot/>

John Pepall argued in 1990 that, among all this, a "Liberal-inspired republican misconception of the role" of governor general had taken root, though the Conservative government headed by [[Brian Mulroney]] exacerbated the matter.<ref name=Pepall>{{Cite journal |last=Pepall |first=John |title=Who is the Governor General? |journal=The Idler |location=Toronto |date=1 March 1990 |url=http://www.pepall.ca/archive_article.asp?YEAR=&VRT=330 |access-date=15 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706192918/http://www.pepall.ca/archive_article.asp?YEAR=&VRT=330 |archive-date=6 July 2011}}</ref> The position of prime minister has simultaneously undergone, with encouragement from its occupants,<ref name=Pepall/> what has been described as a "presidentialization",<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Geddes |first=John |title=Will the prorogation of Parliament set off a populist revolt? |journal=Maclean's |publisher=Kenneth Whyte |location=Toronto |date=25 January 2009 |url=http://www.macleans.ca/2010/01/25/the-people-speak |issn=0024-9262 |access-date=27 January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Time to address democratic deficit |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=27 January 2010 |url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/756262--time-to-address-democratic-deficit |access-date=27 January 2010}}</ref> to the point that its incumbents publicly outshine the actual head of state.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jackson |first=D. Michael |title=The Senior Realms of the Queen |journal=Canadian Monarchist News |volume=Autumn 2009 |issue=30 |page=10 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=2009 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2009/Autumn_2009_CMN.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091229100400/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2009/Autumn_2009_CMN.pdf |archive-date=29 December 2009 |url-status=dead |access-date=17 January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Blair |first=Louisa |editor-last=Venne |editor-first=Michel |title=Vive Quebec!: new thinking and new approaches to the Quebec nation |publisher=James Lorimer & Company |date=2001 |location=Toronto |page=91 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xyNlYxdpdfcC |isbn=978-1-5502-8734-9}}</ref> David S. Donovan felt Canadians mostly consider the monarch and her representatives as purely ceremonial and symbolic figures,<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.cpsa-acsp.ca/papers-2009/Donovan.pdf |last=Donovan |first=David S. |title=The Governor General and Lieutenant Governors: Canada's Misunderstood Viceroys |page=2 |date=27 May 2009 |publisher=Canadian Political Science Association |access-date=22 October 2012}}</ref> while also still viewing the sovereign as British, even if they understand he is King of Canada.<ref name=Heard126/> It was argued by Alfred Neitsch that this undermined the Crown's legitimacy as a check and balance in the governmental system,<ref>{{Harvnb|Neitsch|2006|p=39}}</ref> a situation Helen Forsey (daughter of Canadian constitutional expert [[Eugene Forsey]]) said prime ministers take advantage of, portraying themselves as the embodiment of popular democracy and the reserve powers of the Crown as illegitimate.{{Refn|See [[Government of Canada#cite note-Forsey-45|Note 2]] at [[Government of Canada]].|group=n|name=HF}} The issue is particularly acute in Quebec,<ref name=Cyr/> where sovereigntist politicians consider the Canadian monarchy as British, foreign, and, consequently, as symbol of oppression.<ref name=Serebrin>{{Citation |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-queen-elizabeth-death-1.6579266 |last=Serebrin |first=Jacob |title=For Quebecers, the Queen's death raises questions about future of the monarchy in Canada |date=11 September 2022 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=10 March 2023}}</ref>

Beginning slightly earlier, a "growing interest in the Crown and its prerogatives" was observed, as evidenced by "a burst of articles, books and conferences";<ref name=Treble/> the monarchy attracted increased attention from academics, as well as those involved with the law, government, and public policy.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s5EHDAAAQBAJ&dq=history+of+the+%22queen%27s+personal+canadian+flag%22&pg=PR2| editor-last1=Jackson| editor-first1=D. Michael| editor-last2=Lagassé| editor-first2=Philippe |last=Jouneau |first=André |title=Canada and the Crown: Essays on Constitutional Monarchy |chapter=Preface |page=xv |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |location=Montreal |date=2013 |isbn=978-1-5533-9204-0 |access-date=17 April 2023}}</ref> This was attributed to the coincidental occurrence of publicly prominent events over a number of years, including the [[2008–09 Canadian parliamentary dispute|2008 prorogation dispute]]; an increased use of royal symbols as directed by the Cabinet while headed by Stephen Harper, including three consecutive royal tours;<ref>{{Harvnb|Jackson|Lagassé| 2013 |pp=2–3}}</ref> court cases focusing on the Oath of Citizenship; and increasingly active governors. Smith and Lagassé noted in early 2016 that post-secondary students were giving more focus to the subject of the Crown.<ref name=Treble/>

Some Canadians have taken the opposite extreme view of the Crown's powers, such as when, in 2013, the leader of the [[Green Party of Canada]], [[Elizabeth May]], wrote to Queen Elizabeth II asking her to call a "[[List of Canadian royal commissions|royal inquiry]]" to "investigate what may potentially be criminal activities which [sic] influenced Canada's last election" and "restore Canada to a free and fair democracy." The monarch's secretary instructed May, "as a constitutional sovereign, Her Majesty acts through her personal representative, the Governor-General, on the advice of her Canadian ministers and it is to them that your appeal should be directed."<ref>{{Citation |url=https://nationalpost.com/opinion/kelly-mcparland-elizabeth-may-gets-civics-lesson-from-the-queen-in-appeal-for-intervention |last=McParland |first=Kelly |title=Elizabeth May writes to the Queen and gets a civics lesson in reply |date=5 April 2013 |newspaper=National Post |accessdate=13 March 2024}}</ref> So many protesters involved in the 2022 [[Canada convoy protest|Freedom Convoy]] called and emailed the office of Governor General Mary Simon to pressure her into dismissing her Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, or dissolving Parliament that Simon made a rare public statement on the role of the governor general. Lagassé pointed to that as "evidence of a recent trend in protest movements", saying, "it has become routine in Canadian politics to write a letter to the Queen, Governor General, or a lieutenant governor asking them to exercise their powers in some way, contrary to constitutional conventions. This is political theatre, no more."<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/charter-gg-disinformation-civic-awareness-1.6365223 |last=Zimonjic |first=Peter |title=What many convoy protesters get wrong about constitutional rights and the Governor General |date=27 February 2022 |publisher=CBC News |accessdate=13 March 2024}}</ref>
[[File:Queen Victoria in front of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly – Winnipeg (44011134692).jpg|thumb|The [[Statue of Queen Victoria (Winnipeg)|statue of Queen Victoria]] at the [[Manitoba Legislative Building]] that was destroyed by protesters on [[Canada Day]], 2021]]

The relationship between Canada's Indigenous peoples and the monarch remains unchanged, aside from the issue of [[Reconciliation (ethnic relations)|reconciliation]] arising in it through the late 2010s into the 2020s,<ref name=Jackson15/> when there were some assertions by activists and in the media that the monarchy and the Queen herself represented colonialism{{Refn|<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/queen-elizabeth-death-monarchy-1.6585821 |title=Monarchy and Queen Elizabeth II a symbol of colonialism for some Windsorites |date=18 September 2022 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=3 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://calgary.citynews.ca/2022/09/13/canada-monarchy-colonialism |last=Code |first=Jillian |title=Reflecting on the Monarchy's role in Canada and around the world |date=13 September 2022 |publisher=CityNews |access-date=2 February 2023}}</ref><ref name=Iqbal>{{Citation |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/09/11/quiet-opposition-or-colonial-complicity-queen-elizabeths-legacy-as-monarch.html |last=Iqbal |first=Maria |title=Quiet opposition or colonial complicity? Queen Elizabeth's legacy as monarch |date=11 September 2022 |newspaper=The Toronto Star |access-date=3 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/indigenous-leaders-call-on-king-charles-iii-to-renounce-doctrine-of-discovery-1.6064497 |last=Jones |first=Alexandra Mae |title=Indigenous leaders call on King Charles III to renounce Doctrine of Discovery |date=11 September 2022 |publisher=CTV News |access-date=3 February 2023}}</ref>}} and racism<ref>{{Citation |url=https://catalystmcgill.com/abolishing-the-british-monarchy-a-step-towards-ending-racism-in-canada |last=Hicks |first=Jenna |title=Abolishing the British Monarchy: A Step Towards Ending Racism in Canada |date=21 November 2022 |newspaper=The Capsule |access-date=3 February 2023}}</ref> and she did not do enough to either prevent or rectify supposed offences.<ref name=Iqbal/> Those who made such claims also, though, mistook the independent Canadian Crown<ref>{{Citation |url=https://iscc-iecc.ca/backgrounder/historical-perspective-on-monarchy |last=Jackson |first=D. Michael |title=Historical Perspective on Monarchy in Canada |date=14 December 2021 |publisher=Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada |access-date=3 February 2023}}</ref> as the British Crown in Canada and demonstrated a misunderstanding of the Crown-Indigenous peoples relationship<ref name=Tidridge2020>{{Citation |url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2020/02/12/abolishing-monarchy-in-canada-will-complete-colonization-of-indigenous-people.html |last=Tidridge |first=Nathan |title=Abolishing monarchy in Canada will complete colonization of Indigenous people |date=12 February 2020 |newspaper=The Toronto Star |access-date=2 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://rabble.ca/politics/canadian-politics/queen-elizabeth-passing-first-nations-legacy |last=Seebruch |first=Nick |title=Passing of Queen leaves complicated legacy for First Nations |date=8 September 2022 |publisher=Rabble.ca |access-date=3 February 2023}}</ref> and the workings of [[constitutional monarchy]] and [[responsible government]],<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://ppgreview.ca/2016/03/19/the-key-role-of-the-queen-and-her-representatives-in-reconciliation |last=Tidridge |first=Nathan |title=The key role of The Queen and her representatives in Reconciliation |journal=PP+G Review |date=19 March 2016 |access-date=2 August 2022}}</ref> in which the sovereign must, outside of [[constitutional crisis|constitutional crises]], follow [[Advice (constitutional law)|the directions]] of his or her ministers and parliamentarians.{{Refn|<ref name=Tidridge2020/><ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://www.thetrumpet.com/24275-long-live-the-queen-statue-of-queen-victoria-torn-down/print |last=Blondeau |first=Abraham |title=Long Live the Queen? Statue of Queen Victoria Torn Down |date=6 July 2021 |journal=The Trumpet |access-date=2 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://www.hilltimes.com/2018/05/14/ndp-mp-angus-working-indigenous-affairs-minister-bennett-convincing-pope-apologize-churchs-role-residential-school-system/143707 |last=Rana |first=Abbas |title=NDP MP Angus working with Minister Bennett to convince Pope to apologize for Catholic Church's role in residential schools |journal=The Hill Times |date=14 May 2018 |access-date=2 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://ualawccstest.srv.ualberta.ca/2016/12/the-monarchy-in-canada-god-save-the-queen |title=The Monarchy in Canada: God Save the Queen? |date=January 2017 |publisher=The Centre for Constitutional Studies |access-date=3 February 2023 |archive-date=3 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203175314/https://ualawccstest.srv.ualberta.ca/2016/12/the-monarchy-in-canada-god-save-the-queen  |url-status=dead}}</ref>}} The leader of the [[Parti Québécois]], [[Paul St-Pierre Plamondon]], claimed in 2022, "we cannot overlook that she [Queen Elizabeth II] represented an institution, the British Crown, that has caused significant harm to Quebecers and Indigenous nations."<ref name=Serebrin/>

Within Quebec, too, the Canadian Crown is often depicted as being synonymous with the British Crown, with [[Quebec sovereignty movement|Quebec sovereigntists]] arguing that it is fundamentally foreign to Quebec and should be abolished within the province as a part of Quebec independence. For instance, in the televised [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|Radio-Canada]] leaders' debate on 22 September 2022, during [[2022 Quebec general election|that year's general election in the province]], the moderator, [[Patrice Roy]], asked the panel, with "incredulous chuckles", "should we still, in Quebec, swear allegiance to the British Crown, thus Charles III [to take one's seat in the National Assembly]?"<ref>{{Citation |url=https://parliamentum.org/2022/10/19/how-would-we-amend-or-abolish-the-oath-of-allegiance-to-the-king-in-the-constitution-act-1867 |last=Bowden |first=James |title=How Would We Amend or Abolish the Oath of Allegiance to the King in the Constitution Act, 1867? |date=19 October 2022 |publisher=Parliamentum |access-date=9 March 2023}}</ref> [[Bloc Québécois]] leader [[Yves-François Blanchet]] on 26 October 2022 tabled a motion in the [[Canadian House of Commons|House of Commons]] proposing that the "House express its desire to sever ties between the Canadian state and the British monarchy."<ref name=parl>{{Citation |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en/votes/44/1/199 |author=Parliament of Canada |title=Notes > 44th Parliament, 1st Session - Vote No. 199 |date=26 October 2022 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=3 February 2023}}</ref> This motion was defeated 266 to 44.<ref name=parl/>

== Debate ==
{{Main|Debate on the monarchy in Canada}}
{{Further|Monarchism in Canada|Republicanism in Canada}}
Outside of academic circles, there has been little national debate on the monarchy.<ref>{{Harvnb|EKOS|2002|p=34}}</ref> The position of monarch in Canada is highly protected by the ''[[Constitution Act, 1982]]''—which mandates that any major constitutional amendment, such as any change to the monarchy, must receive the consent of the Senate, the House of Commons, and all ten provincial legislative assemblies. Abolishing the monarchy may also be complicated by the fact that First Nations treaties are officially between the Crown and [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous peoples]].{{#tag:ref|Lagassé said, "you would need to have Indigenous peoples involved and consulted properly as well, in particular, since their treaty rights are understood to flow from treaties with the Crown."<ref>{{Citation |url=https://nationalpost.com/opinion/chris-selley-what-happened-to-canadas-anti-monarchist-moment |last=Selley |first=Chris |title=What happened to Canada's anti-monarchist moment? |date=28 September 2022 |newspaper=National Post |access-date=27 March 2023}}</ref>|group=n|name=whathappened}}
[[File:Wessex-MLC.jpg| [[Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex]], speaks with members of the [[Monarchist League of Canada]] at a League reception held at the Spoke Club in [[Toronto]]|thumb]]

Canada has two special-interest groups representing the debate, who occasionally argue the issue in the media: the [[Monarchist League of Canada]] (MLC) and [[Citizens for a Canadian Republic]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/new/index.html |title=Who we are and what we do |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |access-date=28 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423185516/http://www.monarchist.ca/new/index.html |archive-date=23 April 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.canadian-republic.ca/goals.html |title=Our goals |publisher=Citizens for a Canadian Republic |access-date=28 May 2009}}</ref> There are also other organizations that support and advocate the monarchy, such as the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada,<ref>{{Citation |url=https://iscc-iecc.ca/our-mission |title=Our mission |publisher=Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada |access-date=10 August 2022}}</ref> the Canadian Royal Heritage Trust,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.crht.ca/Monarchy.html |title=Discovering Canada's Monarchy |publisher=Canadian Royal Heritage Trust |access-date=28 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415210925/http://www.crht.ca/Monarchy.html |archive-date=15 April 2008}}</ref> the Friends of the Canadian Crown,<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Ottawa Conference Discusses Monarchy |journal=Canadian Monarchist News |issue=31 |page=10 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=Spring–Summer 2010 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2010/Spring_Summer_2010%20CMN_lr.pdf |access-date=17 June 2010}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> Canadian Friends of the Royal Family,<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canadians-apathetic-about-prince-charles-poll-1.824074 |title=Canadians apathetic about Prince Charles: poll |date=26 October 2009 |publisher=CBC |access-date=21 September 2015}}</ref> the {{Ill|Société de la Couronne du Canada|fr|vertical-align=sup}},<ref>{{Citation |url=https://monarchistsociety.org |title=The Crown Society of Canada |publisher=The Crown Society of Canada / La Société de la Couronne du Canada |access-date=24 February 2023}}</ref> the [[Orange Order in Canada]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.grandorangelodge.ca |title=Purpose Statement > What the Association Stands For |publisher=Loyal Orange Association |access-date=28 May 2009}}</ref> and the [[United Empire Loyalist]]s' Association of Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mackenzie |first=Anne |title=A Short History of the United Empire Loyalists |website=The United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada |page=5 |date=2008 |url=http://www.uelac.org/PDF/loyalist.pdf |access-date=28 May 2009}}</ref>

Out of Canada's four most prominent political parties, neither the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]] nor the [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative Party]] are officially in favour of abolishing the monarchy (the Conservative Party cite support for constitutional monarchy as a founding principle in its policy declaration)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Constitution |website=Conservative Party of Canada |date=29 March 2005 |url=https://www.conservative.ca/media/20050319-CPCConstitution.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520101801/http://www.conservative.ca/media/20050319-CPCConstitution.pdf |archive-date=20 May 2011 |page=1 |access-date=1 June 2010}}</ref> and the [[New Democratic Party]] has no official position on the role of the Crown. Only some individual members of Parliament belonging to these parties and the leaders of the [[Bloc Québécois]] party have made any statements suggesting abolition of the monarchy.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Bloc Québécois leader calls monarchy "ridiculous" |publisher=CTV |date=7 May 2008 |url=http://calgary.ctvnews.ca |access-date=28 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Thompson |first=Elizabeth |title=Royal rumble: Queen not welcome at Quebec celebrations, Duceppe says |newspaper=The Gazette |date=17 April 2007 |url=http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=c78844d9-74e2-4665-a030-14305de0e119 |access-date=28 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107032950/http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=c78844d9-74e2-4665-a030-14305de0e119 |archive-date=7 November 2012}}</ref>

[[Debate on the monarchy in Canada#Polls|Opinion polls on the Canadian monarchy]] have been regularly conducted since the 1990s. An analysis of these polls in 2008 highlighted an increased disaffection with the monarchy, albeit with internal contradictions in specific polling results, with some criticizing the polling questions for using "inconsistent and sometimes ambiguous wording."<ref>{{Harvnb|Boyce|2008|p=223}}</ref> Questions often describe the monarch or monarchy as "British", terminology at odds with the contemporary situation in Canada, wherein the monarchy is a Canadian institution,{{Refn|<ref>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|pages=2, 3, 39, 40}}</ref><ref name=Monet/><ref name=Valpy1109/>}} separate from that of the United Kingdom,{{Refn|<ref name=Trepanier28/><ref name=HCA/><ref name=Buchan1969/><ref name=DCHsymb/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/Historyandpresentgovernment.aspx |author=The Royal Household |title=The Queen and the Commonwealth > Queen and Canada > History and present government |publisher=Queen's Printer |access-date=5 March 2010 |archive-date=27 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727070332/http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/Historyandpresentgovernment.aspx |url-status=dead}}</ref>}} and it, the Crown, and royal family are referred to as Canadian.{{Refn|<ref name=Harper/><ref name=Kenney/><ref name=SaskProtocol/><ref>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|pp=2–3, 9–10, 35–38, 40, 50, 53, 56, XII}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Monet|1979|p=5}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Elizabeth II |author-link=Elizabeth II |date=11 February 1953 |title=An Act respecting the Royal Style and Titles |series=1 |location=Ottawa |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/fr-rf/titre-eng.cfm#a1 |access-date=15 May 2009 |archive-date=9 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091209131104/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/fr-rf/titre-eng.cfm#a1 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ops.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=67ee8c0d-ae95-4ab2-87ff-e0a510ce3727 |last=Office of the Provincial Secretary |title=Forms of Address |page=2 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Saskatchewan |access-date=24 July 2010 |archive-date=3 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003102104/http://www.ops.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=67ee8c0d-ae95-4ab2-87ff-e0a510ce3727 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|pp=iv, 2, 10–11, 29–30, 35}}</ref>}} Both monarchists and republicans agree the populace's general lack of understanding about the monarchy affects opinions.<ref name=myths/><ref name=CCR>{{Cite web |url=http://www.canadian-republic.ca/polls.html |title=Opinion Polls in Canada |publisher=Citizens for a Canadian Republic |access-date=24 July 2010}}</ref>

The idea of a uniquely Canadian monarch,<ref>{{Cite journal| last1=Bethune| first1=Brian| last2=Treble| first2=Patricia |title=Who will wear the crown in Canada? |journal=Maclean's |issue=July 2010 |publisher=Rogers Communications |location=Toronto |date=1 July 2010 |url=http://www.macleans.ca/2010/07/01/who-will-wear-the-crown |issn=0024-9262 |access-date=6 July 2010}}</ref> either one descended from the House of Windsor or coming from a First Nations [[royal house]],{{Refn|<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Coyne |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Coyne |title=Defending the royals |magazine=Maclean's |publisher=Roger's Communications |location=Toronto |date=13 November 2009 |url=http://www.macleans.ca/2009/11/13/defending-the-royals |issn=0024-9262 |access-date=18 February 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Clarke |first=George Elliott |author-link=George Elliott Clarke |date=7 June 2005 |publication-date=7 June 2005 |contribution=Speech to the University of Alberta Convocation |contribution-url=http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/senate/news.cfm?story=36105 |editor-last=Lingley |editor-first=Scott |title=Clarke calls on grads to help achieve the ideals of Canada |location=Calgary |publisher=University of Alberta Senate |access-date=24 May 2009 |url-status=dead |url=http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/senate/news.cfm?story=36105 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223080137/http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/senate/news.cfm?story=36105 |archive-date=23 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://themonarchist.blogspot.com/2010/06/arguments-for-repatriating-monarchy.html |title=Arguments for Repatriating the Monarchy |publisher=The Monarchist |date=25 June 2010 |access-date=23 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gillespie |first=Kevin |title=A Uniquely Canadian Crown? |journal=Canadian Monarchist News |volume=Spring-Summer 2010 |issue=31 |page=11 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |date=2010 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/sites/default/files/documents/2010/1/7.pdf |access-date=18 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218142140/http://www.monarchist.ca/sites/default/files/documents/2010/1/7.pdf |archive-date=18 December 2014}}</ref>}} has been proffered as an alternative. However, there has been no popular or official support for such a change.

==See also==
{{Canada provinces map|border=yes|align=r8ght|AB =Monarchy in Alberta|BC =Monarchy in British Columbia|SK =Monarchy in Saskatchewan|MB =Monarchy in Manitoba|ON =Monarchy in Ontario|QC =Monarchy in Quebec|NB =Monarchy in New Brunswick|PE =Monarchy in Prince Edward Island|NS =Monarchy in Nova Scotia|NL =Monarchy in Newfoundland and Labrador|YU=| NT=| NU=||  caption=Monarchy by provinces}}
* [[List of monarchies]]
* [[Monarchies in the Americas]]
* [[Royal and viceroyal transport in Canada]]
* [[Royal eponyms in Canada]]
* [[List of sovereign states headed by Elizabeth II]]
* {{Portal-inline|Canada|size=tiny}}
* {{Portal-inline|Monarchy|size=tiny}}
* {{Portal-inline|Politics|size=tiny}}{{Clear}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=n|30em}}
{{Notelist}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

===Sources===
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* {{Cite book |last=Jackson |first=D. Michael |title=The Canadian Kingdom: 150 Years of Constitutional Monarchy |date=2018 |publisher=Dundurn |location=Toronto |isbn=978-1-4597-4118-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3glDwAAQBAJ |access-date=15 April 2023 }}
* {{Cite book |last=MacKinnon |first=Frank |title=The Crown in Canada |publisher=Glenbow-Alberta Institute BV |date=1976 |location=Calgary |isbn=978-0-7712-1016-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/crownincanada0000mack/page/69 }}
* {{Cite book |last=MacLeod |first=Kevin S. |author-link=Kevin S. MacLeod |title=A Crown of Maples |place=Ottawa |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |date=2015 |edition=3 |url=https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/pch/documents/services/royal-symbols-titles/crnMpls-eng.pdf |isbn=978-0-6624-6012-1 |access-date=15 April 2023 |archive-date=6 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906040901/https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/pch/documents/services/royal-symbols-titles/crnMpls-eng.pdf |url-status=dead }}
* {{Cite book |last=Marleau |first=Robert |last2=Montpetit |first2=Camille |title=House of Commons Procedure and Practice |date=2000 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/MarleauMontpetit/DocumentViewer.aspx?DocId=1001&Sec=Ch01&Seq=5&Lang=E&Print=2 |access-date=28 September 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828112251/http://www.parl.gc.ca/MarleauMontpetit/DocumentViewer.aspx?DocId=1001&Lang=E&Print=2&Sec=Ch01&Seq=5 |archive-date=28 August 2011 }}
* {{Cite book |last=McWhinney |first=Edward |author-link=Ted McWhinney |title=The Governor General and the Prime Ministers |publisher=Ronsdale Press |date=2005 |location=Vancouver |isbn=1-5538-0031-1}}
* {{Cite book |last=Monet |first=Jacques |title=The Canadian Crown |place=Toronto-Vancouver |publisher=Clarke, Irwin & Company Ltd. |date=1979 |isbn=0-7720-1252-0 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/canadiancrown0000mone }}
* {{Cite book |last=Neitsch |first=Alfred Thomas |title=In loco Regis: The Contemporary Role of the Governor General and Lieutenant Governor in Canada |publisher=University of Alberta Press |location=Edmonton |date=2006}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Neitsch |first=Alfred Thomas |title=A Tradition of Vigilance: The Role of Lieutenant Governor in Alberta |journal=Canadian Parliamentary Review |volume=30 |issue=4 |publisher=Commonwealth Parliamentary Association |location=Ottawa |date=2008 |url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/Infoparl/30/4/30n4_07e_Neitsch.pdf |access-date=22 May 2009}}{{Dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{Cbignore|bot=medic}}
* {{Cite journal |url=https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/22.1-Full-Issue.pdf |editor-last=Lagassé |editor-first=Philippe |editor-last2=MacDonald |editor-first2=Nicholas A. |title=The Crown in the 21st Century |last=Newman |first=Warren J. |series=Some Observations on the Queen, the Crown, the Constitution, and the Courts |journal=Review of Constitutional Studies |volume=22 |issue=1 |date=2017 |publisher=Centre for Constitutional Studies |location=Edmonton |access-date=5 June 2023 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Noonan |first=Peter C. |title=The Crown and Constitutional Law in Canada |publisher=Sripnoon Publications |date=1998 |location=Calgary |isbn=978-0-9683-5340-0}}
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* {{Cite book |last=Smith |first=David E. |title=The Invisible Crown |publisher=University of Toronto Press |date=1995 |location=Toronto |isbn=0-8020-7793-5}}
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* {{Cite book |last=Torrance |first=David |title=The Death of a Monarch |date=8 September 2022a |publisher=House of Commons Library |url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9372/CBP-9372.pdf |access-date=1 March 2023 }}
* {{Cite book |url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9621/CBP-9621.pdf |last=Torrance |first=David |title=The Accession of King Charles III |page=5 |date=29 September 2022b |publisher=House of Commons Library |access-date=21 April 2023 }}
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{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
=== Reading ===
{{Refbegin|35em|indent=yes}}
* {{Cite book |author=Canadian Press |author-link=Canadian Press |title=Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family in Canada (Golden Jubilee) |place=Toronto |publisher=Quarry Heritage |date=2002 |isbn=1-5508-2301-9}}
* {{Cite book |last=Coates |first=Colin |title=Majesty In Canada: Essays On The Role of Royalty |place=Hamilton |publisher=Dundurn Press |date=2006 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FhFyvhpPx8MC&q=Majesty%20In%20Canada%3A%20Essays%20On%20The%20Role%20of%20Royalty&pg=PP1 |isbn=1-5500-2586-4}}
* {{Citation |last=Farthing |first=John |title=Freedom Wears a Crown |edition=First |editor-last=Robinson |editor-first=Judith |publisher=Kingswood House |date=1957 |location=Toronto |asin=B002CZW3T2}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Munro |first=Kenneth |editor-last=Coates |editor-first=Colin |title=The Crown and French Canada: The role of the Governors-General in Making the Crown relevant, 1867–1917 |journal=Imperial Canada |pages=109–121 |publisher=The University of Edinburgh |date=1977}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Munro |first=Kenneth |title=Canada as Reflected in her Participation in the Coronation of her Monarchs in the Twentieth Century |journal=Journal of Historical Sociology |pages=21–46 |date=March 2001 |doi=10.1111/1467-6443.00133 |volume=14}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Skolnik |first=Michael L. |date=1990 |title=Lipset's "Continental Divide" and the Ideological Basis for Differences in Higher Education between Canada and United States |url=https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ420197 |journal=Canadian Journal of Higher Education |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=81–93 |doi=10.47678/cjhe.v20i2.183075 |issn=0316-1218 |doi-access=free}}
* {{Cite book |last=Smith |first=David E. |title=The Republican Option in Canada: Past and Present |place=Toronto-Buffalo-London |publisher=University of Toronto Press |date=1999 |url=https://archive.org/details/republicanoption0000smit |url-access=registration |quote=The Republican Option in Canada: Past and Present. |isbn=0-8020-4469-7}}
* {{Cite book |last=Tasko |first=Patti |title=Canada's Queen: Elizabeth II: A Celebration of Her Majestys Friendship with the People of Canada |place=Toronto |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |date=2007 |isbn=978-0-4701-5444-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/ourqueenelizabet0000unse}}
* {{Cite book| last1=Tidridge| first1=Nathan| last2=Guthrie| first2=Gavin |title=The Canadian Monarchy: Exploring the role of Canada's Crown in the day-to-day life of our country |place=Toronto |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |date=2007 |isbn=978-0-9781-8530-5}}
* {{Cite book |last=Vaughan |first=Frederick |title=Canadian Federalist Experiment: From Defiant Monarchy to Reluctant Republic |place=Montreal |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |date=2004 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yRO-zOCq1ZwC&q=Canadian%20Federalist%20Experiment%3A%20From%20Defiant%20Monarchy%20to%20Reluctant%20Republic&pg=PP1 |isbn=0-7735-2537-8}}

===Viewing===
* {{Cite video |url=https://www.nfb.ca/film/royal_visit |title=The Royal Visit |medium=Film |publisher=National Film Board |location=Ottawa |date=1939}}
* {{Cite video |url=https://www.nfb.ca/film/royal_journey |people=Bairstow, David; Parker, Gudrun; Roger |title=Royal Journey |medium=Film |publisher=National Film Board |location=Ottawa |date=1951}}
* {{Cite video |url=https://www.nfb.ca/film/canada_at_coronation |people=Stark, Allen |title=Canada at the Coronation |medium=Film |publisher=National Film Board |location=Ottawa |date=1953}}
* {{Cite video |people=Howe, John |title=[[The Sceptre and the Mace]] |medium=Film |publisher=National Film Board |location=Ottawa |date=1957}}
* {{Cite video |url=https://www.nfb.ca/film/royal-river |people=Sparling, Gordon; Blais, Roger |title=Royal River |medium=Film |publisher=National Film Board |location=Ottawa |date=1959}}
* {{Cite video |url=https://www.nfb.ca/film/queen_in_canada_1964 |people=Sparling, Gordon |title=The Queen in Canada, 1964 |medium=Film |publisher=National Film Board |location=Ottawa |date=1964}}
* {{Cite video |url=https://www.nfb.ca/film/pinto_for_the_prince |people=Low, Colin; Spotton, John |title=A Pinto for the Prince |medium=Film |publisher=National Film Board |location=Ottawa |date=1979}}
* {{Cite video |url=https://www.nfb.ca/film/portrait |people=Hubert, Davis |title=The Portrait |medium=Video |publisher=National Film Board |location=Ottawa |date=2012}}
* {{Cite video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4F968dFp4s |author=CPAC |title=The Queen's Power in Canada |publisher=YouTube |date=2018}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Canadian monarchy}}
* [https://www.canada.ca/en/services/culture/canadian-identity-society/monarchy-crown.html Government of Canada: Monarchy and the Crown]
* [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/constitutional-monarchy The Canadian Encyclopedia: Constitutional monarchy]
* [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/crown The Canadian Encyclopedia: Crown]
* [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sovereign The Canadian Encyclopedia: Sovereign]
* [https://iscc-iecc.ca/ Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada]
* [https://www.monarchist.ca/index.php/our-monarchy/canada-s-monarchy Monarchist League of Canada: Our Monarchy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313163734/https://www.monarchist.ca/index.php/our-monarchy/canada-s-monarchy |date=13 March 2023}}

{{Canadian monarchy}}
{{Canada topics}}
{{Charles III}}
{{Commonwealth realms}}
{{Heads of state and government of North America}}
{{Monarchies}}
{{American monarchies}}

[[Category:Monarchy of Canada| ]]
[[Category:Heads of state of Canada| ]]
[[Category:Government of Canada]]
[[Category:Government in Canada]]
[[Category:Parliament of Canada]]
[[Category:Legal history of Canada]]
[[Category:Commonwealth realms|Canada]]
[[Category:Canadian heraldry]]
[[Category:Canadian identity]]