How is Canada democratic if its head of state is royalty?

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Karen C

The British Crown long ago lost it's power to rule. See Erik, if you were as old as I am you too would have been brought up with Richard Green (handsome dude he was!) playing Robin Hood and you would have learned all about wicked King John and the Magna Carta. But you are just a young whipper snapper so you will have to settle for reading about the Magna Carta here
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/magna_carta/

This was just the start and Royal Powers have been amended in fits and starts ever since.Some of us like to dream of princesses and princes and all the outer accessories of Royalty so we don't push too very hard to really get rid of them. And, contrary to some popular beliefs, having Royalty does have it advantages. Aside from the drama and fabulous wardrobes of royal folks like Princess Diana, the British Royal Family gave the British people someone to look up to and respect in the late King George and a most beloved Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth during the war years which in turn gave them the will to fight another day!

Now about our Senators. The Senate is the Old Folks Home for the House of Commons i.e. when a politician gets old and starts acting like he has Alzheimer's in the 2nd or 3rd stages, the P.M. can name him a Senator and arrange a nice little pension plan for him. Every now and again when some new policy is in need of a push forward because the citizens don't like, the House of Commons makes a big deal about letting the old folks make the final decision like they did just before the G.S.T. went into effect. Now you know more about the Senate than the Senate does! :o)

I think I will rewrite this site to make it more realistic lol
http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/process/Senate/children/brochure-e.htm

About your diversity across regions.The American style seems like one big 'make work' project and a neat way to avoid the law of the land. In the States, if I am a stalker and it is against the law in my State, I can simply move to one where it is not against the law. In Canada, if a behaviour is against the law as stated in the Criminal Code of Canada, it is against the law from coast to coast to coast.Seems to me that your diversity benefits Criminals and does nothing to make citizens feel secure where ever they go in your country.

Finally, Has anyone told Her Majesty that she has been elevated in status? And by an American yet!! ROFLOL

My final final is advise - do not believe everything you read in wikipedia - there are no credentials required to become a writer there.
That is my semi-serious answer. :o)

fabio z

The queen is just a symbol, the royal family do not govern...the prime minister is the one who governs.

Tom Green

Constitutional monarchy. The Queen plays no active role in government. However, her theoretical powers held in reserve are considerable.

pinkpiglet126

The queen is only a figurehead. You should know that. Canada is an independent country.

Bill C

The 'royalty' makes no decisions, just a figure head.

Not likely to challenge the democracy as that tends to be counter-productive....it's not like Great Britain is a world power that can throw it's influence around (without having us just laugh at them).

Karen L

"For now it works" ??? Constitutional monarchy has been working pretty well in Britain for a very long time. Come to think of it, I don't know why the US doesn't use our system of government. At least then we might be spared 2 years of campaign news. I think you need to do a little more reading. And a Senator in Canada is not the same thing as a US senator, so don't compare the two. We're different. Deal with it.

Dangermanmi6

Lets break it down.
Governor General yes is appointed by the Queen BUT they are chosen my the PM and the Queen rubber stamps the PM's choice. It has been a long time since the monarch picked the GG for Canada.

Rule of succession sure most likely there will be some creep like George W or Dick Cheney on the throne but Canada has a constitution and the monarch doesn't have any control over what happens here. BTW the monarch doesn't have any control over what happens in the UK either.

Laws are expressed as powers of the crown but they are exercised by the federal and provincial governments. Just like in the states each province enacts their own laws and there are federal laws as well. I don't know where you get your information from but each level of government from the feds down to the municipal passes their own laws. The Criminal Code of Canada applies everywhere but there are other laws that only apply in the province where they are passed.

Going back to the monarch as the ruler, yes in theory but Canada is a constitutional monarchy where the the house of Commons is the legislative branch of government and the monarch is just a figurehead with no powers under the constitution other than to open Parliament and sign bills into law. Much like the president the GG has a veto powers but they are VERY (not in living memory) rarely used.

Good question but you shouldn't limit your research to the web especially if you aren't sure of the answer to begin with. There is a lot of bad info out there.

capitalgentleman

Yes, Canada has a Queen, and is a Constitutional Monarchy. The actual powers of the Crown are pretty dramatic, but it is the democratically elected MP's who hold the working power. All is done in the name of the Crown, and the Crown (through the GG and/or Queen when she is here) must approve, and there have been few disputes. However, the Crown generally listens to the desires of the people, making Canada democratic.

HOWEVER, the Crown is much more than just a figurehead! The Crown IS the real power. Like when a Mountie pulls you over for speeding - the crown on his hat badge tells you he is using the authority of the Crown in giving you a ticket. That is why our courts are HM vs Whoever, where the 'States has The People vs Whoever. In the 'States, power comes UP from the people; in Canada, it comes DOWN from the Crown.

There is a certain amount back-room negotiations between the PMO and the GG before bills are even introduced. E.g., if a GG would not be willing to sign something, they would express this knowledge to the PM long before even being asked to give it Royal Ascent. In theory, a monarch and/or GG could disagree with the PM, but as the PM represents the population, but we are a democracy, so custom (not actual law) dictates that the people's desires win out. Note, this custom is a very important part of our Constitution, but by law, the Crown still retains the power.

The Crown can dissolve Parliament, but cannot rule without Parliament. So, no dictatorial situations are possible. OTOH, Parliament cannot function without the Crown either. It is all a very careful, and remarkably stable balance.

The division of powers between the Feds and the Provinces was set up in the British North America Act of 1867 (now called the Constitution Act). Basically, the prcentredget specific powers, and anything left over goes to the Feds. This is the opposite of the 'States,where each state is much more powerful than our provinces. That's the way things were set up, although more and more things have been devolved to the provinces over the years. Still, Canada is also a "Federal" country, meaning the power is centralized. Which makes sense when you realize that the power is really centered on the Crown anyway.

jake.jakobson

get lost loser, stay in the US it's best for u

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