A Crown of Maples - Comparison With Other Systems of Government

Our form of government shares many similarities with those of some nations while having many differences with others.

The maple leaf flag flies over
the Canadian Embassy in
Washington, D.C., with the U.S.
Capital Building in the background.

An interesting comparison can be made between our system of parliamentary democracy and that of our closest neighbour, the United States of America. Unlike Canada, the United States is a republic with a congressional democracy and a presidential system of government. The president serves as both head of State and head of Government, a distinction made in Canada between the Queen and the Prime Minister. In the United States, no distinction is made between the person who formally holds power and the person who uses it. As head of Government, the president is a political figure who, as head of State, is also expected to serve as a non-partisan symbol of all citizens of the country.

culture
The National Flag of Canada and
the United States of America

In a congressional democracy such as the United States, there is a clear separation of powers between the executive -- the President and cabinet, and the legislative -- Congress, branches of government. Indeed, the President and cabinet cannot be members of Congress and are not directly accountable to the elected representatives of the people as they are in Canada. Question Period in the federal Parliament or provincial legislatures demonstrates that, in a parliamentary democracy, accountability is an important daily feature of our system. The Prime Minister, as a member of Parliament and leader of the party commanding the confidence of the House of Commons, and cabinet ministers must appear in Parliament to answer questions, explain actions, and defend policies before the representatives of the people. So too must the provincial Premiers and ministers in their legislatures.

The Queen's Personal Canadian Flag flies from the Peace Tower when Her Majesty is on Parliament Hill.

The almost two hundred nations in the world have numerous different forms and systems of government. Many are republics -- nations with an elected or nominated president -- with variations of
a congressional and/or parliamentary democracy. Still others are
similar to Canada in that they are constitutional monarchies.
Of the fifty-three members of the Commonwealth of Nations,
sixteen^[1] recognize the Queen as their head of State. Each one is a constitutional monarchy in its own right. All these Realms, other than the United Kingdom (where the Queen resides), have a Governor General representing the Sovereign.
Of these sixteen nations, two have more than one representative of the Queen: Canada has eleven, a Governor General and
ten Lieutenant Governors in the provinces, and Australia has seven,
a Governor General and six Governors in the states.

In the one system [a monarchy] the soul of the nation is emphasized, in the other [a republic] merely the fact of a government....

Frank MacKinnon
The Crown in Canada

I am going home to Canada tomorrow.

Queen Elizabeth II
(on preparing to leave California for
British Columbia)
March 1983

Of the remaining thirty-seven Commonwealth members, most are republics while a few have their own monarchies. At the same time, all fifty-three nations recognize Queen Elizabeth II as "Head of the Commonwealth." In this way, the Queen is the visible embodiment of this free association of nations that spans all continents and forms a bridge of understanding and cooperation between almost thirty per cent of the world's population -- some two billion people.

culture
Queen Elizabeth II, escorted by
Commonwealth Secretary-General
Don McKinnon, greets Archbishop
Tutu at a Commonwealth
celebration at Westminster Abbey
on Commonwealth Day 2004 (a
Canadian flag and youth from
across the Commonwealth form the
backdrop).

Constitutional monarchy is not limited to the Commonwealth. Indeed, there are nineteen^[2] other constitutional monarchies outside the Commonwealth. While some are fairly young in terms of history, others have existed for hundreds of years.

Perhaps the most remarkable characteristic of constitutional monarchy is how well it works in a wide variety of countries around the world. Although based on time-honoured principles and powers, monarchy has been consistently and effectively adapted to meet the contemporary needs of nations and their citizens. In these the early years of the twenty-first century, constitutional monarchy remains a well-suited and relevant political institution.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II congratulates singer / actress Ginette Reno, opera star Measha Brueggergosman and legendary jazz pianist / composer Oscar Peterson following a Golden Jubilee Gala Concert at Roy Thomson Hall. Toronto, Ontario. October 2002.

It [the Crown] is part of ourselves. It is linked in a very special way with our national life. It 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. How much the Crown has done to give us our individual character as a nation in the Americas!

Governor General Vincent Massey
Radio Broadcast, 1953

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II enjoys a dance performance by the Riel Reelers at a provincial luncheon held in the Lumsden Sports Centre. Lumsden, Saskatchewan. May 2005.

culture

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II greets students from across the Commonwealth during a visit to Sheridan College. Oakville, Ontario. October 2002.

Notes:

^[1] Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas. Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, the United Kingdom.
^[2] Andorra, Bahrain, Belgium, Cambodia, Denmark, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Morocco, Nepal, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, The Netherlands, United Arab Emirates.