What Is a Constitution?

• A constitution is a set of rules that outlines how a country, political organization or state should run.
• A constitution usually tells whose responsibilities or what powers different branches of government or the organization have.
• The constitution may also provide information on the rights of citizens.
• The government’s laws cannot disagree with its constitution.

Did You Know…?

Almost all countries have written constitutions.

Monarch

• A monarch is a sovereign head of state.
• They usually are a king, queen or an emperor.
• An absolute monarchy means that the monarch (the person or family in power) has complete power over the government and the people who live there.

Constitutional Monarchy

• A part of Canada’s system of government includes a Constitutional Monarchy. 
• This means laws are only permitted under the constitution.
• It also means the monarchs do not directly rule in Canada.
• The United Kingdom does not have any sovereignty in Canada.
• The monarch is advised of any major issues of state happening in Canada, but they do not have any control over the day to day running of the country.

How Did Canada Become a Monarchy?

• Canada was once a colony of Britain, however unlike other former colonies, Canada did not sever all of its ties with Britain at confederation. 
• Canada has been a monarchy for centuries. First it was under the Kings of France in the 16^th to 18^th centuries, then under the British Crown in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.
• Canada is one of the oldest constitutional monarchies in the world.
• Canada has chosen twice to stick with the monarchy. The first was in 1867, when it became a new country. The second time was in 1981, when the constitution was revised.

Parliamentary Democracy

• Canada is a parliamentary democracy. This means its system of government upholds the law as the ultimate authority.
• The Constitution Act, was signed in 1867 and forms the basis of Canada’s written constitution.

King Charles III

• Canada’s current Monarch is King Charles III.
• King Charles III has been reigning since 8^th September 2022, after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
• He is also called the Head of State.
• The King does not come to Canada to pass�laws or make decisions. The King, on the�recommendation of the Prime Minister,�appoints a Governor General who is the�King’s representative in Canada.
• The provincial governments appoint�a Lieutenant Governor to make�decisions.

Representations of the Monarch�in Canada?

• Over the years, the monarch’s role in Canada has diminished.
• Queen Elizabeth II was featured on all Canadian money during her reign, but it has not been decided whether money will feature King Charles III.
• The monarch’s portrait is often in government buildings and embassies across the world.
• The monarch’s signature is on all military designations.
• Nearly all of the monarch’s duties are currently performed by their representatives in Canada. Provincial visits are undertaken by the Lieutenant Governors and the Governor General.

Prime Minister

• Canada adopted the title Prime Minister from Great Britain.
• The Prime Minister is the head of the federal government in Canada.
• The Prime Minister is not elected. Instead, they are usually the leader of the party that has the most seats in the House of Commons.
• The Prime Minister controls the leading party, names senators and senior judges and dismisses all members of the Cabinet.
• The Prime Minister is the only person who can advise the Governor General to open or close Parliament and call an election.
• The current Prime Minister is Justin Trudeau. He was elected in 2015.

Benefits

• We share the monarchy with 53 other diverse countries in the commonwealth such as Belize, Australia, Jamaica and New Zealand.
• Having a commonwealth system ensures the Prime Minister can never have absolute control over the country. 
• There is added protection against abuse of power because the Crown has additional powers for extraordinary circumstances.

Independence

• In 1931, the Statute of Westminster, which was an act of British Parliament, gave Canada and other commonwealth nations authority to make their own laws. 
• The powers the King or Queen of England used to have over the commonwealth nations was transferred to the Governor General in each country.
• The Constitution Act of 1982 is a landmark document in Canadian history. It ended its dependence on Britain by Canada by allowing the country to change its Constitution without approval from Britain.

Canada: �A Constitutional Monarchy

Check for Understanding

Who Is This?

A  The Governor General

B King Charles III

C The Prime Minister

A is a set of rules that outlines how a country, political organization or state should run?

A  commonwealth

B Monarchy

C Constitution

A monarch is a sovereign head of .

A  State

B The King

C The Constitution

Monarchs directly rule in Canada.

A  True

B False

The provincial governments appoint a to make decisions.

A  Prime Minister

B Governor General

C Lieutenant Governor

In this year, the Constitution Act ended all dependence on Britain by Canada.

A  1926

B 1982

C 1867

Who Is This?

A  The King of England

B Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

C Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau