Are Canadians considered Royal Subjects?
It's all a matter of semantics: True, Canada is a parliamentary democracy, a member of the Commonwealth, and a constitutional monarchy with Elizabeth II as its head of head, but neither Canadians nor Brits are no longer subjects but citizens. Canadian citizens(and most especially French Canadians) are also not required to bow before the Queen if it would make them uncomfortable to do so. A handshake will do.
Do Canadians consider themselves "subjects of the Queen" like JamieB always says?
Yes, but, not the same Queen that JamieB talks about. He seems to think Canada is British. It was once, but, isn't anymore. The Queen of Canada is a Canadian citizen, and any connection she may have with another country is interesting, but, nothing to do officially with our political system. If the UK became a republic, the Queen would still be our Queen. We are NOT "part of the Realm." There are 16 totally different Realms, and Canada is just one of them. Now, many, if not most Canadians have no idea of what the Queen's role actually is. Many think she is ceremonial only. That actually isn't true - the Queen has real power in Canada. We just don't see it in use on a daily basis. Frankly, most Canadians don't give the entire matter a lot of thought. It is during Royal visits that our pride, and all that comes out. Otherwise, it's just not something high on the agenda for most Canadians. We are her subjects, legally, but, it's not a big deal here.
What is the citizenship of the British Commonwealth Royal Family? When a royal visits a country that recognizes Queen Elizabeth as the head of state, are immigration/passports needed?
“What is the citizenship of the British Commonwealth Royal Family? When a royal visits a country that recognizes Queen Elizabeth as the head of state, are immigration/passports needed?”Small nitpick; It isn’t the “British Commonwealth Royal Family”. It’s just the Royal Family and the Commonwealth is called the “Commonwealth of Nations”. The Nations of the Commonwealth that Her Majesty is also Queen of are referred to as “Commonwealth Realms”.All members of the Royal Family, with the exception of the Queen are British Citizens/Subjects and carry passports/diplomatic credentials.The Queen herself (arguably) is not a Citizen of any State; there is some disagreement among Constituional Scholars, but I believe that she isn’t a Citizen of any country.Why?In both the figurative and literal sense, she IS the State. She is the living embodiment of the United Kingdom/Canada/ETC. States do not require paperwork.Secondly, all passports are issued in her name; they are (essentially) a personal request of Her Majesty through her Minister(s) to allow her Subjects entry to other countries; it would be pretty silly for the Queen to issue herself her own request…!This comes about by her position as Queen of these countries; She isn’t Queen of Canada because she is Queen of the United Kingdom; she is Queen of Canada in a completely separate and legal office.As such, when she lands in Canada (Or Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica ETC) she is NOT landing as Queen of the United Kingdom, but rather as Queen of that country.She is just as much the embodiment of the country of Canada as she is the United Kingdom; hence she does not require any sort of paperwork.That said, Royal Visits are planned out YEARS in advance; it isn’t like the host Government doesn’t know she’s coming… ;)Before anyone says anything, I’m using the word “Subject” in the vernacular.
Why do Canadian coins have Queen Elizabeth on them?
Her Majesty is Canada's Head of State. England does not "own" Canada; this is just our system of government. There are separate titles. She is both the "Queen of the United Kingdom" and the "Queen of Canada"; the two thrones are different. Why do you have various Presidents on the back of your coins?
How much of Australia and Canada is controlled by the UK? Is the queen a nominal head of state or the acting head?
Think like this: One person can be CEO of several companies. What they decide for one company does not automatically affect one of the other companies.That is how it works with the commonwealth realms. Each has an office of the Monarch, and one person currently fills that office for each of the 16 realms.From a legal standpoint, they are sixteen different persons in a sense.Sixteen companies is far too many for one real person to manage, and likewise, the Queen cannot find enough hours in her day to head each commonwealth realm, so she has Governor-Generals to do this. These Governors-General are residents of their respective countries. They are chosen by the heads of government in their home countries(prime ministers usually), and the Queen appoints them.The commonwealth nations often do things in unison because we have common cultural links, and there are all sorts of interesting social trades happening, sometimes behind the scenes.In ways Canada and New Zealand are closer than Canada and the US. For example, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK have reciprocal youth employment programs. If I were 24 I could go to Employment Canada and say "I'd like to work in Australia". They would connect me with the Australian equivalent and would act as a liaison to get me working upside down. So we do things together at times. You have to stick with family after all.
What's the purpose of monarchy in U.K., Canada, Australia?
I have never seen the queen participating in any political events, she only greets political leaders and sometimes is seen in public holidays. I didn't see Q. Elizabeth talk about brexit until now or the problems of U.K. Maybe she is doing something we are not aware of, but public is not aware of what's going on and what purpose and power they have. I ask this question for personal knowledge to understand the responsibilities of the king/queens of one of the greatest countries.
Do Canadians, Kiwis or Australians mind or don't mind that their shared Queen only lives in the United Kingdom?
I am Canadian and I don’t mind at all. The Queen binds us to other independent countries such as Aus NZ and the UK. In a way the queen makes each of us as a part of something greater than any of our countries individually. We are part of India, Pakistan, South Africa and many other countries. The commonwealth, of which the Queen is head, binds us.Yes…monarchy is old fashioned in a modern or post-modern world, but, for better or for worse, it is part of all of our histories and cultures. I find it interesting that when South Africa elected Nelson Mandela one of the first things the South African Parliament did was apply to re-join the Commonwealth. They didn’t have to…they chose to.So God Save the Queen and my brothers and sisters throughout the Commonwealth.