Why do Canadian coins have Queen Elizabeth on them?

9 Comments

1. CanadianFundamentalist says:

   January 18, 2010 at 11:55 am

   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?
2. leokc34 says:

   January 18, 2010 at 11:55 am

   because she is still our queen See below from Wikipedia

   The monarchy of Canada – also referred to as The Crown in Right of Canada, Her Majesty in Right of Canada, or The Queen in Right of Canada – is the constitutional system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Canada,[1][2][3] forming the core, or "the most basic building block,"[4] of the country’s Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. The Crown is thus the foundation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the Canadian government,[5][6][7] as well as the linchpin of Canadian federalism.

   While Royal Assent and the royal sign-manual are required to enact laws, letters patent, and Orders-in-Council, the authority for these acts stems from the Canadian populace,[8][9][10] and, within the conventional stipulations of constitutional monarchy, the sovereign’s direct participation in any of these areas of governance is limited, with most related powers entrusted for exercise by the elected and appointed parliamentarians, the ministers of the Crown generally drawn from amongst them, and the judges and Justices of the Peace.[8] The Crown today primarily functions as a guarantor of continuous and stable governance and a nonpartisan safeguard against the abuse of power,[8][11][12] the sovereign acting as a custodian of the Crown’s democratic powers and a representation of the "power of the people above government and political parties."[13][14]

   The Canadian monarchy has its roots in the French and British crowns, from which it has evolved over numerous centuries to become a distinctly Canadian institution[15] – one of the few crowns that have survived through uninterrupted inheritance[16] – represented by unique symbols, and sometimes being colloquially dubbed the Maple Crown.[n 1][18][19] The Canadian monarch – since 6 February 1952, Elizabeth II – is today shared equally with fifteen other countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, all being independent and the monarchy of each legally distinct. For Canada, the monarch is officially titled Queen of Canada (French: Reine du Canada), and she, her consort, and other members of the Canadian Royal Family undertake various public and private functions across Canada and on behalf of the country abroad. However, the Queen is the only member of the Royal Family with any constitutional role. While several powers are the sovereign’s alone, because she lives predominantly in the United Kingdom, most of the royal constitutional and ceremonial duties in Canada are carried out by the Queen’s representative, the Governor General;[3] therefore, the Governor General is sometimes be referred to as the de facto head of state.[20] In each of Canada’s provinces, the monarch is represented by a Lieutenant Governor,[3] while the territories are not sovereign and thus do not have a viceroy.
3. swmichigandining.com says:

   January 18, 2010 at 11:55 am

   This is really confusing.

   Canada is a free country, but Queen Elizabeth is queen of Canada as well as several other independent commonwealths that at one time were all part of the British Empire. The Queen actually has very little power over the governance of any of the nations including the United Kingdom and what power she does have is usually relegated to people in the country’s government. It wasn’t until 1982 that Canada actually broke ties with the UK and becoming a completely free, independent country.

   If you’re still confused….this may help

   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchy_of_Canada
4. *~Leigh~* says:

   January 18, 2010 at 11:55 am

   Canada isn’t owned by anybody, it is a free country. Queen Elizabeth is our queen, just likes shes Ireland’s, England’s, Scotland’s, New Zealands and Australia’s queen. Where all part of the Common wealth
5. Man says:

   January 18, 2010 at 11:55 am

   The head of state is Elizabeth II. Most Canadians don’t even know it.
6. BrainDeadZombie says:

   January 18, 2010 at 11:55 am

   We are a parliamentary democracy. Our head of state is Elizabeth II. She is our Queen. That’s why we have the Queen’s image on our money.

   We used to be a colony of Great Britain, but are now an independent state. The Governor General is the Queen’s representative, and fulfills the Queen’s duties in her absence. Similar for Lieutenant-Governors at the Provincial level.

   We’ve been independent since 1867, when an act of the British parliament created the original version of our current confederation. At that point we became a separate state in our own right, but without our own constitution. In 1982 a new act was passed and a Canadian constitution was put into place. With that taken care of, we became completely independent of the British parliament. However, we continue to be loyal subjects of the Crown.
7. Randy B says:

   January 18, 2010 at 11:55 am

   We are not "owned" by anyone, least of all England. We are a free country as you said however Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of Canada and is our Head of State.

   Yes, she is Queen of England too but her title as Queen of Canada is legally separate from that.

   Oh, and you could have found the answer on Google very easily IF you had cared to look.
8. Knowzilla says:

   January 18, 2010 at 11:55 am

   Your dad is wrong, and really ignorant.

   Simply put: Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of Canada and Queen of the United Kingdom (which includes England) separately and equally. Canada is independent, sovereign and free.
9. Mateo says:

   January 18, 2010 at 11:55 am

   Your dad is wrong.

   Canada is part of the Commonwealth, that’s why the Monarch is our head of State.

   Australia, New Zealand, the British Virgin Islands, Jamaica… about a couple dozen other countries have exactly the same thing.