Why can;t the canadian government take off the Queens face off there currency?
Why do immigrants in that country have to pledge to the Queen, and not the constitution (if they have one) charter of rights i beleive… and does it make any sense for a free country to show the face of a monarch on there currency…. does canada pay a tax to the queen? like is canada seperate from britian or is it secretly still under the queen?
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Canada is separate from and equal to the United Kingdom. Sue, Canada is not a part of the British Empire as we are no longer under the United Kingdom.
The Queen of the United Kingdom is also Queen of Canada equally, just as she is Queen of Australia, New Zealand, etc. As our (I’m Canadian) head of state, she appears on our currency and is represented in Canada by the Governor General.
The cost of the monarchy to Canadians is about $1 per Canadian per year, I believe, and that money does not go to fund anything in the United Kingdom, it is all for the use of the Canadian monarchy here in Canada. This money is used also by the Governor General as the Queen’s representative.
It makes as much sense to show a monarch on currency as anything else. Money is money, it still will work the same either way
The difference though is that the Queen reigns but does not rule as she is head of state. This is different in a republic such as the United States where the president is both head of government and head of state.
Z, I don’t know if you live in Canada or not, but the Queen does not appear only on our $20 bills. Her face is on all of our standard coins. The Queen is also not "HRH Queen Elizabeth". Her style is HM ("Her Majesty") which is higher than "Royal Highness". Furthermore, I am not highly insulted and I am a Canadian. I think that the asker asked a perfectly reasonable question. He cares probably because he is genuinely curious. May I ask why you care so much to question this? Rhetorical question.
Because the Queen is the Head of State.
Canada is a commonwealth country… the Queen is the highest leader- so to speak. She’s represented in Canada by the Governor General. Canada is independent, but still has governmental ties to Britain.
Read this for more detailed info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Nations
The first poster is correct.
I think they just keep it that way because of tradition. Its working for everybody, why not just continue it? Who wants to go through the work of changing something that doesn’t really matter one way or the other; especially if nothing is being hurt.
If it were me in charge of Canada I wouldn’t make a big deal of it, either.
Because Canada is part of the British Empire, and the Queen is their ruler.
and if one is to become a citizen of Canada, they accept that as part of their nation. And, there’s no secret about it. They are, in that sense, NOT a free country, but bound to Britain.
And, I´m not sure about your tax question, but I would think yes, that part of Canadian taxes would go to the British Gvt.
they have the same Queen,
The modern version of the British Empire is called the Common Wealth which the Queen is the head of, it contains 53 country’s and membership is optional. 16 of them have the Queen as head of state (look up Common wealth realms). None of the taxes from Canada go to Britain but in theory the Queen holds ultimate power in the kingdom.
So the people are happy to be under the Queen as they are in 53 other country’s, it is not so much a dictatorial role but one that shows respect for the Monarchy who created their country in may cases and a an agreement that they will remain allies.
Its important to remember this is all entirely optional so they wouldn’t be there if they didn’t want to be.
In England we swear allegiance to the Queen, we don’t have a constitution I’m not sure about Canada.
I bet shes on the stamps as well.
My great grandfather hailed from Castlemore, Ontario, Canada, so I’ll take a swing at this answer: Canada is a self-governing dominion in the Commonwealth of Nations, a voluntary association of 53 sovereign states that for the most part were once part of the British Empire. The Canadian Parliament could certainly vote to take the Queen’s face off its currency; but for now, its MPs choose to follow tradition, honoring the symbolic head of the Commonwealth. Indeed, in 1965, Canadians selected the Maple Leaf flag to symbolize their country partly in response to the feelings of the French-speaking citizens of Quebec.
The monarchy of Canada, also known as the Canadian monarchy, is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign of Canada, holding the position of head of state; presently Elizabeth II, officially called Queen of Canada, who has reigned since February 6, 1952. The United Kingdom no longer holds any legislative power over any country besides itself.
Contrary to common misconception, Canadians do not pay any money to the Queen, either for personal income or to support the royal residences outside of Canada. Only when the Queen is in Canada, or acting abroad as Queen of Canada, does she draw from Canadian coffers for support in the performance of her duties. This rule applies equally to other members of the Royal Family.
Usually the Queen’s Canadian governments pay only for the costs associated with the Governor General and Lieutenant Governors in their exercising of the powers of the Crown on behalf of the Queen, including travel, security, residences, offices, ceremonial occasions, etc.
Read more about the Canadian monarchy and how it works at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_monarchy
It’s no secret that the Canadian Head of State is the Queen of Canada, Elizabeth 2, just as she is also the Queen of Australia.
That is why she appears on the currency and why immigrants swear to uphold the crown.
It is a political and ceremonial arrangement.
No taxes are paid to the Queen (she doesn’t collect taxes at all), and Canada functions independently of the Queen as a political unit, but has her as the official Head of State when one is needed.
The plain fact of it is that the Canadians can change this anytime they wish, simply by having a vote and the majority of them choosing to do so.
That they do not do this indicates that they like the present arrangement, and that is entirely their own business.
Cheers
SUE is incorrect about taxes here in Canada. not a single penny goes to Great Britain. All our tax money goes directly to Ottawa.
As for your question about the Queen on our currency, please note that her face is only on the $20.00 bill. Robert Borden’s is on the $100.00, WL Mackenzie King’s is on the $50.00, Wilfred Laurier’s is on the $5.00 and Sir John A. Macdonald’s is on the $10.00; hardly a bias for HM Queen Elizabeth II.
As for pledging allegiance to the Queen, HRH Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state for Canada. And please stop the nonsense about Canada "secretly" under the Queen; it’s highly insulting to Canadians.
Immigrants who wish to become Canadian citizens understand fully what that entails. Is it any different from immigrants to the US having to pledge allegiance to whatever it is Americans demand?
May I ask why you care?