Category: Governor General

Is it a Good Idea for Prince Harry to Become Governor General of Canada?

1/14/2020

The Duke & Duchess of Sussex

A recent poll found that 60% of
Canadians would be supportive
of Prince Harry becoming
Governor General of Canada. The
poll result is interesting in its
own right with younger
Canadians being just as
supportive of the idea as middle-
aged Canadians. But would this
even be a good idea?

This question is really two separate questions: 1. Would it be
good for the office of the governor general, and 2. would it be
good for Prince Harry and Meghan themselves? For once the
question of constitutionality doesn't butt in; pretty much
anyone can be Governor General of Canada.

Sussex, NB. Photo Credit: Rangeley

So lets start with what the
hypothetical appointment
would bring to the position of
governor general. For starters it
would bring to the position
someone who is experienced in
doing the job. This doesn't
count for nothing as many of the early missteps taken by
Julie Payette were the result of her not being properly
prepared for what she was getting into. There aren't many
jobs that prepare you to be governor general after all. Being a
member of the Royal Family is one of them. Prince Harry
would also bring a greater degree of attention to the activities
of the governor general. This is needed as governors general
advocate for many causes and charitable organizations and
acts to try and bring Canadians together. This role is neutered
when no one knows what the representatives of the Crown are
doing. This leads to a final point: the office of the governor
general is also a more effective counter to the prime minister
of the day when the person in that office is well-known. While
we have had many good governors general over the years the
combination of relative pre-appointment anonymity, media
neglect, and unfounded suspicions of partisan appointment
have often left the governor general in a prestige deficit
compared to the prime minister of the day. A prime minister
that is a little less sure they have the public's support to push
the governor general around would be a positive
improvement.

Flag of Sussex (England)

But all that said, would it be good for
Prince Harry and his young family?
This is where the idea falls apart
because I don't think it would be.
Prince Harry has a complicated
relationship with the media. In order
to do his job as a royal he needs the
media but as a son, and now as a husband and father, he has
seen the media hurt those he cares about. Prince Harry was
unable to protect his mother from the British tabloids and he
has begun to see the limits to how much he can protect his
wife and son. His situation evokes enough pathos to strangle
an elephant. To put him in a position which greatly needs
more media attention would be cruel. For her part Meghan
would be thrust back into the position of trying to balance
being a new mother, having a career, and being a royal. It is
hard enough to pull off two of those things at the same time
without adding a third. And Prince Harry and Meghan have
only been married a short time. It very well could put too
much strain on their marriage. And the last thing the Royal
Family needs is another messy divorce.

Invictus Games Logo

So Prince Harry should never be
Governor General of Canada?
Well, I didn't say that. The
problems I mentioned above are
mostly temporary considerations.
Archie will grow up. Prince Harry and Meghan will hit their
stride. And the media in Canada will continue to be a bit
tamer than their British cousins (I credit the cold winters).
While not a good idea in the immediate future I think in about
ten to fifteen years it would be welcome to hear of the
appointment of 'His Excellency, Prince Harry, Governor
General of Canada'.

And to a certain extent events could
nudge everyone in that direction. Prince
Harry and Meghan want a reduced role
as members of the Royal Family. The
simplest way would be to have their
portfolio of duties centred on Canada
which would cut down on international
travel a bit (and keep the British tabloid
bottom-feeders far away). Prince Charles' Canadian charities
would be a good fit for this. Living here, working here, and
(dare I dream) potentially seeking Canadian citizenship would
all increase support for such an appointment. Because as
much as people talk about Canadians being apathetic about
their monarchy that is only true when members of the Royal
Family aren't here. The awkward situation of the governor
general being over-shadowed by a member of the Royal
Family doing much the same job as them part-time but
getting more traction could only go on so long before the idea
of going through with this appointment comes up again.

And who knows where it would end? If Prince Harry breathes
new life into the position why replace him after the customary
five years? Or ten years? Or ever? Maybe we would actually
have a governor general that gets enough time to really make
the position shine.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Canadian Viceregal News: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

11/8/2018

David Johnston

It has been an interesting couple of
months for several of Canada's viceregal
office-holders. The media is actually
paying attention to them. And despite
this traditionally only occurring when
someone has done something...unwise,
the coverage has actually had some
bright spots.

So I thought I'd give a quick overview
of what the media has been focusing on.

The Good...

Last week former Governor General David Johnston was
appointed as Canada's first Debates Commissioner. He has
been tasked with organizing the leaders debates during the
next election. With a reputation for neutrality that precedes
his time as governor general his appointment has been widely
praised. We will return to the Right Honourable David
Johnston in a moment.

Jocelyne Roy Vienneau

At the provincial level New Brunswick's
Lieutenant Governor Jocelyne Roy
Vienneau has had the unenviable task
of dealing with the aftermath of an
election that left no party with an easy
path to governing. Her Honour has
dealt with the situation well by taking
counsel from all sides and making clear
to everyone what was, and was not, on
the table in terms of new elections.
Depending how the coming months turn
out Her Excellency's schedule could be
very busy.

The Bad...

Julie Payette

Current Governor General Julie
Payette has not had a good year.
An early misstep regarding her
views on religion ruffled a few
feathers but that issue quickly
died down and was chalked up
Her Excellency needing to 'grow
into the role'. But in September
the issue of her suitability for
that role was again an issue.
The causes were multi-pronged. She has reduced the
workload of her office, left various organizations that have
viceregal patronage in the lurch, almost caused a
constitutional crisis by being reluctant to sign a bill into law at
the required time, and generally rubbing people the wrong
way. The circumstances of appointment have left many
placing blame on the Prime Minister for abandoning the
committee formed to advise on viceregal appointments. We'll
see if the Governor General can turn things around in the
coming year.

And The Ugly...

Photo Credit: Andrew Rusk

The Right Honourable Adrienne Louise
Clarkson (pictured) was brought out of
the anonymity of retirement by the
discovery that she has continued to
bill the government thousands of
dollars through a program created in
the 1970s to help former governors
general continue to represent Canada.
While she hasn't broken any rules she
has refused to disclose how the money
was used. She has also been the main
opponent of reforming the program.

While Clarkson had some criticism of her spending while in
office it was defended then as going along with revitalizing
the role of governor general and partly due to the government
wanting the governor general to do more international
travel while representing Canada. The current money issue
threatens her legacy and emboldens republicans.

To the credit of the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson she
has mounted a reasonable defence of her spending. But
until there is some accountability for her spending I can see
this issue festering to no benefit of the Crown.

The Right Honourable David Johnston bolstered his own
respectable reputation (and preempted any attempt to smear
all of the former governors general with the same brush) by
announcing his intention to release financial records of his
spending since leaving office.

The Patreon

I wanted to take a second to talk about Patreon. I write this
blog for the sheer joy of it and will continue to do so even if it
doesn't make me a cent. However, the Monarchist League of
Canada does have a (rather neglected) Patreon. They
do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to the defence of
Canada's monarchy as this timeline and various other
examples can attest. If you are a regular reader I would like
to encourage you to donate to the League. Every dollar
donated helps keep republicans mired in failure and impotent
fury. And that is a good thing.

The Monarchist League of Canada Patreon

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Julie Payette Declared Canada's Next Governor General

7/15/2017

Julie Payette in 2009

On Thursday the Prime Minister
announced that the Queen had
approved the appointment of Julie
Payette as Canada's next Governor
General. Her term will officially
begin this Fall. As the media has
already reported Ms. Payette is
most qualified for the position. Now,
before I continue there is something
I would like to address.

The National Post article (my local paper as well) include a
quote by Philippe Lagasse, associate professor of international
affairs at Carleton University, about how “The reaction might
be, well, look, why do we need Royals when we can have
such stellar people as our head of state, as opposed to our
head of state’s representative? It calls into question, I would
say, the necessity of having the monarchy.” The statement is
either unnecessary worrying or republican fear mongering. In
either case misses a key point: Ms. Payette was able to
become Governor General because of the monarchy. It is
completely unclear if she would have become president in a
republican system. Its not even issues of sexism that are the
issue, its that politics attracts specific personalities. Ms.
Payette may have that personality or she may not. Further,
you have to have the inclination to enter politics. It is equally
unclear Ms. had this inclination. Appointment (and heredity
for that matter) sidesteps both issues and asks a person to do
their duty, even if its not something you would ever seek
to do yourself. But enough on that.

Julie Payette brings an interesting skill set to the office of the
Governor General having at various times been an astronaut,
engineer, scientist, and pilot. She lacks some of her
predecessor's constitutional knowledge but she has stated she
will seek advice from the current Governor General during
the transition period. It should also be noted that the
Governor General has a number of constitutional advisers
and this situation has not proved detrimental in the past. As
noted by local commentator Norbert Cunningham, Ms.
Payette has a speaking style and gravitas that is necessary for
the office but also an upbeat sense of humour that may lend a
bit of energy to that same office. An example of this can be
seen in a recent speech she gave (before learning she was
under consideration for the position). I extend my sincere
congratulations to Ms. Payette on her appointment and look
forward to what she does with the responsibility that has been
entrusted to her.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

New Year's Levée: Canada's Royal Tradition

1/6/2016

New Year's levées are a common tradition in Canada. Held by
the Governor General, Lieutenant Governors, the military,
municipalities, and other organizations the levées serve to
welcome in the new year and create on opportunity for the
public to pay their respects.

Levées (French for 'raising'
or 'to rise') originally was a
term used to describe the
morning court King Louis
XIV held in his bedchamber
after awaking. This practice
spread throughout Europe.
The British changed the
tradition by making the
levée a formal reception in
the afternoon or evening.
The association with New
Year's arose in Canada as
fur traders commonly paid
their respects to the master
of the fort on New Year's.

The levée was exclusively an event for men until after World
War Two when female officers of the armed forces began
attending the military levées. From that point on both men
and women have attended the New Year's Levée.
Refreshments are a major part of the levées. It is believed that
those who came to pay their respects to the civil leaders
expected to be fed. This expectation apparently once caused
an "almighty row" in 1856 on Vancouver Island when the colonial governor's levée was not to the attendees liking.

While once common the levée has over time become nearly an
exclusively Canadian tradition.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Monarchy in the Year Ahead

12/26/2015

2015 is coming to an end and its time to look what the year
ahead likely has in store for monarchy.

In Canada 2016 may actually a quiet year. The Governor General's term was extended to 2017 and of the provincial
Lieutenant Governors only PEI's is likely to be replaced in
2016. At the same time the next major national celebration is
the sesquicentennial of Confederation in 2017. However, if a
member of the Royal Family is to attend planning needs to be
started in the coming year. Reminding the Minister of
Canadian Heritage isn't a bad idea.

I predict the Monarchist League of Canada will also develop a
good working relationship with the new government in 2016.

The Queen of Barbados

The Government of Barbados
has announced its intentions
to abolish its monarchy in
2016. Despite this, it is not
entirely certain they will be
able to do so. To change the
constitution the government
will need the opposition's
support to pass the required
legislation. As the opposition
has not indicated they support
this change the government
may not have an easy time.

In Spain the restless Catalonia region may attempt to gain its
independence illegally in 2016. While not a direct threat to
the Spanish Throne it is unfortunate to see the kingdom going
through the uncertainly associated with a separatist
movement within its borders.

Christian Bjørnskov

On the academic front it is possible
Christian Bjørnskov, Martin Rode, and
Peter Kurrild-Klitgaard may continue
their research on monarchy as a form of
government.

I'm sure other studies are in the works
and I intend to publicize them whenever
I find them.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Her Majesty Approves Two New Honours

7/17/2015

As the fount of honour Her Majesty creates awards, accolades
and designations to recognize merit, accomplishment, and
outstanding contributions to the well-being Canada.

Her Majesty has approved two new honours recently.

The Polar Medal

The Polar Medal was announced on June 23rd. It is to
"celebrate Canada’s Northern heritage and give recognition
to persons who render extraordinary services in the polar
regions and Canada’s North." The medal incorporates and
replaces the Governor General's Northern Medal which was created in 2005 by The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson.

The first ten recipients were awarded the medal on July 8th.

Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers

The other medal created was the Sovereign's Medal for
Volunteers. Announced on July 15th it is meant to recognize
"volunteers who have made a significant, sustained, unpaid
contribution to their community, in Canada or abroad." This
medal replaces the Governor General's Caring Canadian
Award.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Canada Day Viceregal Roundup

7/1/2015

Sweet flag. Sweet coat of arms. Awesome combo.

Happy Canada Day!

While I am enjoying a day off work and waiting for the
fireworks to start I figured I'd take a moment to look at how
Canada's viceregal representatives spend Canada Day. So
what are Her Majesty's representatives doing today to
celebrate Canada's birthday?

In Ottawa Governor General David Johnston put out a call for
Canadians to give back to their community. His Excellency
has made volunteerism a central part of his time as Governor
General so this does not come as much of a surprise.

Later His Excellency gave a speech at the Canada Day
celebration on Parliament Hill. Finally, His Excellency
announced 100 new appointments to the Order of Canada.
The full list of recipients can be found here.

The new Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, The Honourable
Janice Filmon, attended the opening ceremonies of Canada
Day at the Lyric Theatre. Her Honour also hosted an Order of
Manitoba dinner at Government House.

The Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, The Honourable
Vaughn Solomon Schofield, hosted a Canada Day garden
party at Government House.

None of the other Lieutenant Governors held official celebrations of Canada's birthday.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

The Royal Christmas Message & Vice-Regal New Year's Greetings

1/1/2015

A tad late but here are links to the Queen's Christmas message and Canadian Vice-Regal New Year's Greetings in case anyone missed them.

Her Majesty on Reconciliation

"For me the life of Jesus Christ, The Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role model of reconcilliation and forgiveness he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance, and healing. Christ's example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or land."

The Governor General's Greetings

"Each of us has something unique and important to offer and the New Year provides an opportune time to commit to giving back to Canada. It doesn't matter how you get involved, just do it."

As far as I can tell only the Lieutenant Governors of Ontario and Nova Scotia recorded messages among Her Majesty's provincial representatives.

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Princess Alberta

12/31/2014

By: Mr. Windsor

I remember I was taking the Alberta Legislature guided tour for the third time when I first got interested in the Monarchy and its effects and influences on Canadian politics. I stood beside the fountain of the rotunda looking at all the old flags mounted on the marble walls. Our tour guide talked about the massive paintings of our current and past monarchs through the centuries and how they helped carve the identity and image of the culture and traditions of Canadians today. I then realized there was a missing jewel in Canadian politics that I’d completely overlooked. Today, I would like to boast about how my province was named after a member of the Canadian Royal Family.

Princess Louise was the Duchess of Argyll and the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. She was born on March 18th 1848 at Buckingham palace as Princess Louise Caroline Alberta. She would later marry John Campbell the Marquess of Lorne on March 21st 1871. The Marquess of Lorne would later become Canada’s fourth Governor General and the couple would both take a great interest in Canada. They hosted countless balls, dinners, ice skating parties and even tobogganing parties while helping encourage the arts and sciences in Canada. Louise became a patroness for various organizations including the Ladies Educational Association, Women’s Protective Immigration Society, and the Society of Decorative Arts showing how she was a strong supporter of the feminist movement. In the winter of 1880 Louise and Lorne were victims of a sleigh accident. The carriage they were riding in was overturned and both coachmen fell off. The horses then panicked and dragged the overturned cart 370 meters until they calmed down from another carriage ahead. Princess Louise was knocked unconscious and her earring got caught on the carriage walls cutting her ear lobe in half. However, the accident didn't stop the couple from being active in Canadian politics and activities. In 1881 the couple visited the North-West Territories and two years later the territory was split into four districts Assiniboia, Athabasca, Saskatchewan and Alberta. The district of Alberta was named by the Marquess of Lorne in a famous poem he wrote which compared the beauty of the district to the beauty of his wife. In 1905, Alberta would become a province. Princess Louise died on December 3rd 1939 in Kensington Palace, London. Today, countless locations and organizations have been named after the couple. Alberta’s famous Lake Louise, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Also known as Princess Louise's), 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's), The Princess Louise Fusiliers, and Mount Alberta all have been named honouring Princess Louise.

The Royal Appeal of a Vice-Regal Decision

12/19/2014

Cross-posted from Until Philosophers are Kings…

By: Kevin Gillespie

In December 2009, Prime Minister Stephen Harper—attempting to postpone a confidence vote in the House of Commons—formally requested that the Governor General prorogue Parliament. After much speculation in the media as to what the GG would decide to do, Michaëlle Jean granted the PM’s request for prorogation. It has come to light however, that—had the GG refused the prorogation request—Stephen Harper was ready to appeal directly to the Queen. In a Globe and Mail article from 2010, Harper’s then-director of communications is quoted discussing this possibility: “When… asked what other avenues the Prime Minister was exploring in case the decision had gone against them, he responded: ‘Well, among them, the Queen’” (Ibbitson, 2010). As it happened, such an outcome was averted when the GG granted the prorogation request; nevertheless, the possibility of the Queen becoming directly involved in Canadian politics had been raised, leading to some interesting constitutional questions.

This paper will attempt to shed some light on one of these uncertainties in particular: whether or not it is constitutional for the PM to appeal an unfavourable vice-regal decision to the Queen. There are those who seem to argue—constitutional scholars and former-GGs among them—that the Queen no longer has the constitutional authority to override a vice-regal decision, asserting that any powers that the monarch might have previously held (apart from appointing the GG) have been either transferred to the GG via the Letters Patent of 1947, or subsequently lost through a convention of disuse. This paper will argue however, that the Letters Patent do not so much transfer, as they do authorize the GG to exercise the Queen’s powers—powers which the Queen still possesses regardless of a tradition of disuse. This argument is supported by several modern instances in which the Queen has used some of her long-dormant, or never used, powers in the Canadian context (i.e. the opening of Parliament in 1957 & 1977; the appointment of additional senators in 1990; the signing of the Constitution Act, 1982; and, the approval of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2011). Consequently, this paper concludes that—while it would certainly create new constitutional precedent—it would be constitutionally legitimate for the PM to appeal an unfavourable vice-regal decision directly to the Queen.

Published in the Journal of Canadian Studies, Bruce Hicks writes that “[constitutional] scholars spend a great deal of time hypothesizing democratic justification for powers that they themselves argue have fallen into disuse” (2010). As a result of a tradition of disuse and encouraged by the Letters Patent of 1947, it has been argued that the Queen has ceded most of her powers to the GG. In her autobiography,former-GG Adrienne Clarkson makes the claim that “[even] many politicians don’t seem to know that the final authority of the state was transferred from the monarch to the Governor General in the Letters Patent of 1947” (2006, 189-90). This claim suggests that it would be unconstitutional for the Queen to override a vice-regal decision, and appears to be supported by Andrew Heard—a prominent constitutional scholar. In his book on constitutional conventions Heard claims that, “[although] the Queen remains Canada’s legal head of state, the only area on which she plays any ongoing role lies in the appointment of the Governor General” (1991, 16). Here, Heard seems to be suggesting that a constitutional convention of disuse has arisen around the use of the Queen’s powers—a position which falls in line with Clarkson’s own interpretation.

While coming from a former-GG, Clarkson’s interpretation of the Letters Patent is itself questionable for one important reason: nowhere in the document does is say that the powers of the Crown have been transferred to the GG; what it actually says is this:

“And We do hereby authorize and empower Our Governor General, with the advice of Our Privy Council for Canada or of any members thereof or individually, as the case requires, to exercise all powers and authorities lawfully belonging to Us in respect of Canada”;

and referring specifically to the case of prorogation:

“And We do further authorize and empower Our Governor General to exercise all powers lawfully belonging to Us in respect of summoning, proroguing or dissolving the Parliament of Canada.”

It would seem that the GG is simply authorised to exercise most of the Queen’s constitutional powers. In other words, the Letters Patent do not transfer the Crown’s power to the GG, it just permits the GG to exercise them in the Queen’s name. For this reason, I find it hard to believe that the Letters Patent prevent the Queen from overturning a decision by the GG—especially if it comes at the request of Her PM.

Similarly, the argument that the Queen’s powers have been lost through a tradition of disuse is debatable. Bruce Hicks gives one example in which the celebrated constitutional expert Eugene Forsey mistakenly comes to the conclusion that “a convention had emerged preventing the use of… the clause [in the Constitution Act, 1867] that allows the Queen to authorize the appointment of additional senators to break a deadlock between the two chambers of the Canadian Parliament” (2010). This however turned out not to be the case, when in 1990 Brian Mulroney used this very provision to appoint 8 new senators in order to ensure the passage of his GST bill in the Senate (Plett: 2009). There have also been several other modern instances in which the Queen has carried out some of her rarely used powers in the Canadian context: In 1957 & 1977 the Queen officially opened Parliament, becoming the first reigning Canadian monarch to read the Speech from the Throne (The Royal Houshold: 2013); in 1982, the Queen proclaimed the newly-patriated Constitution (Historica); and more recently, the Queen has approved the creation of new honours for her Diamond Jubilee (The Governor General of Canada: 2011). While many of these duties are rarely used, or have traditionally been exercised by the GG, this has clearly not prevented the Queen from their performance.

When combined with the actual text of the Letters Patent, what these examples suggest is that—regardless of a tradition of disuse or performance by the GG—the Queen is still in possession of her constitutional powers and may use them upon the advice of her Canadian PM. Consequently—while the decision to overturn an unfavourable vice-regal decision would certainly shake up our constitutional system—it seems perfectly reasonable to assume that the PM has the constitutional right to appeal an unfavourable vice-regal decision directly to the Queen. What the Queen would do in such a situation however, is another matter entirely…

Bibliography

Clarkson, Adrienne. Heart Matters. Toronto: Viking Canada (AHC). 2006. Print.

“Creation of the Diamond Jubilee Medal.” The Governor General of Canada. 2011. Web. 4 Mar. 2011.

Heard, Andrew. Canadian Constitutional Conventions: The Marriage of Law and Politics. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print.

Hicks, Bruce M. “The Crown’s ‘Democratic’ Reserve Powers.” Journal of Canadian Studies. 2010. Web. 26 May. 2013.

Ibbitson, John. “Stephen Harper pondered appeal to Queen over prorogation.” The Globe and Mail. 30 Sept. 2010. Web. 26 May. 2013.

Letters Patent Constituting the Office of the Governor General of Canada. 1947. Web. 26 May, 2013.

Plett, Donald N. “About the Senate – Senators”. Donald Neil Plett. 2009. Web. 26 May, 2013.

“The Patriation of the Constitution.” Historica. Web. 27 May, 2013.

The Royal Household. “Queen in Canada.” The Official Website of th British Monarchy. 2013. Web. 26 May, 2013.

<<Previous

Is it a Good Idea for Prince Harry to Become Governor General of Canada?

Canadian Viceregal News: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

The Good...

The Bad...

And The Ugly...

The Patreon

Julie Payette Declared Canada's Next Governor General

New Year's Levée: Canada's Royal Tradition

Monarchy in the Year Ahead

Her Majesty Approves Two New Honours

The Polar Medal

Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers

Canada Day Viceregal Roundup

The Royal Christmas Message & Vice-Regal New Year's Greetings

Her Majesty on Reconciliation

The Governor General's Greetings

Princess Alberta

The Royal Appeal of a Vice-Regal Decision

About

Archives

Categories