The Queen and Canada: Residences, Governor General, etc...

[ROYAL NORWAY]

What Justin Trudeau can expect at his first meeting with the Queen - Politics - CBC News

Queen says it's 'extraordinary' to meet her 2nd Prime Minister Trudeau - Politics - CBC News

Justin Trudeau was at Buckingham Palace today to meet the Queen.

She greeted the new Canadian prime minister by saying it was "nice to see you again... but under different circumstances."

"The last time we met you were much taller," Trudeau told the Queen, who now towers over the monarch he first met as a child travelling with his father and prime minister at the time, Pierre Trudeau.

"Well, this is extraordinary to think of, isn't it," the Queen replied with a laugh.

"So now you're having a very busy time," the Queen said to Trudeau, as cameras recorded the earliest moments of their meeting.

"Just a little bit," Trudeau said. "But it's a good one. There's a tremendous positive energy."

"Good. Well, come get a seat," she said, gesturing towards two chairs near the fireplace. Cameras were then escorted out.

The prime minister is travelling with his wife, Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau, his daughter, Ella-Grace, and youngest son, Hadrien, who joined him for his meeting with the Queen.

The media pool travelling with the prime minister was not allowed inside the Queen's apartment to record their entire conversation, which is confidential.

But they observed him being introduced with a ceremonial sword. The tone between Trudeau and the Queen was evidently friendly.

Canadian prime ministers always have an audience with the monarch after they're elected. But Trudeau is the only prime minister who has a history with this Royal Family.

"She was always lovely and gracious," Trudeau said in a statement provided earlier to reporters covering the Buckingham Palace stop. "She was very tall, which points out how little I was at the time.

"They were nice moments because I knew how much my dad liked her. You could tell my father was really proud to be introducing his son to the Queen."

Justin Trudeau's wife and children, as well as his senior political adviser and close friend, Gerald Butts, waited in an antechamber during his audience.

The rest of the family met the Queen after their private discussion.

The Queen is well known for her grasp of Canadian politics and history. She met with Pierre Trudeau several times while he was prime minister and reportedly enjoyed his company.

And here they are, the Queen with her twelfth Canadian Prime Minister.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CUqNii0WEAUdwA4.jpg

Almost every time she holds audiences with her Australian/New Zealand Prime Ministers we usually get a video of it, but it almost never happens when she meets her Canadian Prime Ministers.

 

[Rudolph]

19 images

PA Images ‏@PAImages
Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau meets with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace

https://www.paimages.co.uk/search-r...ory=A,S,E&event_on=2015-11-25&order=relevance

The PM gives a proper bow from the neck. Its how it should be done.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has arrived in Europe for the start of a six-day trip to London, Malta and Paris that will see him hold bilateral talks with the British prime minister and French president, meet the Queen, attend the Commonwealth summit, and lead Canada at the United Nations climate-change conference.

It’s the second foreign mission for Trudeau in a couple of weeks, having just returned from the G20 Summit in Turkey and an APEC meeting in the Philippines. The prime minister’s wife, Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, and two of their three children, daughter Ella-Grace and son Hadrien, have joined him on the trip.

Trudeau’s first stop was in London on Wednesday for an audience with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace, the site of his late father’s iconic pirouette behind her majesty in 1977 during a G7 conference that sparked an international sensation. Trudeau met Her Majesty around lunchtime, his second time meeting her in his life and first as prime minister.

Read more: Justin Trudeau meets the Queen (for the second time) at Buckingham Palace: ‘You were taller than me at the time’ | National Post

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Video:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets Queen Elizabeth II in London | Watch News Videos Online

 

[Mbruno]

What Justin Trudeau can expect at his first meeting with the Queen - Politics - CBC News

Queen says it's 'extraordinary' to meet her 2nd Prime Minister Trudeau - Politics - CBC News


And here they are, the Queen with her twelfth Canadian Prime Minister.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CUqNii0WEAUdwA4.jpg

Almost every time she holds audiences with her Australian/New Zealand Prime Ministers we usually get a video of it, but it almost never happens when she meets her Canadian Prime Ministers.

In a recent video I saw of Queen Elizabeth II meeting King Philippe in his introductory visit to the UK, she also initiated the conversation asking King Philippe if he had been very busy or something similar to that. Given that she said almost the same thing to PM Trudeau, I wonder if that sentence is one of HM's favorite "ice breakers" when meeting people, or if it was just a coincidence.

 

[Osipi]

Don't quote me on this and correct me if I'm wrong but IIRC, protocol dictates that one doesn't speak to the Queen unless she speaks to them first. If that is the case, I'm pretty sure that HM has a wide range of ice breakers to get the party started.

 

[Dman]

In a recent video I saw of Queen Elizabeth II meeting King Philippe in his introductory visit to the UK, she also initiated the conversation asking King Philippe if he had been very busy or something similar to that. Given that she said almost the same thing to PM Trudeau, I wonder if that sentence is one of HM's favorite "ice breakers" when meeting people, or if it was just a coincidence.

I have seen many videos of The Queen at these meetings, and the "busy" line is one of the main ones she uses when greeting these VIP's. I'd rather do it her way, than to overthink of something to say to guest, lol.

 

[Curryong]

^ What a moment of history, really. Quite unique. I wonder whether Justin's son Hadrien will have any interest in politics!

 

[Humera]

Yes it's extraordinary to think that both father and son became Prime Minister of Canada during the Queen's reign.

Video: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets Her Majesty the Queen - CBC Player

 

[Tiggersk8]

^ What a moment of history, really. Quite unique. I wonder whether Justin's son Hadrien will have any interest in politics!

Who knows, maybe it might be Xavier who takes on "The Family Business" somewhere down the line. I'm guessing they couldn't pull him out of School for how long they'd be gone and is why he's not w/them.

"You were much taller than me the last time."

Cheeky Mr. PM...Very, very cheeky...LOL!!

It seemed like both enjoyed their Meeting or at least the start of it from the impression I got from the Video.

The start of a new era.


Sent from my iPad using The Royals Community mobile app

 

[Ish]

^ What a moment of history, really. Quite unique. I wonder whether Justin's son Hadrien will have any interest in politics!

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if one of his children entered politics at some point. While none of his siblings have been involved in politics, his father obviously was, his half-sister's mother is involved in politics (and actually ran against him as leader of the Liberal Party in 2013), and his maternal grandfather was a Liberal MP for about 18 years, and a Cabinet Minister for 5. His paternal grandfather was also very politically minded, although he never ran for office, and somewhat interestingly was a supporter of the Conservative Party.

 

[Al_bina]

25 November 2015

Queen Elisabeth II granted an audience to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau | Blogs•Spletnik.ru

 

[Rudolph]

Buckingham Palace

8 Dec, The Queen, Colonel-in-Chief, The Canadian Grenadier Guards, received Colonel Richard Pound (Honorary Colonel), Lieutenant Colonel Wajahet Beg (Commanding Officer) and Regimental Sergeant Major William Simakis.

 

[Rudolph]

Her Most Excellent Majesty's Regal and Vice-Regal representatives will be hosting the annual New Year's Day Levee across Canada.

Monarchist League ‏@monarchist
The New Years Day Levée is one of the oldest Canadian customs, dating from 1646.

Monarchist League ‏@monarchist Dec 17
An excellent article on traditions of the Levée is found on the Website of The Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba:

Province of Manitoba | Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba

Monarchist League ‏@monarchist
VICE REGAL LEVEES: NEW YEAR’S DAY 2016:

Monarchist League ‏@monarchist
BRITISH COLUMBIA - New Year’s Day Levée, Government House 1401 Rockland Avenue, Victoria Friday, Jan 1, 10 am -12:00 noon

Monarchist League ‏@monarchist
ALBERTA - New Year’s Day Levée at Government House, 12845-102 Avenue, Edmonton, Friday, January 1, 1:30 - 3:30 pm

Monarchist League ‏@monarchist
SASKATCHEWAN - New Year’s Day Levée at Government House, 4607 Dewdney Avenue, Regina, Friday, January 1, 10 am to 12 noon

Monarchist League ‏@monarchist
MANITOBA - New Year’s Day Levée, Friday, January 1, The Legislative Assembly, Winnipeg, 2:30 - 4:00 pm

Monarchist League ‏@monarchist
ONTARIO - New Year’s Day Levée, Friday, January 1, Grand Theatre, 218 Princess St, Kingston, 2 pm to 5 pm, doors open at 1:30 pm

Monarchist League ‏@monarchist
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND - New Year’s Day Levée, Friday, January 1
Fanningbank, 1 Terry Fox Drive, Charlottetown, 10:00 -11:30 am

Monarchist League ‏@monarchist
NEW BRUNSWICK - New Year’s Day Levée, Friday, January 1
Government House, 51 Woodstock Road, Fredericton, 2:00 - 4:00 pm

Monarchist League ‏@monarchist
NOVA SCOTIA - New Year’s Day Levée, Friday, January 1, Government House, 1451 Barrington Street, Halifax,11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Monarchist League ‏@monarchist
NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR - Christmas Levée, Sunday, 20 December 2015, Government House, 50 Military Road, St John’s,3:00 - 4:30 p.m.

 

[Rudolph]

The Governor General's New Year's Message

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07A0XQvhRuM&feature=youtu.be

 

[Tiggersk8]

The Governor General's New Year's Message

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07A0XQvhRuM&feature=youtu.be

Finally!! This is a personal Holiday tradition of mine, but w/no Net service and then unable to find it broadcast on New Year's Day, obviously didn't get to keep it until now. Thanks Rudolph for sharing it here w/all of us!!

I heard somewhere that the Trudeaus had been invited to Christmas Supper/Dinner at Rideau Hall by the Johnsons, and that the entire Family was there too. As in all the Grandkids would be there. Dad was wondering that, w/the three young Trudeaus added to all the Grandkids of the GG, if Rideau Hall wasn't going to be left standing come Boxing Day...


Sent from my iPad using The Royals Community mobile app

 

[Rudolph]

Monarchist League ‏@monarchist
A black-and-white portrait of Elizabeth II adorns the latest in a long line of Canadian stamps honouring The Queen.

Monarchist League ‏@monarchist
In his portrait, Bailey homed in on what he described as The Queen’s “very kind eyes” and “mischievous glint.”

https://twitter.com/monarchist/status/686634238616055808

Robert Finch @MrMonarchist
Sneak peak of @monarchist League's logo for the Queen's 90th birthday this year. Designed by our own Anton Abaev.

https://twitter.com/MrMonarchist/status/686567988342992898

 

[Osipi]

I absolutely love the postage stamp. It captures very well the smile that reaches her eyes that I love about the Queen so very much. Her face absolutely lights up in these moments and I'm glad its been captured for posterity.

 

[AdmirerUS]

Monarchist League ‏@monarchist
A black-and-white portrait of Elizabeth II adorns the latest in a long line of Canadian stamps honouring The Queen.

Monarchist League ‏@monarchist
In his portrait, Bailey homed in on what he described as The Queen’s “very kind eyes” and “mischievous glint.”

https://twitter.com/monarchist/status/68663423861605580

I think this is perfection! Just after a perm, but otherwise the expression is wonderful! I looooove it.

 

[Ish]

So, there was a shooting at a school in Saskatchewan last Friday that left 4 dead and 7 critically injured. Has anyone seen any response from the Queen or any of the other members of the BRF?

 

[Dman]

So, there was a shooting at a school in Saskatchewan last Friday that left 4 dead and 7 critically injured. Has anyone seen any response from the Queen or any of the other members of the BRF?

OMG, I didn't know that. I would hope the royals said something about it.

 

[Mermaid1962]

There was a statement from the Governor General, which is, in effect, a royal statement. I don't recall any statements from anyone in the BRF about any school shootings. I think it would be more likely that there would be a message directly from the Queen if there were a large terrorist attack, or something like that.

Message from the Governor General of Canada Following the Shooting in La Loche, Saskatchewan

 

[Curryong]

I have a question to ask about Canada and the Queen, actually. I'm just wondering if amendment 41a of the Constitution means that all the Provinces and the Federal Government could adjust 'the office of the Queen' in order to vote out the monarchy and put in a President?

I do not want that to happen, obviously, as I'm a monarchist though a non-Canadian. I have always thought that each Province's government would have to vote the Queen out as well as the Federal government in Ottowa doing so. (Plus probably there would have to be a referendum). However, does 41a give Canadian republicans a 'get out' clause?

Also, is republicanism in Canada a strong movement, outside Quebec of course!

 

[Ish]

I have a question to ask about Canada and the Queen, actually. I'm just wondering if amendment 41a of the Constitution means that all the Provinces and the Federal Government could adjust 'the office of the Queen' in order to vote out the monarchy and put in a President?

I do not want that to happen, obviously, as I'm a monarchist though a non-Canadian. I have always thought that each Province's government would have to vote the Queen out as well as the Federal government in Ottowa doing so. (Plus probably there would have to be a referendum). However, does 41a give Canadian republicans a 'get out' clause?

Also, is republicanism in Canada a strong movement, outside Quebec of course!

I think the way you're reading the amendment is as if it makes it easier to change the constitution regarding the Crown, when actually it does the opposite.

Article 38 of the Constitution says:
38. (1) An amendment to the Constitution of Canada may be made by proclamation issued by the Governor General under the Great Seal of Canada where so authorized by

(a) resolutions of the Senate and the House of Commons; and (b) resolutions of the legislative assemblies of at least two-thirds of the provinces that have, in the aggregate, according to the then latest general census, at least fifty per cent of the population of the provinces.

​

So, basically, in order to amend the constitution you have to have the Federal Government in agreement as well as the majority of the Provinces (the territories get no say in the matter).


But, Article 41A says:
41. An amendment to the Constitution of Canada in relation to the following matters may be made by proclamation issued by the Governor General under the Great Seal of Canada only where authorized by resolutions of the Senate and House of Commons and of the legislative assemblies of each province:
(a) the office of the Queen, the Governor General and the Lieutenant Governor of a province;

Or, basically, adding additional conditions to changing the Constitution in regards to the Queen, GG, or LG. So, while other parts of the constitution can be changed with just the federal government and the majority of the provinces in agreement, in order to change matters relating to the Crown you have to have the Federal government and ALL the Provincial governments (the territories still get no say) in agreement.

As for the republican movement, it's not really that strong. Neither is the monarchist movement for that matter, but it gains something through status quo. If the issue where to come to a referendum I could see it going either way, but because of the general difficulty of changing the Constitution in Canada and the lack of a real push for it, I doubt there's likely to be a referendum on the issue any time soon - there's no talk about it, no major parties (outside of Quebec) openly support it, and in fact the Federal Liberals (who form the Government) and the Conservatives (who form the Opposition) have both said that they presently support the continuation of the monarchy (the Conservatives being more monarchist, while the Liberals feeling there are more important issues).

And on the issue of changing the Constitution itself... in order to change the relationship with the Crown all 10 Provinces and the Federal government have to be in agreement. To put that into perspective, in order to pass the Constitution itself they only required a two-thirds majority from the Provinces. Which is a good thing, because even today - more than 30 years since the Constitution was passed, not all 10 Provinces have ratified it (points if you guess which Province hasn't).

 

[Ish]

There was a statement from the Governor General, which is, in effect, a royal statement. I don't recall any statements from anyone in the BRF about any school shootings. I think it would be more likely that there would be a message directly from the Queen if there were a large terrorist attack, or something like that.



Message from the Governor General of Canada Following the Shooting in La Loche, Saskatchewan

I don't entirely agree.

There have been a few events in recent years that I thought would get royal acknowledgement - actual royal acknowledgement, not proxy GG acknowledgement - which didn't. This is one of those events. It's not something that is remotely common place - Canada doesn't have many mass shootings or terrorist attacks, and there have been fewer than 20 school shootings in the last 40 years in Canada.

I'm a little disappointed that there has been a tragic event in Canada (a type of which rarely happens) and our monarch isn't acknowledging it. Especially since William yesterday took the time to write a heartfelt message in response to the death of Henry Worsley. They have time to do that (which they should, I'm not criticizing in any way), but they can't take the time to write a few words regarding their less famous Canadian subjects who are undergoing tragedy?

 

[Ish]

OMG, I didn't know that. I would hope the royals said something about it.

Some info on it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Loche_shootings

 

[Curryong]

Thank you Ish. That makes it much clearer.

 

[Mbruno]

Thank you Ish. That makes it much clearer.

I'm not Canadian either, but my perception of Canadians is that they are neither staunch monarchists (with a few exceptions in the Conservative Party), nor enthusiastic republicans. The best description then is that they are generally indifferent to the monarchy/republic debate. Although many people might personally like the idea of electing a Canadian Head of State, most people also think it is not a sufficiently important issue to warrant a lengthy constitutional amendment process, which would require a negotiation between the federal government and the provinces where some provinces (read Quebec and, perhaps, the Western provinces) might also want to reopen other constitutional issues (Canadians have bad memories about that from the 1980s and 1990s !).

As Ish said, the fact that there is no major federal party leader (and actually no major provincial party leader either) calling for a Canadian republic makes it very unlikely that it will happen any time soon, even if Australia becomes a republic and/or Queen Elizabeth II is replaced by Charles.

I also tend to think that one of the reasons why republicanism is not so popular among Canadians is that, in Canada in particular, more so than in Australia I think, recent Governor Generals have had a really high profile and are widely seen as real acting Heads of State who are changed from time to time, not unlike a ceremonial president would be. In fact, to many Canadians, the Governor General is a de facto Head of State and the Canadian government in a way, even in official websites, sometimes depicts him/her that way, although that is technically and constitutionally inaccurate.

 

[Ish]

Mbruno, I'd like to correct some of that perception.

I think political party that tends to support the monarchy the most is the Conservatives (on a Federal level; on Provincial levels things are rather different), but I wouldn't say that all staunch Monarchists are Conservatives. Actually, every Monarchist I know (myself included) are not supporters of the Conservative party (granted, I don't associate with many supporters of the Conservative party..)

On the issue of the GGs of Canada, I wouldn't say that they in mass are really high profile. The last two (Adrienne Clarkson and Michaelle Jean) were fairy high profile within Canada (and somewhat prone to controversy), but David Johnston hasn't really been, nor was it hugely common prior to Clarkson (there are exceptions, of course).

I think a big part of the reason why Canada is less republican than some of the other Commonwealth countries is owing more to Canada's history and relationship with its neighbours. It seams to me like most of the other Commonwealth Realms have a good degree of resentment towards Britain and the shared history there - colonialism being a big reason for most of the realms. Canada doesn't have that, not the same way. I mean, yes, we have the the Quebecois and Aboriginals who have troubled histories, but many early English Canadian settlers were British Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution. There's this huge history of Canada using their relationship with Britain to "protect" Canada from the reach of our American neighbours to the south. Even now there's still a fear of Americans, and our culture (at least English Canada's culture) is this amalgamation of British/European and American cultures. We cling to the monarchy at least in part because we fear that without it we'd be taken over by the Americans.

Adding on to that, though, is the fact that the RF seems to continue to dote on us in a way. Individuals members have always spoken highly of Canada, with the Queen and DoE both identifying themselves as Canadians. There are typically several royal tours conducted each year. I could make comment about their scope and length, but I think at least part of that (both in terms of how many we get, how long they are, and where they go) is because of the Canadian government.

Oh. That said, part of the reason why Canadians are more monarchist (or less republican) could really just be because our government is encouraging us to maintain the status quo. In contrast, other realms definitely have their politicians (if not their actual governments) pushing for a republic.

 

[Curryong]

I've only briefly been to Canada and the impression I got was of a patriotic people who were determined not to be completely swamped (well, as much as possible) by US culture. It must be rather uncomfortable living next door to an massive elephant who had ideas about its 'manifold destiny' in the 19th century, and I do agree that a monarchy and a Westminster system of government are distinct differences.

On the other hand, I don't think that colonialism has played a huge role in Australians' feelings towards Britain in the modern era, with the exception of the Aboriginal population. After all, most colonies became self-ruling internally quite early, New South Wales for example in 1855, Victoria 1856 etc. Convictism was regarded as a stain and a matter of shame throughout the 19th century.

Of course there were early republicans, but IMO there was more resentment after WW1 when the perception grew that British military leaders were overly eager to use the flower of Australian manhood as storm troops in the vanguard of fighting at the Western Front.

 

[Ish]

Curryong, I think a comparison of the Canada/USA dynamic might be the New Zealand/Australia dynamic - one considerably bigger, more powerful country right beside a much smaller, culturally similar, and often overlooked neighbour. Except on a much grander scale, because in the Canada/USA dynamic one of the countries is... Well, the US.

Regarding your perception of our people (and culture/identity/etc), your very spot on. The US did have an attitude of manifest destiny throughout the 19th century (and even into the 20th), and is a very dominant country, particularly when it comes to economics and culture. Canadian industry has struggled for most of Canada's history because it's pretty impossible to keep up with the US.

While Canada is geographically huge (bigger than the US), but population wise... More people live in the state of California than in all of Canada. And for distribution... Something like 97% of Canadians live within 100 km of the US border. So there's a lot more of them, and they're really close to us.

As for my comment regarding the Commonwealth Realms and colonialism, I didn't include Australia in that regards - Australian republicanism (along with New Zealand republicanism, and to a much lesser extent Canadian republicanism) has different sources from that in the other Realms largely because of the huge difference in the form of colonialism that took place. Australia was a settler colony where in white, European settlers sought to eradicate the Indigenous population - Canada was the same. As a result, there's more of a familial relationship that's continued until now (for better or for worse). In other realms, this is different - they weren't settler colonies, but rather colonies where European political infrastructure came in and dominated the majority of the not-European population. Post-colonialism, that easily gives way to republican movements because the Crown is more a symbol of oppression than of tradition.