The Canadian Kingdom ― 150 Years of Constitutional Monarchy

An integral part of Canada’s political culture, the constitutional monarchy has evolved over the 150 years since Confederation to become a uniquely Canadian institution.

Canada inherited the constitutional monarchy from Britain even before Confederation in 1867. In the 150 years since then, the Crown has shaped, and been shaped by, Canada’s achievement of independence, its robust federalism, the unique identity of Quebec, and its relationship with Indigenous peoples.

What has this “Canadian Crown” contributed to the Canada of the twenty-first century? How is this historic yet resilient institution perceived today? The essays in this book respond to these questions from a variety of perspectives, encompassing the arts, the role of the vice-regal representatives, the Indigenous peoples, and the contemporary position of the monarch. In discussing whether there is a distinctly Canadian monarchy, the authors look beyond Canada’s borders, too, and explore how Canada’s development has influenced other Commonwealth realms.

D. Michael Jackson was chief of protocol for the Government of Saskatchewan from 1980 to 2005. He is the president of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada and was appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005. He lives in Regina.