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>The queen is a total irrelevance in Canada. Maybe, but new Canadians still have to swear loyalty to the Queen in the citizenship ceremony.

arethuza 11y ago
What about the Canadian armed forces?
- jasonlotito 11y ago
  Yes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_Allegiance_(Canada) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_Allegiance_(Canada)
- pmelendez 11y ago
  Yeah... that's even worse... All new recruits have to swear to the Queen too, and she is the Command in Chief of armed forces. But to be fair she delegates most of the power to the General Governor of Canada which is appointed by the recommendation of the Prime Minister which is indirectly elected by the citizens. Balance of Power in Canada is very tricky and obfuscated, but here is a fairly accurate (and fun to watch) explanation by Rick Mercer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi1yhp-_x7A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi1yhp-_x7A
jasonlotito 11y ago
http://canadiancrown.gc.ca/eng/1332788662861/1332788724918 http://canadiancrown.gc.ca/eng/1332788662861/1332788724918
branchless 11y ago
I'm a Brit who moved to Canada and I find it _amazing_ that anyone here supports the queen. You moved to a new land where you were not serfs. Where you could live free and your children could escape a suffocating class structure. To a land where you elected your own leaders. Do you want oppression back?
- notahacker 11y ago
  I'm not convinced the Queen is doing much oppressing these days...
  - acrooks 11y ago
    No, you're right, but I think branchless' comment was referring to the Queen in the context of her role, not the person herself. Her role is that of, among others, a high-profile figurehead for the upper class. And the prominence and cultural importance of the role is certainly a factor in the oppression.
    - branchless 11y ago
      The UK is plenty oppressed. We still have all the same problems with economic rent extracted via land ownership.
      - notahacker 11y ago
        Every country - republics included - has that problem. Although the reason that a relatively high proportion of resource extraction revenues in Canada are redirected to public welfare is, perhaps ironically, because the vast majority of Canada's territory is classed as Crown Land...
        branchless 11y ago
        Which is as it should be - that land belongs to all Canadians. In the UK Queenie gets 15% of crown land to spend on the their lavish lives. I wonder how much rent she takes out of Canadian schools and hospitals. Any idea? Google failed me.
- jordigh 11y ago
  > You moved to a new land where you were not serfs. This MUH FREEDOM metanarrative belongs more to the US. For example, freedom of speech in Canada is very much unlike the US -- hate speech and similar things have never been protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. People did not come to Canada to escape English or French monarchic oppression. Even Quebeckers feel a historical sorrow to have been forgotten by France, but never staged any sort of revolt against France. They still use the same French Fleur de Lys as their symbol, just like the rose is used by Anglophone Canadians to symbolise their attachment to England.

arethuza 11y ago

What about the Canadian armed forces?

jasonlotito 11y ago
Yes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_Allegiance_(Canada) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_Allegiance_(Canada)
pmelendez 11y ago
Yeah... that's even worse... All new recruits have to swear to the Queen too, and she is the Command in Chief of armed forces. But to be fair she delegates most of the power to the General Governor of Canada which is appointed by the recommendation of the Prime Minister which is indirectly elected by the citizens. Balance of Power in Canada is very tricky and obfuscated, but here is a fairly accurate (and fun to watch) explanation by Rick Mercer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi1yhp-_x7A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi1yhp-_x7A

jasonlotito 11y ago

http://canadiancrown.gc.ca/eng/1332788662861/1332788724918 http://canadiancrown.gc.ca/eng/1332788662861/1332788724918

branchless 11y ago

I'm a Brit who moved to Canada and I find it _amazing_ that anyone here supports the queen. You moved to a new land where you were not serfs. Where you could live free and your children could escape a suffocating class structure. To a land where you elected your own leaders. Do you want oppression back?

notahacker 11y ago
I'm not convinced the Queen is doing much oppressing these days...
- acrooks 11y ago
  No, you're right, but I think branchless' comment was referring to the Queen in the context of her role, not the person herself. Her role is that of, among others, a high-profile figurehead for the upper class. And the prominence and cultural importance of the role is certainly a factor in the oppression.
  - branchless 11y ago
    The UK is plenty oppressed. We still have all the same problems with economic rent extracted via land ownership.
    - notahacker 11y ago
      Every country - republics included - has that problem. Although the reason that a relatively high proportion of resource extraction revenues in Canada are redirected to public welfare is, perhaps ironically, because the vast majority of Canada's territory is classed as Crown Land...
      - branchless 11y ago
        Which is as it should be - that land belongs to all Canadians. In the UK Queenie gets 15% of crown land to spend on the their lavish lives. I wonder how much rent she takes out of Canadian schools and hospitals. Any idea? Google failed me.
jordigh 11y ago
> You moved to a new land where you were not serfs. This MUH FREEDOM metanarrative belongs more to the US. For example, freedom of speech in Canada is very much unlike the US -- hate speech and similar things have never been protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. People did not come to Canada to escape English or French monarchic oppression. Even Quebeckers feel a historical sorrow to have been forgotten by France, but never staged any sort of revolt against France. They still use the same French Fleur de Lys as their symbol, just like the rose is used by Anglophone Canadians to symbolise their attachment to England.