Governor General Ed Schreyer, the Queen, her husband, Prince Philip, and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau pose together following the 1982 constitutional ceremonies.

Many foreigners (and even some Canadians) will be surprised to learn that Canada is a monarchy. This means that Canada has a royal family and Canada's head of state is a hereditary monarch. However, Canada does not have it's own unique monarchy. We instead "share" the monarchy with Great Britain, in what continues to be one of the more unusual features of Canada's government.

The Queen of Canada, is therefore Elizabeth the Second. As I'm sure you know she also happens to be Queen of England.

The tradition is for the Queen to spend about a week visiting Canada at least once every four years.

This "sharing" of the monarchy is not as rare as it sounds. Canada is a member of the British Commonwealth, and thus we "share" the monarchy with about a dozen other countries. Elizabeth is not only Queen of Canada and the UK, but also Queen of Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, and a bunch of other former and current British colonies. Thanks to a statute signed in 1931, Canada has to be consulted and approve all royal weddings and abdications that involve the British Royal Family, on the grounds that they are part of "our" royal family too.

Being a monarchy affects Canada's political system more than you might think. For starters, this means that Canadians do not get to elect their Nation's Head of State. It is a little odd for Canada's Head of State to live in a foreign nation and only visit every four or five years, so we have a special "acting" Canadian Head of State that serves when the Queen is not around. This person is known as the Governor General of Canada, and you can read more about that office on that page.

The crests of the Canadian Navy, Mounted Police, Veteran's union, and national spy agency. Note the crowns.

It will probably not surprise you to learn that the Queen does not play an active role in Canadian politics. She has almost no political power, and what little constitutional authority she does have is exercised by the Governor General, on her behalf.

The Role of the Canadian Monarchy goes far beyond political powers and the Governor General, however. Living in a constitutional monarchy means that almost all of Canada's political institutions are structured to make at least some reference to the Queen.

For example, "The Crown" is a commonly used political term in Canada. Technically, the Crown means the Queen. The Government of Canada is a "possession" of the Queen, and operates on behalf of her wishes. Therefore, the term "Crown" is generally used to to describe the government and its possessions. A Crown Company is a company owned by the Government, Crown Land is land owned by the Government, a Crown Prosecutor is a Government lawyer, and so on.

Government publications often record the year of the Queen's regin along with the year. I'm not sure why.

The prefix "royal" is equally common, and also indicates government possession. Canada's money is printed by the Royal Canadian Mint, Canadian veterans hang out at the Royal Canadian Legion, Canada's streets are protected by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and so on.

The Queen's name is also occasionally used, but slightly less often. If I commit a criminal offense in Canada, it will go on the books as being a crime against "Her Majesty, the Queen." In republics, like the United States, crimes are usually considered to be against the state, or "The People." In a monarchy, technically it is the monarch who has the power, and not the people. So the language in our legal system reflects this. All laws in Canada are made in the name of the Queen. Once my Grandmother got pulled over for a speeding ticket and the officer informed her she had broken "one of Her Majesty's laws." We all had a hearty laugh.

The 20 dollar bill features the Queen. Until recently, so did all other bills, too.

Along with her name, Canada is full of visual references to the Queen. Every school, library, post office, court house, city hall, and government building in Canada usually contains at least one framed photo of her Majesty, displayed in a prominent location.

The Queen's face also appears on the back of every Canadian coin, and on the 20 Dollar Bill. Numerous stamps and military medals also bear her likeness.

In most other situations, an image of the crown is used as a symbol of the Queen. On the logos and crests of most Canadian institutions, an image of the crown will usually be placed in a respectful position, signifying the Queen's authority. Crown decals are commonly seen on the uniforms of police officers are soldiers, as well. In fact, in Canada, instead of being awarded "stars" for military ranks (ie: four star general, etc) crowns are instead given.

Here's me sitting under a giant portrait of the Queen in a courthouse near where I live.

The final, and most important significant presence of the Queen is in the oath of Canadian citizenship. To become a Canadian citizen, one must recite the following:

"I swear that I will be faithful, and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty, Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, all her heirs and successors, and I will faithfully execute my duties as a Canadian citizen, and obey the laws of Canada."

A similar oath must be taken prior to becoming a Canadian politician, lawyer, judge, cop, or soldier.

Other random Queen facts:

• Until 1981, "God Save the Queen" was Canada's national anthem. Today, it is only sung on very formal occasions.
• Politicians often "toast" the Queen at formal functions ("Ladies and gentlemen, a toast, to the Queen!").
• Most branches of the Canadian military have a member of the royal family as their symbolic commander-in-chief.
• All Canadian naval ships are registered as being "H.M.C.S.", meaning "Her Majesty's Canadian Ship." So a typical name would be like "The HMCS Beaver," or whatever.
• Canadian post offices are legally mandated to always carry stamps with the Queen's picture on them, for anyone who wants some.