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The monarchy of Canada is the core of both Canada's federalism and its Westminster-style parliamentary democracy, being the foundation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the federal and each provincial government.
King Charles III, styled King of Canada, acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022 upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The monarch is represented in Canada by the Governor General. In Canada's provinces, the monarch in right of each is represented by a lieutenant governor. As territories fall under the federal jurisdiction, they each have a commissioner, rather than a lieutenant governor, who represents the federal Crown-in-Council directly.
In Canada King Charles III is styled: "His Majesty Charles the Third, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, Canada and His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith" in English, and "Sa Majesté Charles Trois, par la grâce de Dieu, Roi du Royaume-Uni, du Canada et de ses autres royaumes et territoires, Chef du Commonwealth, Défenseur de la Foi" in French.
The Canadian monarch, besides reigning in Canada, separately serves as monarch for a number of other Commonwealth countries known as Commonwealth realms. This developed from the former colonial relationship of these countries to Great Britain, but they are now independent of each other and are legally distinct. |
