Her Majesty's New Rep. in Canada

Governor General Johnston brings sense of humour to office.





Hat tip: Reflections of a Young Fogey

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"A Despotic Lieutenant Governor"

Meddle no more thou busy imposers for we now have it in our power to make you curse the hour when you dared interfere with the Constitution.

Thomas Robert McInnes, the 6th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, was one of the most controversial vice-regals in British imperial history. After reading his turbulent biography, one wonders if his former position as superintendent of the provincial Lunatic Asylum (what they called institutions for the mentally disabled in the politically incorrect year of 1878) had any impact on his subsequent political career, especially his time as Lieutenant Governor.

While the political situation in BC at the time of his governship was turbulent (the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia was made up of factions rather than organized political parties), McInnes believed it to be his role to arbitrarily dismiss and appoint premiers without the support of the legislature or the people. The Dominion Government warned McInnes not to meddle in provincial politics, but "the Governor was not a man who cared to be dictated to by eastern capitalists concerning western political situations."

The first premier to experience the swing of McInnes' axe was John H. Turner, whom McInnes removed from office 8 August 1898. Although Turner was having difficulties forming a government amidst all the political turmoil, his dismissal was widely criticized. McInnes appointed Robert Beaven to replace Turner, but as Beaven did not even have a seat in the House, McInnes was forced to appoint his second choice, Charles Semlin as the new premier on 15 August 1898. However, when Semlin began to have problems in the House, McInnes demanded he call elections. When Semlin refused, McInnes abruptly dismissed him, and appointed his opponent, the unpopular Joseph Martin. Martin's term as premier was the shortest in BC history and he was ousted with a vote of non-confidence, which overwhelmingly passed 30-1 on 14 June 1900.

Wide public discontent with McInnes was apparent. After Martin's appointment as premier, McInnes arrived to prorogue the assembly and every MLA, aside from Martin and the speaker, walked out. The next premier, James Dunsmuir wrote to Sir Wilfred Laurier, the Dominion Prime Minister, condemning McInnes' actions as "contrary to the principles, usages, and customs of constitutional government." The Provincial Rights Association published a decree (it is worth reading the entire complaint) in which they wrote:

The People's complaints to the Provincial Rights Association

Decree No. 37
Published for the information of the People
The council of the Provincial Rights Association of British Columbia by virtue of the power vested in it by the constitution, has presented to the world a strong case against Thomas R. McInnes, Lieutenant Governor of the Province, and the Association has already been instrumental in calling the attention of the Dominion Government to the devious methods of government adopted by the said Thomas R. McInnes and his paid personal representatives.

Thomas R. McInnes has committed a series of outrages on the constitution of this Province, and therefore, on the people, beginning in 1898 and not having ended at the present hour. The man that has been his chief adviser for some time past, how long it has not yet been ascertained, is Joseph Martin a hare brained political conspirator, a modern Macduff who claims to be the Premier of this province, but who is not Premier, since this a position that belongs to the legislative assembly to confer, and no man, under responsible constitutional government, can be declared such by any autocrat, but must be so declared by the voice of the people through a majority of the legislature in session assembled. It is perfectly true that some time ago, the time not yet being a known quantity, Thomas R. McInnes selected Joseph Martin to be his chief adviser, but Joseph Martin was unable to get any members of the then existing Legislature to join his political menagerie, and he was compelled to go into the highways and the by-ways for timber, with the result that he has formed a museum of political curiosities that are in no way responsible to the people of whom the said Joseph Martin is alleged to be great friend. Thus by the royal mandate of Thomas R. McInnes, illegally and unconstitutionally exercised, Joseph Martin and his irresponsible and incapable associates are in no way the choice of the people of the great questions affecting the welfare of the Province, but are a cabal set above the heads of people who are now asked to acquiesce in a proceeding which was taken and carried out without their consent.

No man who is the subservient tool of a despotic Lieutenant Governor, who is not responsible to the people, can be a true or sincere friend of the people. The people's rights have been grossly invaded and trampled upon by Thomas R. McInnes, Lieutenant Governor of this Province and by his co-conspirators.

The Prime Minister of the Dominion, Sir Wilfred Laurier has refused to assist Thomas R. McInnes, the head, and Joseph Martin, the tail of this rump creation, and the Provincial Rights Association which steadfastly opposes all tyrants, be they representatives of the Crown, or of the people, will hunt them from post to pillar until avenging justice shall have secured their political strangulation.

Never since the days of Sir Francis Bond Head, since the later perverse folly of Sir Charles Metcalf in 1843, has there been in Canada such a bold, desperate and shame faced attempt to trample on the rights and liberties of the people as there is presented at the present hour, and each hour adds darkness to the fraud, and new attempts are being made to purchase entire constituencies wholesale by these usurpers and pretenders.

It has now, indeed, "become necessary to instruct the throne in the language of truth, "and we must if possible, dispel the delusion and the darkness that envelope it and display in its full danger and genuine colors the ruin which it has brought to our doors."

Certainly, "the people are not so dead to their dignity and duty as to acquiesce in men and measures that have thus been obtruded and forced upon them, men and measures that have reduced this fine Province to the scorn and contempt of the intelligent world. The people are asked to support men on whose records are written despotism, madness, tyranny, mis-government, misrepresentation, fraud, deception, demagoguism, ex post facto legislation, bigotry, usurpation and wrong. The horrifying banner is a fragment torn from midnight and the voices are not those of patriots and liberators, but the appeals of irresponsible adventurers skilled in the smoothness of flattery and deception and proficient in the art of political jugglery. Their legislative enactments will be a series of infamous contributions to the "statutes of fraud," while the ultimate result of their political chicanery will be certain death to Provincial credit and prosperity already on the verge of ruin, unless checked by the voice of reason and of patriotism which let us sincerely hope will receive the approval of Him, who created a system out of a "spacious void, and whose blessing we sincerely believe will not be bestowed on a tyrant like Thomas R. McInnes or a professional wrecker like Joseph Martin, assisted by Smith Curtis, the Oily Gammon of this Comedy of Errors.

We warn these three men especially, in the immortal language of Junius- "meddle no more thou busy imposers for we now have it in our power to make you curse the hour when you dared interfere with the Constitution."

HORACE F. EVANS Executive officer

Rossland, B.C., April 26th, 1900.

In response, Laurier advised McInnes to resign on 19 June 1900 and when McInnes refused, Laurier unprecedentedly advised the governor general to dismiss him from office the following day and appointed the fascinating French-Canadian from Quebec, Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière as his replacement.

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Australia's new Prime Minister

I would like to make three statements about the seemless transition of power from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to Prime Minister Julia Gillard a couple of weeks ago.



1. It is wonderful to see that Cabinet Government is alive and well in Australia! I'm politically indifferent between Rudd and Gillard, but the fact that a sitting prime minister can be unseated by his peers is a good thing, and demonstrates the needed flexibility, stability and maturity of our parliamentary democracy in doing so.

2. The swearing-in ceremony was a highly dignified proceeding, and there is no doubt in watching the video who is in charge. Quentin Bryce, the Governor-General doesn't come across as merely a ceremonial rubber stamp, but as a chief of state handing over executive power to the next government in the name of Her Majesty.

3. The Oath of Office is a republican abomination. It is a shame that Julia Gillard has followed the example of Kevin Rudd in making no mention of the Queen in promising only to "well and truly serve the Commonwealth of Australia, her land and her people."

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A Gentleman for Governor General and a Stalwart Defender of the Canadian Crown

Prime Minister Harper's team of "ardent monarchists" has chosen well. David Lloyd Johnston, who will become the Queen's next vice-regal representative in Canada, is a highly respected political moderator, legal scholar, university president and constitutional monarchist who vows to be "a stalwart defender of our Canadian heritage, of Canadian institutions and of the Canadian people". Above all, and having followed him for many years as a non-partisan moderator of political debate on television, he is an impeccable gentleman with a distinguished record of public service. I am sure he will perform brilliantly in his new role as Governor General. This is a fine choice indeed!

Read: Incoming governor general proud to serve Canadians - CTV News Read More »»

British Crown Dependencies seek new Lieutenant Governors

The three British Crown Dependencies are Guernsey, Jersey & the Isle of Man. Apply here if you wish to be considered for Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Mann. The application deadline is July 30th.

Commonwealth or Irish citizens are equally eligible to apply, as the Crown dependencies are not in political union with either the United Kingdom or the European Union. However, "a distinguished military service background at the highest level" is specified.

The post of Guernsey's lieutenant governor, which comes with a tax-free salary of £105,000, has been advertised.

The post, which would be taken up in April, has been advertised in the Times newspaper by the Ministry of Justice.

Applicants have been told they must have a full and distinguished military career.

Candidates need to apply to Guernsey's Bailiff's chambers for an application pack.

The advert said the island's authorities would decide the appointment, a move away from past appointments, which were made by the Queen from recommendations drawn up by the Ministry of Justice.

Vice Admiral Sir Fabian Malbon (photo right), the current lieutenant governor, is due to continue in his post until his successor takes up the role.

The lieutenant governor's main duties are primarily diplomatic and ceremonial.

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So Her Majesty comes to town and the Prime Minister dispatches the Governor General to China

Is this not an abuse of protocol, should not the country's vice-regal accompany the Queen throughout her entire tour while she is here? No, it is not. It is well and proper for the Governor General to be the first to greet Her Majesty on her arrival and the last to say goodbye, but beyond that you might as well call the monarch's representative woefully unemployed for the nine days that the Monarch is in the country. If the vice-regal's job is to represent the Queen while she is out of the country, then when she is in the country it is just as well that the Governor General disappear altogether.

The King and Queen with Lord Tweedsmuir, Governor General of Canada
In 1939 this protocol question was wrongfully resolved. The Governor General of the day, Lord Tweedsmuir, rightfully considered it his role to greet the King and Queen on their arrival in Canada, and escort them to Ottawa, thereafter Prime Minister Mackenzie King would then accompany them for the rest of their journey. Mackenzie King, however, wanted to be the one to welcome the royal couple when their ship arrived, and so forced his way. The staff at Laurier House and Rideau Hall debated this point furiously in the weeks leading up to the royal visit. In the end, the Governor General's role was diminished even further than he had anticipated. He did not greet the King and Queen until they reached Ottawa some days later. There they stayed with him and his wife at Government House, and he joined them for the farewell in Halifax. Tweedsmuir was scandalously denied the right to greet the royals upon their arrival, and to his credit understood that once the royal standard is firmly planted on native soil, it was his job to assume a significantly diminished role. Read More »»

"The Head of State Debate"

Is the Governor General the head of state? Well, Slick Willy must be the new Canadian viceroy because according to Rideau Hall, it depends on what the definition of is is.

Needless to say, the Dominion Chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada and the Governor General are no longer working on the same team. Robert Finch says he doesn't have a choice, he's gotta tell it like it is:

The significance of last week, though, is not the fact that our Governor General referred to herself as head of state. Nor is it the fact that Rideau Hall so foolishly tried to justify using the term... And, nor is it the fact that the Prime Minister issued a rare public rebuke.

Rather, the importance of last week is that years of constitutional vandalism was suddenly exposed. Last week, the general public learned what many of us reluctantly suspected was on the agenda: a carefully calculated plan to elevate the office of the Governor General, to purposely downplay the role of The Queen herself, to "Canadianize" the Crown into a monarchy without a monarch.

Finally, the story was being told. The head-of-stateism-by-stealth campaign was blown wide open for all to see. Yes, that's what is important...

I believe that years from now we will look back and realise that last week was indeed a turning point. The hidden agenda to turn the Governor General into the head of state now public and causing tremendous backlash, the steps are now being taken to reverse the trend and to restore the vice-regal office to what it truly should be: a representative of our Queen, a woman who has dutifully and selflessly served us for almost 60 years.

Here is only a sampling of articles from the mainstream media on the whole "Head of State Debate":


Queen is our head of state, Prime Minister reminds GG
The Gazette (Montreal) - Randy Boswell - ‎Oct 13, 2009‎
Stephen Harper has sent a clear message to Michaelle Jean, the Governor-General, that she should not ...

Governor General's new website adds fuel to head-of-state debate
The Gazette (Montreal) - Randy Boswell - ‎Oct 13, 2009‎
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Governor General Michaelle Jean in the senate chambers in Ottawa. ...

Queen keeps distance from 'head of state' flap
National Post - ‎Oct 13, 2009‎
Andy Clark/Reuters Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to an RCMP training facility in Ottawa on Oct. 14, 2002. News of Canada's "head of state" uproar has ...

1 or 24: Which comes first?
Ottawa Citizen - Randy Boswell - ‎Oct 13, 2009‎
Ottawa's two most prestigious addresses are locked in a polite -- but firm -- battle over exactly who is the head of state, writes Randy Boswell. ...

A viceroy is a viceroy
Globe and Mail - ‎Oct 12, 2009‎
Governor-General Michaelle Jean is inspects the Ceremonial Guard at Rideau Hall on June 18, 2009. The Canadian Press From Tuesday's Globe and Mail Published ...

Citizenship and the Governor-General
The Suburban - Jim Wilson - ‎12 hours ago‎
We all know that on one side of Canadian coinage is an image that we recognize as the Queen, who is the country's head of state. ...

L. Ian MacDonald: Uneasy lies the Governor General that wears the crown
National Post - ‎10 hours ago‎

A hot debate about head of state
The Globe and Mail - Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009 12:19AM EDT

Douglas Bell: Steve and Betty
The Globe and Mail - Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009 02:35PM EDT

Norman Spector: Fixing a constitutional grey area
The Globe and Mail - Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009 08:55AM EDT Read More »»

Republican rigour in the face of appalling apathy and constitutional ignorance

Here: "If you do all the head-of-state stuff, aren’t you the head of state?"

I don't know, John, if a man squats on your property, isn't it his property?

Dan Gardner (somebody sane) takes a decidedly less casual view:

But then John, and others, point to the fact that the GG has taken over more and more roles of the head of state. Doesn't that prove that she is, in fact, the head of state? No, it doesn't. What it proves is that we critics were right to worry about this stuff when we did.

Remember how Adrienne Clarkson stopped Ralph Klein from having the Queen personally sign legislation? The GG said it was contrary to the policy of "Canadianization." At the time, those who got upset were told this was too trivial to worry about. It meant nothing! Then Clarkson had foreign diplomats stop addressing their letters of introduction to the Queen and address them to her instead. Again, this annoyed some of us but, hey, it's meaningless, right? Wrong. As I and others said, Rideau Hall was attempting to build up precedents which would turn the monarch into a constitutional dead letter. Then, when they felt their position was strong enough, they would seek to formally elevate the GG to head of state.

And look what's happening now: Rideau Hall is attempting to elevate the GG to head of state, and it's making its case by pointing to those "trivial" precedents. And suddenly, John Geddes and others find those precedents to be not so trivial. Suddenly, they're compelling evidence.

Look, I know most people think this is all about toasts at Rideau Hall and whose face goes on the coins. But it's much more than that. This is about Canadian history and heritage, yes, but fundamentally it's about the constitution: The Crown is the cornerstone of our legal order and the head of state is its guarantor, possessing emergency powers in the event of impasse or breakdown. Even the staunchest republican should agree that it is absurd that these changes can be made without the slightest popular discussion or consent.

If Michaelle Jean wants to be Queen, let her say so and put it to a vote. That at least would have the virtue of honesty, which is considerably better than what she is doing now.

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"De facto head of state"

Your Excellency,

Having just vigorously denied that we have a "head of state", I would like to now beat up on "de facto". Feel free to chime in, Piddingworth.

I know, Madam, that you are fond of insisting that "As the representative of the Crown in Canada, the Governor General carries out the duties of head of state, and therefore is de facto head of state."

But I'm afraid that is not what Letters Patent 1947, in fact, state or intend. So far as I can tell, you are lawfully authorized and empowered to carry out certain duties as representative of the Queen in right of Canada, that is it. It is simply a delegation of duties and responsibilities to the governor general, not a transfer of the monarch's authority or sovereignty. De jure or de facto nothing.

Madam, "de facto head of state" would mean that "for all intents and purposes", you are, in practice or actuality, head of state, as you have deliberately pretended in recent days, weeks, months and years. By doing so, you and your modern predecessors have thus managed to reduce Her Majesty — the Queen of Canada, after all — to a mere technicality.

Ah, I see. Her Majesty, that bothersome nuisance, may technically be the Queen, but really, effectively, truthfully — loyally! — it is the Governor General. Honestly, now.

Let us not split hairs, Madam, look at what the papers are saying about your office. The Ottawa Citizen on your self-promotion:

Carrying out the Queen's duties -- on the Queen's behalf, and in her absence -- does not turn the Governor General into a Queen herself. It's true that the Governor General performs more duties now than did governors general in the past, but that doesn't change the fact that she derives her power from the Crown. There can only be one head of state. Canada's Constitution Act is pretty clear about who that is: The Queen.

It is embarrassing that the prime minister as head of government should feel the need to clarify such a fundamental constitutional fact as: "The Governor General represents the Crown in Canada." As the editorial begins, "this is akin to issuing a statement reminding everyone that the sky is blue. The Queen's position as head of state is fact."

Not de facto fact, your Excellency, fact fact.

I have the honour to be Her Majesty's humble and obedient servant. Read More »»

"Head of State"?

The head of Her Majesty's Canadian government reminds the Governor General of who really is the boss:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has sent a clear message to Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean that she should not call herself Canada's head of state.

"Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of Canada and Head of State," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement issued to Canwest News Service on Thursday. "The Governor General represents the Crown in Canada."

The extraordinary reminder from the country's head of government to its top viceregal representative follows an uproar over Jean's use of the phrase "head of state" when referring to herself during a speech in Paris on Monday.

Twice during the Governor General's address at an executive meeting of UNESCO — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — she called herself Canada's head of state.

I was rather surprised by the comment myself, the current Canadian GG has generally done a good job. A more correct description is that the Governor General carries out most of the tasks of the Head of State, without actually being Head of State.

A Rideau Hall spokesperson had stated Wednesday that Jean's reference to being head of state was justified: "As the representative of the Crown in Canada, the Governor General carries out the duties of head of state, and therefore is de facto head of state."

Rideau Hall had also said the "head of state" reference was acceptable because of a 1947 agreement in which the "letters patent of King George VI" — Queen Elizabeth's father — "transferred all the duties of head of state of Canada to the Governor General."

But the assertion that the Governor General can be correctly described as Canada's head of state directly contradicts some of the federal government's own published references to the position.

In A Crown of Maples, an online guide to Canada's constitutional monarchy published by the Department of Canadian Heritage, a section titled "The Queen as head of state: Personifying the Country" states: "As Queen of Canada, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is our head of state and a powerful symbol of Canada and Canadian sovereignty."

The link to A Crown of Maples can be found here. Read More »»

"The GG's self-promotion"

The Ottawa Citizen is onto Rideau Hall. Like Tommy Paine, the little American Taylor taking a measure of the Crown for his own head, the vice-regal's taylors in Canada have been hard at work for more than 40 years.

Gilray's Rights of Man, 1791 Read More »»

Bleeding Hearts

The Queen's Governor General in Canada is being accused of being a blood lusting Neanderthal after swallowing a dripping chunk of raw seal heart as hundreds of Inuit looked on at an Arctic community feast in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.

Her Excellency Michaelle Jean, on a week-long trip to the Arctic, knelt above a pair of seal carcasses and carved out the meat using a traditional ulu blade. After slashing through the flesh, the Governor General turned to the woman beside her and asked: "Could I try the heart?"

Shortly thereafter, Jean was given a bloody piece of seal heart and ate it whole. She then grabbed a tissue to wipe her blood-soaked fingers. "It's like sushi," she said. "And it's very rich in protein." The Queen's Representative said it was "absolutely delicious."

With an approval rating hovering around 83%, her action has won plaudits from Inuit organizations and Ottawa, where Peter MacKay, the Defence Minister, raved:

I think that was wonderful. I think she’s Canada’s new Braveheart for eating the seal heart. We’re going up there again in the summer, the chief of defence staff and I as we did last year [for a military operation], and I expect there’ll be an opportunity to try some delicious seal. I would encourage all Canadians to try seal. It’s a wonderful product.

International Reaction and Condemnation

Her behaviour on Monday is being interpreted as a protest after the EU imposed a ban on seal products on the grounds that hunting the mammals is cruel. An EU spokeswoman yesterday said Jean's gesture was "too bizarre to acknowledge."

Barbara Slee of the International Fund for Animal Welfare in Brussels said she was disgusted by Jean's actions. Animal rights groups say Canada's annual seal hunt is cruel, poorly monitored and provides little economic benefit. Sealers and Canadian authorities say it is humane and provides income for isolated communities.

Dickie Arbiter, the Queen’s former press secretary, was less than impressed telling the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.,

I find what she’s done extraordinary to comprehend. Her role is largely ceremonial and what she does in the political arena is really on the advice of the prime minister and the ministers. And to start cutting up a seal and eating it is sort of making a political statement and not what one expects a Governor General to do.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported the event under the sensationalist headline, "‘Blood Lust’: Canada’s G-G eats seal heart."

The New York Gawker called Her Excellency the "Sarah Palin of Canada":

Now, the question on everyone's mind has to be, "How will Sarah Palin top this one?" Maybe she can take down a polar bear to eat its heart AND its liver? She's got to do something, because as it stands now, it appears as though Canada is easily winning the "Who has the kookiest female Governor" sweepstakes, and couple that with the fact that they have health care for all their citizens, and it becomes increasingly clear that America is nothing more than Canada's bitch.

Canada's Vice Regal agrees to join seal hunt; all Europe collapses in dead faint.

Canadian Press reports that Governor General Michaelle Jean, far from being cowed by the international uproar created by her participation in a seal-eating ceremony, has upped the ante:

In fact, the Governor General’s response could hardly be more defiant: Jean was invited by a group of Inuit to join them on a seal hunt Wednesday evening.

And she accepted.

As Don Martin pointed out in the National Post: "Far from being heartless to animal suffering, her Arctic snack has sealed Ms. Jean's status as a worthy torchbearer for a Queen who, and this is just a hunch, would probably demand her seal organs seasoned, sauteed and served on silver." Read More »»

First Lady Vice-Regal of Australia

The Queen, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia, has been pleased to approve the appointment of Ms Quentin Bryce as the next Governor-General of Australia.

This morning at Parliament House, Canberra, Ms Quentin Bryce AC and Mr Michael Bryce AM AE attended a ceremony at which Ms Bryce was sworn-in as the twenty-fifth Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia.

Watch the full swearing in at The Australian

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