I'm sure that the school you got those degrees from is cringing in embarrassment, based on what you have written.
Fire the Governor General -
- Thread starter Goober
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I'm sure that the school you got those degrees from is cringing in embarrassment, based on what you have written.
The queen is the executive head of state, the prime minister is the legislative head.
There is a pretty big difference. Don't get caught up in words.
There is a pretty big difference. Don't get caught up in words.
Fire the Governor General? I'd prefer to fire the entire government and start from scratch. The GG is just a minor money pit. The government is a monstrous money pit.
Funny man. Have you been following the debate lately? I don't think so.
A local newspaper has published ten questions, implying the usual "How much do Canadians know about their country?" The Qs are from Citizenship Canada, and one question is
Q: What is the title of Canada's head of state?
A: GG of Canada.
How did that happen? Golly. Down to onepenny. Let's do the right thing and gas the queen and her corrupt, colonial, dated, feudal, medieval, aristocratic lineage from Canada. Might be easier than you think.
dumpthemonarchy
Would that be in US History and a minor is worth what - Your opinion on doing the job makes it hers - Your logic is impeccable -Not - Please remember we have a Constisuition - or did you not study that in either History or Poly Sci - PS - Where did you get your degree??
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Having a degree doesn't mean I know everything, but I'm willing to learn, which is much more openminded than some of the posters like yourself. You seem so self-satisfied and smug. Yet you know so little.
This is not a gossip session here, this is discussing the policy of a nation, if it's too complicated for you, then go to the fun and games section where you can make some worthwhile contributions or useless insults. Obviously you can't focus on serious subjects.
So the point is here, a federal govt department, Citizenship, thinks the GG is the head of state. If this doesn't worry you, ignore it.
Actually when it comes to a constitutional crisis, the GG has power. It has been used in this country before, all be it several decades ago. The GG is the Queens
representative in this country on matters of State. Most is pomp, but in some
cases, there is case law for the power the office holds. For example, if the current GG could have in fact dissolved parliament and allowed the coalition to
form a government, that happened once before in this country.
representative in this country on matters of State. Most is pomp, but in some
cases, there is case law for the power the office holds. For example, if the current GG could have in fact dissolved parliament and allowed the coalition to
form a government, that happened once before in this country.
Right, the GG has power. The PM had to stay in the GG's residence for 2 hours in December 2008, to prove she wasn't just a clerk, which is everyone is to Harper.
The power is usually just in case, in an emergency like last year. Day in day out she leads dog and pony entourage. She gets publicity for pet causes, which I think shows a bias and is political. Joe Blow can't get publicity just showing up at a school, but the GG can. So make the position real, it already is.
While there may be some truth in what you say, there are other considerations, for one Lizzie is getting a little long in the tooth, not to mention the fact she lives 4000 miles from Ottawa, so I don't think it's unreasonable for her to do a bit of delegating. Out of fairness to Michelle Jean, I think if she is going to be fired, it should be after several hundred politicians and bureaucrats in Ottawa, who are after all absolutely useless, not to mention taking up a lot of room at the trough, due partly to the fact of their rotund girth.
Are you referring to the King-Byng affair in 1926? If so, what happened was that PM King, though not having the largest bloc of seats in the House, retained power through the support of the Progressive party. When this support was withdrawn, King asked for a dissolution. GG Byng quite properly refused, and asked Conservative leader A.L. Meighen, who held the largest bloc of seats, to form a government which lasted just a few weeks. Byng then granted Meighen the dissolution that he had denied King, since by then there was no alternative. King made the controversy the basis of his campaign and won, though constituional scholars such as Eugene Forsey agree that Byng acted correctly.
Btw, in 1975 the GG of Australia dismissed a Prime Minister who refused to resign or request a dissolution after the Parliament had deadlocked.
Now that Canada may be entering an era where majority governments may be rare, and there could five or more parties in the House, the GG's reserve power to appoint a Prime Minister (to be used when it is not clear who commands the confidence of the House) is more important than it has been in decades.
As an afterthought, those of you who have an interest in the office of GG, and what it's powers actually are, should read the Letters Patent establishing the office of Governor General and Commander in Chief of and over Canada. Contrary to general belief, the Constitution Act (1867) does not establish the office, the Letters Patent do. It also describes the Monarch's delegation of all authorities, powers and functions in right of Canada to the GG, and spells out more-or-less what he GG is to do. There's a good copy in a small book called "Documenting Canada", which should be available at your local library.
dumppthemonarchy - Your post was insulting to many - mine was directed at you for such a dumb statement -
"Our young GG wants to do stuff, and so do her activist supporters. Majesty and pomp may be great, but does it cure poverty? Reduce crime? Keep streets clean?"
You state a willingness to learn - then stick by what her defined role is - Radicals do not change constitutions - Parliaments do, in this country at least - You should have learned that thru your History and Poly Sci minor -
Her "defined role" is open to change and a political opinion. Which I would like to pitchfork her outta here.
The GG is supposed to be "above politics". Is she? She is very involved in issues across the land. Some want her activities curtailed. My guess is that the next GG will be an old, frail, fuddy duddy who might do much less.
Oh yeah, I'm a radical, in the country of no revolutions or wars on its soil for near 200 years. Pardon me while I yawn.
Oh dear, we’d best start up a violent revolution to resolve that, then! *cough*
In Canada, there is no practical difference. The PM gives the GG the Throne Speech and the GG reads it word for word. The PM is the practical head of state on all substantial issues. Sure the GG recieves diplomatic credentials from ambassadors, but the ambassador of Italy does not care what the GG thinks on a given issue because the GG does not create policy, the PM does.
The US prez is the head of the executive branch of govt, while the Speaker of the House and Senate lead the legislative branch. In the US these words mean something, not in Canada. But feel free to cling to illusions.
Fire the GG? Fire the government and hold a referendum to see what kind of government Canadians really want.