Monarchy in Newfoundland and Labrador

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The Arms of Her Majesty in Right of Newfoundland and Labrador, granted by King Charles I in 1637.

Canada is a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as the reigning monarch since February 6, 1952. As such she is Canada's Head of State, and officially called Queen of Canada. Due to Canada's federal nature, eleven legally distinct Crowns effectively exist in the country, with the Monarch being represented distinctly in each province, as well as at the federal level.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, the Sovereign is represented by the Lieutenant-Governor, currently Edward Roberts, since 2002.

	Queen Elizabeth is the best known and the most widely travelled Head of State in the world. She has received enthusiastic support at home and, wherever she has travelled, she has won the adulation of millions. Her several visits to Canada have taken her from sea to sea to sea, and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador have welcomed her a number of times.^[1]
	— Edward Roberts, Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, Government House, 2002

1 Constitutional monarchy in Newfoundland and Labrador
2 History
3 First Nations and the Crown
4 Royal connections
5 Places of interest
6 External links
7 References

[edit] Constitutional monarchy in Newfoundland and Labrador

[edit] Vice-regal

Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, Edward Roberts.

Main articles: Lieutenant-Governor (Canada) and Monarchy in Canada: Provinces

The Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador serves as the Queen's representative in the province, carrying out all the Monarch's constitutional and ceremonial duties of state on her behalf.

Since 1949, eleven lieutenant-governors have served Newfoundland and Labrador. Previously they acted as Commission Governors (1934-1949), Governors (1855-1934), Civil Governors (1825-1855), and Commodore-Governors (1729-1825). Prior to those positions, Governor were not given specific mandates by the Crown, and were more managers of commercial enterprises, including the Proprietary Governors (1610-1728), and Gouverneurs of Plaisance under the French Crown (1655-1713).^[2]

The Governor General appoints the Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador on the advice of the Prime Mininster, and in consultation with the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. There is no set limit to a Lieutenant-Governor's term, the traditional description being "at Her Majesty's pleasure." The shortest mandate by a Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador was Sir Albert Walsh, from April to September, 1949. The longest was Sir Leonard Outerbridge, from September, 1949, to 1957.

[edit] Duties

As in the other Commonwealth Realms, the Monarch's role, and thereby the Vice-regal's role, is almost entirely symbolic and cultural, acting as a symbol of the legal authority under which all governments operate, and the powers that are constitutionally hers are exercised wholly upon the advice of the elected government. It has been correctly said that since the death, in 1714, of Queen Anne, the last monarch to head the British cabinet (when almost all of Canada was still French colonial territory), that the monarch "reigns" but does not "rule". In Canada, this has been true since the Treaty of Paris (1763) ended the reign of Canada's last absolute monarch, King Louis XV of France. In exceptional circumstances, however, the Monarch or vice-regal has acted against such advice based upon his or her reserve powers.

The Lieutenant-Governor, him or herself a recipient of the award as Chancellor of the Order, bestows the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador on deserving Newfoundland and Labrador citizens, the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration, as well as the Newfoundland War Service Volunteer Medal. The Lieutenant-Governor also attends various functions throughout the province and abroad, either as the host or a guest of honour. In 2003 the Lieutenant Governor undertook 275 engagements, and 410 in 2004.^[3]

[edit] Royal Assent

Royal Assent and proclamation are required for all acts of the provincial legislature, usually granted or withheld by the Lieutenant-Governor, with the Great Seal of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Vice-regal may reserve a bill for the Governor General's pleasure, that is to say, allow the Governor General to make a personal decision on the bill. The Governor General may, in turn, defer to the Monarch. The Monarch has the power to disallow a bill (within a time limit specified by the constitution).

Further information: Royal Prerogative

[edit] Legal role

In Newfoundland and Labrador the legal personality of the State is referred to as "Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Newfoundland and Labrador." For example, a case in which a province sues the federal government would formally be called Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Newfoundland and Labrador v. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. The Monarch as an individual takes no more role in such an affair than in any other business of government.

Further information: The Crown

[edit] Symbols

Images of St. Edward's, the Tudor, and King's Crown are visible on military badges (see Royal Newfoundland Regiment badge), and the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, the latter illustrating the Monarch's place as the ceremonial head of the Canadian honours system. Portraits of the Monarch are often found in government buildings, schools, and military installations.

The Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador bears a personal flag which consists of a blue field bearing the shield of the Newfoundland and Labrador coat of arms, surmounted by a crown, and surrounded by ten gold maple leafs, symbolizing the ten provinces.

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador printers is officially known as the Queen's Printer. The Lieutenant-Governor also may appoint prominent lawyers as Queen's Counsel, who may then carry the postnominal "QC."^[4]

Monuments to members of the Royal Family are located across the province.

Further information: National symbols of Canada and Canadian royal symbols

[edit] Official residences

The residence of the Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, in St. John's, Newfoundland.

The first governors of Newfoundland were naval officers who resided on their flagship, anchored in St. John's harbour. However, Admiral Richard Edwards decided it would be more apt for the Governor to live ashore, and thenceforth the governor resided at Fort Townshend, where the first Government House was constructed. Completed in 1781, it was intended to be a summer house for the governors, but remained in constant use until the present structure was finished in 1831. Never intended for winter use, the inhabitants complained of the cold, and Francis Pickmore even died there in the winter of 1818.

The construction of the new Government House was meant to reflect the proper status of the governor of a province that was now a proper British colony, and a key part of the Empire. The principal rooms for entertaining - a salon, dining room, and ballroom - along with the main entrance hall were laid out in such a manner as to allow for ceremonial processions, and pomp befitting a governor.^[5]

The Lieutenant-Governor's residence is where the Canadian Royal Family and visiting foreign dignitaries are greeted. Inside are also reception rooms, offices and support facilities; the Lieutenant-Governor's office is the site of swearing-in ceremonies for Cabinet ministers, where Royal Assent is granted, and where the Lieutenant-Governor receives the Premier.

Further information: Government House (Newfoundland and Labrador)

[edit] Royal presence

Members of the Royal Family have been visiting Newfoundland and Labrador since before Confederation, either as a Royal tour, a Vice-regal tour, or as a "working visit" (meaning in association with a charity or military organization instead of a state affair).

Prince William - 1786
Prince Edward - 1791
Prince Alfred - 1861
The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York - 1901
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught - 1906
Edward, Prince of Wales - 1919
King George Vl and Queen Elizabeth - 1939
Prince George, Duke of Kent - 1941
Mary, Princess Royal - 1964
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother - 1967
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh - 1953, 1959, 1966, 1970, 1978, 1985, 1991, 1997
The Duke of Edinburgh - 1968, 1969, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978 (September, October), 1980, 1987 (April, October), 1990 (May 16, May 20), 1991, 1992, 1993 (twice in March, twice in October), 1994 (March, April), 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004
Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales - 1983, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001
Diana, Princess of Wales - 1983
The Prince Andrew, Duke of York - 1978
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex - 1978, 1988, 1992, 2000
Princess Anne - 1991
Princess Alexandra and The Honourable Angus Ogilvy - 1986, 1988, 1992

Further information: Royal visits to Canada

[edit] History

Queen Elizabeth I, in whose name some of the original territories of Newfoundland were claimed.

On August 5, 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert formally claimed Newfoundland as England's first overseas colony under Royal Prerogative of Queen Elizabeth I. The territories were mostly granted to English companies, and the colonists sent under Proprietary Governors who were in the employ of British merchants; John Guy was governor of the first settlement at Cuper's Cove. The first governor given jurisdiction over all of Newfoundland was Sir David Kirke in 1638.

However, the French Crown also laid claim to nearly half of Newfoundland by the mid 1660s, and Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville almost conquering the entire island in the 1690s. Plaisance was made the capital of the French colony in Terre Neuve until the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 made the area a possession of the British Crown. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary was established in 1729. After the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763, the King of France ceded control of the south and north shores of Newfoundland to the King George III, keeping only the nearby islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon. With the geographic remoteness of its isolated harbours and convenience of year-round access to the fish stations without having to make the bi-annual voyage across the ocean, permanent settlement by British immigrants increased rapidly by the late 18th century, peaking in the early years of the 19th century. Prince William, later King William IV, celebrated his 21st birthday as captain of the Royal Navy frigate Pegasus, in the waters off Newfoundland.^[6]

In 1825 a Royal Charter conferred provincial status on the colony, and an assembly was established seven years later. Still, there was a push by the Newfoundlanders for a responsible government, akin to what had been granted by the Crown to Upper and Lower Canada. This request was granted in 1854, and thenceforth the role of the Governor changed to being one of simultaneous representative of the Crown's sovereignty in Newfoundland as well as a representative of the Imperial Government at Westminster. Some decades later, in 1860, Prince Albert, Prince of Wales travelled through St. John's on his three month tour through the British provinces in North America.^[6]

The Great Seal of Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland remained a Crown colony until acquiring Dominion status on September 26, 1907, at the same time as New Zealand, and became the Dominion of Newfoundland. However, Newfoundland did not formally finalize the process of becoming a full-status Commonwealth Realm, by not ratifying the Statute of Westminster of 1931. Thus, King George V remained King of the United Kingdom in Newfoundland and Labrador, rather than separately King of Newfoundland and Labrador. Still, the Governor of Newfoundland, like the Canadian Governor General, was considered the direct representative of the Sovereign in the Dominion for the brief period before Newfoundland reverted to being a Crown colony of the United Kingdom.

On April 1, 1927 the long-standing dispute between Newfoundland and Canada over the territory of Labrador was settled by King George V, through Imperial Privy Council in London, establishing the current borders of the province, though the Government of Quebec continues to dispute this ruling.

Following unrest in the Dominion, the Newfoundland Royal Commission, headed by Baron Amulree, and its report released in 1933, assessed Newfoundland's political culture as intrinsically corrupt and its economic prospects bleak, and advocated the abolition of responsible government on the island, to be replaced by a Commission of the British Government. Acting on the report's recommendations, the Dominion gave up its self-governing status, and the Commission of Government took its place. Following World War II, the Commission held elections for the Newfoundland National Convention which debated the Dominion's future in 1946 and 1947. Two referenda resulted, in which Newfoundlanders decided, 50.50% to 49.50%, to end the Commission and join Canadian Confederation in 1949.^[7] Sir Albert Walsh became the first Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, but this was only a temporary posting to dispel suspicions of patronage towards Leonard Outerbridge, whom the Premier favoured as Lieutenant-Governor. Walsh served for only five months before Outerbridge became the King's representative in the new province.^[8] This transition removed Newfoundland and Labrador from under the sovereignty of the British Crown for the first time in the island's existence; from then to today the province has been a territory of the legally distinct Canadian Crown.

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were in Bonavista in 1997 to see the arrival of The Matthew, as part of the re-enactment of John Cabot's arrival on the island 500 years before. The couple also travelled to Labrador, to the North West River, Shetshatshiu, Happy Valley, and Goose Bay. To commemorate 50 years since the Queen's coronation, a new portrait of Elizabeth II was unveiled at Government House at a ceremony including Premier Roger Grimes, on June 2, 2003.^[9]

[edit] First Nations and the Crown

Newfoundland and Labrador's First Nations view their treaties as being agreements directly between them and the Crown, not with the ever-changing government of Canada. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 made clear that the First Nations were autonomous political units and affirmed their title to lands.

A modern demonstration of the relationship between the First Nations and the Crown was seen in 1997, when the Innu people of Quebec and Labrador presented a letter of grievance over stalled land claim negotiations to Queen Elizabeth II, rather than to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, while the two were visiting Sheshatshiu, Newfoundland and Labrador.^[10] After speaking with Tanien Ashini, Vice-President of the Innu Nation, the Queen handed the list to the Prime Minister for the Cabinet to address.

[edit] Royal connections

[edit] Royal designation and patronage

The badge of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, with the St. Edward's Crown to symbolize from where the force derives its authority

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary was first established in 1729 as a police force for the colony of Newfoundland, however it did not receive the designation "royal" until 1979, when Queen Elizabeth II conferred it on the police force, making it one of only six police forces in the Commonwealth to receive such an honour.

In 1993 the Royal St. John's Regatta, which has taken place since 1816, was granted royal patronage and permission to use the royal prefix by Queen Elizabeth II, and was granted new Arms by the Canadian Heraldic Authority. It has been attended by various members of the Royal Family, including Prince Albert in 1860, and Queen Elizabeth II in 1978. It has been cancelled due to the death of any Monarch, and any year a Coronation has taken place, or a milestone Jubilee celebrated, the Regatta has been held in honour of the relevant Sovereign. The first race, and the arrival of the boats that took part, was announced in the Royal Gazette.

The Prince of Wales Skating Club, founded in 1963, is in St. John's, and Conception Bay is home to the Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club, which has enjoyed Royal patronage since 1965.

Further information: List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage

[edit] Armed forces

The Royal Newfoundland Regiment, which dates its origin to 1795, when Major Skinner of the Royal Engineers, stationed in St. John's at Fort Townshend, was ordered to raise a Regiment, has Anne, Princess Royal as Commander-in-Chief.

Her Majesty's Canadian Ships with Newfoundland and Labrador namesakes include HMCS St. John's, HMCS Corner Brook, and HMCS Goose Bay.

[edit] Communities

Charlottetown, named for Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III
Georgetown, named for King George III
Holyrood's name was inspired by Holyrood Palace, the Monarch's residence in Scotland
King's Point
King's Cove
Queen's Cove
Victoria, named for Queeen Victoria
Victoria Cove, named for the same monarch

[edit] Education

Schools named for Canadian Sovereigns include:

Queen Elizabeth Regional High School, in Conception Bay
Queen Elizabeth High School, in St. Edwards

Schools named for members of the Canadian Royal Family include:

Prince of Wales Collegiate, in St. John's

[edit] Places of interest

Located in St. John's are the Prince of Wales and Feildan Gardens, and the Queen Elizabeth II bridge, built in 2003, makes up part of the Trans Canada Highway between Glenwood and Appleton.

The Memorial University of Newfoundland also holds the Queen Elizabeth II library, and in St. John's can be found the King George V soccer pitch.

The King George IV Ecological Reserve, located 90 kilometers north of Burgeo, was established under the Wilderness and Ecological Reserves Act, in 1996. The reserve contains King George IV Lake.