As an Indian, I think that, in India the concept of the Commonwealth is mostly seen as important mostly because of the Commonwealth games and strategic alliance, and not because of any sort of allegiance to the British Monarch.
What you say has two sides. One is that the rising Indian economy has made us a nation less dependent on the UK. Also the geo political consequences of the commonwealth is decreasing with thr current government focusing more on the quad and bricks groups. But we still have a large Indian diaspora in the UK and a large number of student go there to study every year. So yes it is complicated 🙂
Agree. We wanna be friends for everyone who is interested to be loyal friends to us. UK included.. So i see it as no different a thing than being a member or SARC or BRICKS.
@@arunodaybhattacharjee7001 The connection that India gets with the anglosphere from the commonwealth is extremely important for the containment of China.
As a Brit, the queen portraits as being a *thing* in any capacity seems like a very Canadian thing. Like it's trying to take the American style of in-your-face hyper-visible patriotism, but then skewing it through a strange Canadian lense. I honestly don't think I've ever seen a portrait of the queen on the wall in that manner here in the UK and as far as I'm aware it's not a thing in Australia or New Zealand either.
I’ve been asking Brits about it and they all find it odd. There is a scene in Pink Floyd's the Wall where the teacher has a picture of the queen and it’s clearly supposed to indicate that he’s some kinda psycho.
I think it would certainly be seen as excessive in the UK. The monarchy here is really more of a piece of cultural tradition here than any kind of political issue, republicanism is such a minority fringe that mainstream politics generally pays it no mind. I'd say even the concept of patriotism in the UK isn't particularly tied to the royal family, especially as it's often devolved to the regional countries of England, Scotland and Wales, who haven't had seperate royal families for centuries.
Just a short anecdote: I'm an American from Upstate New York, just a couple of hours from the Canadian boarder. One time, when I was about 12 years old, my family and I visited some quaint Canadian town, and I remember being surprised to see the Queen's portrait in a café. I pointed it out to my family, but they didn't seem to care (typical Americans I suppose). However, I certainly did, and reflecting back upon this moment, it definitely sparked my interest in this topic.
As an American I immediately associated it with the flags obsession. However I guess if I were an old Canadian who wants to feel different from my rebellious counterparts, flaunting my devotion is the only real option.
The whole ‘popularizing corgis’ thing actually is a really big impact, funnily enough. My friend’s family has been breeding corgis for generations, and his great grandfather always told the story of how the business exploded around the time of Elizabeth’s coronation, even here in the states, similar to what happened to Portuguese Water Dogs after Obama took office
It goes beyond just dog breeds. For example, it was widely known that pork rinds were one of George H.W. Bush's favorite foods and that he was a fan of the game horseshoes. During his presidency, sales of both increased significantly. Similarly, President Eisenhower helped to popularize golf in the United States (along with Bing Crosby, of course.) JFK helped make rocking chairs more popular after it was reported that he had one for treating his back pain due to Addison's Disease (at his doctor's recommendation).
@@Hugh_de_Mortimer Because it's a play on words, dummie! A Queen is obviously a ruler of a country but a queen can also mean a gay person and this guy is gay. Learn how to be funny, man!
@@hotwax9376 The pork rinds story was a bit of misinformation to make the patrician Bush seem more a man of the people. In reality, Poppy's favorite snack was supposedly popcorn.
I met lizzie once as a kid and speaking to her literally just felt like talking to my nan so I've always admired her throughout my life just the same way I did with my gran I didn't care for the rest of the royalty as a whole but she was the only person I'd consider our monarch simply because I liked her as a person
If there's one thing you'll learn in college, its that some people manage to make it that far in life with no real idea how the world around them works or how we got to that point in history. I was in a 4th year Russian history class (because it fit into my schedule) and when WW2 came up, I found out that 3 of the other students knew nothing of it beyond movies about the western front and a one of them wasn't sure Canada had been involved the whole time.
Lol, something like this just happened to me, I’m a Mexican immigrant living in Canada, I’m in high school, I attend a white majority rural school, we were having a debate in class about the monarchy and wether it was good to abolish it or not and some of the guys (they were Canadian) didn’t even know that Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state of Canada, like, some of them are so oblivious about their own country, when he said he didn’t know he laughed at it and the whole class did it too because, ignorance is soooo funny
I remember once overhearing a conversation in college where a guy had just come back from Germany, and his friend asked him, with sincere curiosity if they still had a Nazi government. And the friend replied with great hesitation, “I’m not… sure.”
@@JJMcCullough I ... wha ... I, uh ... um. Okay y'know what -- props to those guys, for the one asking such a question, & the other being willing to state uncertainty instead of committing to an answer if he didn't feel he had firm info. I mean, those are definitely things people should be doing, in general & especially in college. Yep, that's my takeaway & I'm clinging -- I mean, sticking to it 😆
@@caseyjarmes You shouldn't be completely ignorant about important historical events before getting there. I was in a 2nd year Canadian history class, we were getting some historiography about the Seven Years' War leading up to the Battle of Plains of Abraham and someone asked if they were fighting by Napoleonic Code... In 1759.
As a Canadian, I'm concerned that a college classmate didn't understand the foundations of our political system and the reason for having a monarch on our currency.
When I was 10 or 11 after moving to Kingston from Ottawa I noticed our lease was held by the Queen and used to clean the front steps extra extra hard incase she came. Even as a kid I knew she wouldn’t ever have time to come closer in so I focused on the entrance way then on the rest. By the time I was 14 I realized the queen had no vested interest in the upkeep of Kingston Frontenac housing (let alone crown corporations) but cleanliness has remained with me.
This video has explained some things I had questions about while discussing the Commonwealth with some people recently. Thank you for this explanation from your perspective and with what you've learned over the years!
My sister (a Malaysian citizen) told me that she and her friends from other nations in the Commonwealth were able to vote in the Brexit referendum (they all voted "remain", obviously). So I guess I've believed for a while that the Commonwealth was more significant than its portrayal in this video.
@@ShaunCheah Only British citizens could vote in the Brexit referendum. Does your sister have dual citizenship? Maybe there are some exceptions but commonwealth citizens definitely couldn't vote
@@ShaunCheah _My sister (a Malaysian citizen) told me that she and her friends from other nations in the Commonwealth were able to vote in the Brexit referendum (they all voted "remain", obviously)_ There's no way that's true unless she's a British citizen.
America: You know what? I don’t want to pay rent, I’m going solo, so long Mother England Canada: You can’t do that to our Mother, don’t worry Mother, I will put up pictures of you in my room to show how much I love you, thus making me much better than America
I find it that blaming the queen for British colonialism is a good way for Brits to cop out of taking the responsibility themselves. Those practices were actually done by democratically elected governments, so the people has a part of responsibility
@@rubeusignis1293 I think that despite having let go of most of their colonies, Britains still has colonialist policies these days. It changed but didn't go away
Hey JJ, I come from Australia. Thanks for this video. I very much support the monarchy. Could you please do a video about what actual power the new king (Charles) now holds over the Commonwealth Realms (such as Australia, NZ, Canada, etc.)
Commonwealth seems to be a strange English word that's dragged out only when ambiguity is desired. Puerto Rico is called a commonwealth. The word artfully disguises Puerto Rico's peculiar relationship to the US. Curiously there's no good translation of the word into spanish where it's called an "estado libre asociado", associated free state.
I was taught that my state of Pennsylvania is one of three American states that actually isn't defined as a state. We are the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Which is... basically just a state.
There is also the case of the commonwealth that was established after the execution of Charles I. Brits were at a loss to know what to call a country without a king.
As a latinamerican it's kinda surprising how the public reaction was more emotional compared to the english speaking world. For example, here in Chile a lot of people went to the British embassy to show their condolences to the royal family and i was surprised how many people were sad that she passed away.
@Carlos Adrián Aguirre I was curious how Mexico would react. We Mexicans don't have much of a connection to Britain. I know some people see Spain in a similar light to Canada and Britain but you don't really hear about any of the royalty there. I only realized when the Queen died I don't know if they still have a Royal family. It's not like the Queen was the only Royal either. I heard Japan still has a royal family and I've heard of others. However the Queen was the Queen of the nation that once ruled the world so I guess that's what makes her so significant to some.
@@Slenderkllz What lol. I’ve been to 3 Brazilian cities since the queen’s death: São Paulo, São José dos Campos and Marília. One has 20 million inhabitants, the other 730K and the other 250K. I’ve talked to the most diverse range of people possible, from conservatives to communists. Literally NO ONE is even slightly saddened, which doesn’t mean that they’re happy she died, they’re just indifferent to it. That’s what you’d expect from people in a country thousands of miles away from the United Kingdom.
JJ you really made a good and nuanced case in this video. As someone who has no stones in this area I was kinda shocked by how vicious some people I know were the minute after her passing was announced so this your viewpoint of having to defend the Queen as a person and not as an institution really resonated with me. Like do I love the Monarchy? No Would I be dancing on her grave if I could? Absolutely not Also it's kinda cute how much of your mannerisms and your speaking style is already visible in little JJ back in 2002.
". As someone who has no stones in this area I was kinda shocked by how vicious some people I know were the minute after her passing was announced" I guarantee that those people never cared about the monarchy until she died as well.
I guarantee that many of those same people celebrating online probably also tuned in to watch the royal wedding 10 years ago. Young people online don’t actually seem to hold any consistent beliefs on anything. Mostly, they’re immature people hopping on the latest bandwagon.
As an American who lives in a state that borders Canada, I always thought "Queen/King of Canada" was such a strange thing to read and even stranger to say. Same goes for Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica and all the other Commonwealth realms. I also remember seeing lots of Canadian coins and my Mom telling me that the face on them was Queen Elizabeth, but at that time I didn't know who she was and I assumed she was the same person as Queen Elizabeth I, who I knew was dead. (My Mom is somewhat of an Anglophile and wrote a thesis in college on Henry VIII and the House of Tudor. The Anglophilia rubbed off on me, but not the interest in the British royals beyond their historical value.) When I learned as a teenager that Canada actually recognized the British monarch as head of state, I was mildly surprised, but at least I finally understood why the Queen's face was on Canadian currency (and of course, I knew who she was by then). And yes, it was very confusing to me for a long time until I learned that the monarchies were officially separate despite having the same monarch.
@@ARCtheCartoonMaster Yeah, and here in America there was a push a few years ago to put a woman on a dollar bill (ultimately Harriet Tubman.) We've also had Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea on dollar coins.
Well as an Australian, it's never been strange to hear "King/Queen of Australia", I mean it's an intriguing concept since our monarch is actually on the other side of the globe and historically in our constitution we never referred to the Monarch as Australian but British, this however changed recently. Ultimately I believe the monarchy is a great symbol of our history and is a unifying factor between the majority English speaking countries (except america). Plus it's super cool.
@@harrisonbailey5449 I was just trying to make the point that if anybody is aware of just how many surviving monarchies there are (and it's more than most people realize), we usually think of them being in Europe or Asia, maybe Africa. Australia isn't the sort of country that comes to mind, and neither is Canada, New Zealand, Belize, or any of the Commonwealth realms in the Caribbean and Oceania. (And plenty of English-speaking countries besides America aren't Commonwealth realms.) For full disclosure, I strongly support the British monarchy for exactly the reasons you outlined. I don't think it's as essential to the other Commonwealth realms, but I would still hope that they don't abolish it. I'd never want a monarchy here in America (even constitutional) and I am equally strong in my position against absolute monarchies, but constitutional monarchies in countries where it's an essential part of history and national identity and the sovereign is a purely ceremonial figure (like Britain) should never be scrapped.
@@hotwax9376 Oh yes I completely understand that, western European countries have plenty of monarchies and it's Definitely were you'd expect to see them since it's such an important part of their histories. But for the former british colonies you don't see that the importance of the monarchy is downplayed since the actual monarch is so far away, and many former british colonies even abolished it. The main reason I suppose is how similar our countries are, and people rarely ever see the king or queen in the realms titled "King of Canda" for example. The monarch not actually being here and the near irrelevance of the Governor-General just makes it seem we aren't actually countries that are monarchies and even have the same one.
It’s easier to get visas across the commonwealth, which is probably what that “study in Australia for the summer” comment was talking about. The relative ease which Canadians and Britons can get working holiday visas in Australia. That’s also why so many Britons, Kiwis, and Aussies work at Canadian ski resorts.
These are entirely separate arrangements made bilaterally between countries, not a direct (and certainly not an automatic) consequence of belonging to the Commonwealth. Also worth noting that several non Commonwealth countries participate in working holiday and study schemes.
@@schrire39 Non commonwealth countries do participate, but the British white setter colonies get twice as much time on their visas with each other and the motherland.
Thing is, it did actually used to be the case that citizens from anywhere in the Commonwealth could go anywhere else, so there is some historic basis to it that might be [mis]informing that belief today. My mother moved from Canada to the UK in pre-EU times and she didn't really have to do anything, though by then the automatic entry into Canada for Brits had gone as my father had to go through the immigration system when they moved to Canada. Even today, Aussies and Canadians in the UK do get to vote in UK local elections and they could also vote in the Brexit referendum (EU citizens also had the right to vote in local elections, but not the Brexit vote).
@@abdisaniini Well, first of all, she was a woman in the 1940s, she couldn't fight on the front lines. Second of all, she was born in 1926, which meant she was only 13 when the war began and 18 when she started. And also, out of the Royal Family, she was the only one who actually did something physically in the war especially since Westminister was actually supposing that for their safety she and her late younger sister, Princess Margaret, flee to Canada for their safety. So overall, she did the most she could do under her circumstances.
@@abdisaniini Well, she is part of the female veterans. But with that being said, Soldiers who actually fought in the front lines did much more than her,l but she still did the best she could and she didn't lock herself up in a palace.
@@abdisaniini she was also part of the monarchy that I believe technically is in command of important military decisions as well so I would think that alone would put her as veteran and also living through the bombings all British people even those who didn’t serve were still part of the war even those back home who were mechanics or machinists the war was mostly won by manufacturing more than anything else we don’t tell soldiers in the military that they aren’t veterans just because they’re and engineer or a cook who does their work away from the front lines it’s a similar situation
Any decent discussion would have involved the Constitutional Authority held by the Queen or Governor General . When the Queen ascended the throne in 1953 she took an Oath before God to do her duty for her Citizens. She took this Oath very seriously . Most people are unaware that the Queen and British PM were required to have confidential meetings every week - the meetings are called an Audience . I'm sure there were a few occasions when the Queen asked are you doing your duty ? Is this in the best interest of British citizens ? I don't think we have an Audience in Canada . . Also, in Britain , the Queen's signature was required before the HoC could debate any legislation . In 1999 she refused a piece of legislation to be discussed. Again, I don't think we have this in Canada . Also, in Britain Cabinet Ministers have real authority and as we just saw , they can push a PM out . This sounds a bit chaotic , but its far more democratic . Where as here in Canada , Cabinet Minister's get their taking notes from the unelected PMO , and Cabinet Ministers would not dream of voting the PM out . The bottom line is this : Both Canada and Britain are stronger Democracies because they are Constitutional Monarchy's . As one person it so well , there is political government , who is influenced by the ultra wealthy , but that government still needs to get symbolic approval from an apolitical Queen . Rarely know bit of info : After WW II , under US occupation Japan's Constitution was changed in 1947 and it was modeled on Britain's Westminster System - with human rights and voting rights for both men and women. .
@@landsea7332 how about this. Fuck monarchy. Canada would be much better off with out a person just born is our head of state. Take you diary entry amd shove it. The empire that enslaved the world. The kings and queens which okays murder, rape and genocide.
@@landsea7332 I don't know how much of that is true, but I do believe that a neutral party and a ceremonial head of state have a great deal of value in terms of service to its citizens, which is why I think a Monarchical disposition works for democratic countries. I think older democracies had at least two leaders for a reason, like Rome and Sparta for one (I know Sparta had Kings, but the division of power aspect makes it worth pointing out), and that's because the centralisation of power to individuals is the cause of most of the strife associated with Monarchs, Despots and Tyrants. A constitutional Monarchy fundamentally makes it so that power cannot be centralised to an individual, and every Governor-General in the world is there to remind the PM of that fact, that they are merely there to serve the democratic needs of the people in upholding the constitution of the nation, there is no power but the bare minimum required to achieve this result. That is a democracy, whereas a republic is subject to populist nonsense and the repetition of the same old bullsh*t that destroyed most democracies in the first place.
This is an extremely nuanced perspective that I didn't expect but am happy I agree wholeheartedly with. I'm indifferent to the monarchy as a Canadian but I tend to be sympathetic to the Queen since she reminds me so much of my grandmother who is the matriarchy of my family. She saw the Queen when she was younger and ever since she told me that story I was a fan of the Queen as a person. This leaves me feeling very mixed when you consider the institution of the Monarchy and the impact it had on the world through colonialism
The Queen reminds me of my grandmother too, even though I don't really have very sentimental feelings about my grandmother. But both women were symbols of their generation, and are easy to admire for that reason alone... just as a link to an increasingly vanishing past.
Fantastic video JJ! As a pro-monarchy Brit, I really appreciate your honesty yet your nuance that you bring with your points. The maturity of your thoughts and the way you articulate your arguments are why I'm a fan. While Canada's relationship to the Crown is not my area to speak, a part of me hopes that Canada continues to retain it's ties to the Crown and the Royal family. Likely out of a sense of appreciation for it being a cultural and constitutional tie between our two nations; a part of me would be sad to see said tie be severed. Nevertheless, I can see that there will be an inevitable movement for various Commonwealth Realms to declare independence in the wake of King Charles ascending to the throne of which they have every right to pursue. In 10 years time when we are well into the new King's reign it will be interesting to reflect on how the relationship between the remaining Commonwealth Realms has developed since he began his reign. No doubt the King is well aware of the growing scepticism towards the project that is the Commonwealth Realms and the fact that the death of his mother will/is acting as a catalyst for such change. I imagine that he will be eager to re-affirm the fact that we as a nation, and he as monarch, are incredibly grateful of Canada's (and others) continued acceptance of him as head of state.
The fact when I was a kid when reading about the Commonwealth of Nations(which I conflated with the Commonwealth Realm) was that I thought the Queen ruled all of those nations as their absolute monarch( I don't know wtf is a parliament or autonomy then) I grew up thinking half of the world is ruled by some old lady with her corgis.
Fascinating video. I've lived in Ohio, a state just south of Canada, for over 65 years, learned a bit of Canadian history in high school and college, and spent a fair amount of time in my youth fishing in Ontario and Quebec. I think I've gained a better sense of Canada watching these videos recently than in all my prior years. So what does the Queen's passing mean to the Quebecers?
Let's just say that the Queen's passing has revivified the old anti-monarchy sentiment amongst Quebec's nationalist and pro-independence movements. 1 deputy of the Bloc Québecois publicly made comments about separatism from the Crown the day after the death of her majesty and the party's leader has sinced said in Parliament he would bring back that debate after the nation has had its time to grief.
I've read somewhere that we'll probably be the last former colony still tied to the monarchy, because while every other commonwealth country will become a republic, Québec will use the fact that every province needs to sign off on changing the constitution as a bargaining chip to further their own goals.
No politician in Québec has said that for now. However, many of them will soon be very vocal about wanting out of the monarchy. It his on pause at the moment, but it will restart very soon. Not to mention that Québec's prime minister has recruited many pro-independence candidates, some are expected to be named ministers after the current elections. There is a possibility Premier Legault could in the future change side and use the Crown as an argument to separate from Canada. He still claims to be a federalist, but that might change... I personally doubt it as it would be a political suicide, but it is indeed possible.
While I'm an American from New England living in upstate New York, about thirty years ago, I was an undergraduate student in Montreal. The acknowledgement of the monarchy and the Queen was very variable. Most Quebecois francophones were either indifferent or hostile to the institution with a small sliver who were more pro-monarchist as a way to show support for federalism. Among non-francophones, the anglophones varied from indifference to mild pro-monarchism while the allophones were for the most part clueless. Likenesses of the Queen could be found in courtrooms and federal government buildings but not provincial government buildings. The statues of former monarchs such as Queen Victoria and King Edward VIII in public squares seem to be in fair repair but very few people seemed to make too much of their symbolism. Back then, I was talking to a francophone friend-of-a-friend who I didn't care much for. I mentioned that the Queen was Canada's head of state. He argued with me that this was not the case. I asked him why her likeness was on most of the money. He looked askance. I told him that he may not like it and he may even want to fight against Canada being a kingdom (queendom), but the facts are the facts. I don't think we ever spoke again.
Even as a Canadian monarchist, I must say JJ continues his excellence with this thoughtful video. Also, wow young JJ was already quite articulate and with a sort of proto-JJ speaking style.
@@debodatta7398 What an idiotic statement...So then are our entire Armed Forces traitors having made oaths to the Crown. Debate on the subject is welcome....I'll thought out and inflammatory statements are not..
Some people have noted that Britain allows “Commonwealth citizens” to vote in their elections. I was actually going to mention this in my original script but it was running long. Why I didn’t mention it is twofold: one, this is a unique British law, it is not something that applies universally or mutually. And two, it has nothing to do with the “common allegiance to the crown.” A citizen of a Commonwealth country with no monarchical ties like Rwanda or Singapore can qualify for these British privileges, which could also be easily rescinded by the British parliament at any point.
My issue was not the details of the specific program or why it exists Rather, that in your video you characterized Canadian college students who said they could get a special UK visa through being a Commonwealth member as uninformed and stupid. If you knew that in fact it was a real program and that those students were actually right when you made the video, you could have simply left that out instead of gone ahead with the gratuitous and misleading criticism of them
Brit here! I hear alot of hate for the monarchy, I could go either way in a hypothetical referendum. But wanted to say its fantastic to hear a republican talk with respect and nuance! Thank you JJ
Nuance, sure. Respect? What's to give? I'm a republican and I really don't think she deserves any more respect than anyone else. She should be criticised fairly for her actions and inactions. She isn't more special than anyone else, and if she didn't use her considerable position, wealth and (yes, very limited) power to even try to advance the cause of people suffering under the government she was supposedly the head of, I think she'll rightly cop flak.
Well why do you love them so much? What have they done for you personally or anyone else in the UK or the Commonwealth? They can have their monarchy...in the UK, not Canada.
@@TOBAPNW_ ahh, so your saying upon a person's death we should make sure we immediately begin to critique there entire impact on history, before the funeral and while still in mourning. By respect I mean treating the death of the Queen as if humans are a thing, and many many people are hurting and need to grieve. But this is a difficult argument as I'm seeing this from a personal aspect, many people only see the monarch as a symbol.
As an American, I always thought Canada's relationship with the United Kingdom was interesting. I was told that the queen was a symbolic leader to Canada, but after you went into detail into the true relationship it was interesting. I thought it was sad that the queen died, yet didn't feel much about it.
@@craydussy I am not disputing your point, but the Queen was the Queen of England; and many Americans and Canadians were acting as if she were THEIR Queen after her passing.
I don't know, it seems kind of weird that the Head of State of Canada, even without any real title, was someone who is British. Like a Brit was the Queen of Canada and another Brit is now the King of Canada and technically the monarch. Doesn't that make you feel as Canadians like your nation is more of a subject, not fully sovereign nation? I could never imagine the US having foreign monarch who was the King of America
Born in 1968. There were portraits of our Queen in all my public school rooms from Grade to High. Even though my interest with the Royal family has waned later in my life. I knew she would pass away one day. I truly hope her Son holds up the same values as she did.
As a Brit, I see the monarchy as a totem of our history. Hence I see value in it as our history forms the foundations of our culture. Therefore when swearing allegiance to the monarch, I like to think of it as swearing allegiance to the people and the nation through upholding the country’s important history and traditions. From that perspective, with the shared British and Canadian history, swearing allegiance to the monarch can make sense. I do understand how it can seem slightly dystopian though.
@@JJMcCullough other than our institutions survive on the status quo. For Canada to become a republic we'd have to renegotiate treaties with indigenous communities. Print new money, overhaul our military which is built on allegiance to the crown to the point the crown is in all the ranks. Overhaul our provincial governments as each province is a crown asset. That also means parliament would cease to exist, while our current politicians may not keep power. That also doens t include foreign investment if we randomly uprooted our government to make a new styles government wouldn't prove to investors Canada is a stable nation.
Thank you JJ for addressing and criticizing the attacks made directly against the Queen after her passing on social media. It means a lot when someone who's a critic of the monarchy defends the former monarch against defamation. It was rather dejecting how ignorant and hateful some of the rhetoric was. The fact is Britain decolonised during the Queen's 70 year reign and it's hardly fair to describe her legacy as imperialistic or domineering when she was just a figure head.
In my original script I went on at greater length about this. I think it was a reveling glimpse of a lot of the ills of our time, including mass scale ignorance about many very basic facts about history and government.
@@JJMcCullough I remember seeing a clip of a New Zealand woman taking the oath to become a member of parliament, and saying "to the colonizing Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth", and I thought that was utterly ridiculous
Attacking the Queen for events which she had no control over only demonstrates both pettiness and immaturity. Any grievances of this kind ought to be directed at the institution of the monarchy, not the Queen.
The other side of the coin of defending her from this kind of criticism is that you can't really praise her for too much in the way of achievements either. If Britain did something bad during her reign, she can't be held responsible because she was just a figurehead. If Britain achieved something great during her reign, she can't take credit for it for the exact same reason.
as a Brit, Canadians do in fact have special privileges enacted under British laws - a Canadian is legally intitaled to become leader of the British people *without* first becoming a British citizen. This is true for Australians, New Zealanders and anyone else within British territories. Bonar Law was a Canadian citizen who was the British Prime Minister between 1922 and 1923
In Québec we definitely do not do the pictures of the queen on the wall. I honestly did not know it was a thing in the rest of Canada!! This makes me realize how interesting and unique Quebec history is. It is interesting how Québec’s identity is strongly related to the sentiment that « we are not English » much like Canadians saying « we are Not Americans ». Although probably more justifiable because of culture ethnicity and language. I personally did not get know and appreciate Québec’s culture until after my marriage (I grew up all over the place and am half mexicain). Quebec is truly a unique thing inside North America!! But I still am pro-federalism and I do appreciate the Crown’s symbolic role.
I am from Ontario but I prefer Québec. I feel like I am uniquely qualified to say, I'm especially not American because I'm Francophone Canadian, and then Anglophone Canadian. Also, I absolutely support the monarchy because the monarchy is the last thing that gives us some independence from the USA. We hate them but they love us. They would invade if it didn't mean war with the UK, which thereby means war with the rest of the commonwealth. NATO, there's a chance that, even though it's supposed to mean that an attack on Canada is an attack on all other NATO nations, do we really think that places like Iceland, France, Denmark, Belgium, etc, are really going to defend us? Or, better yet, be successful in defending us? The UK would happily sail over with no questions asked. The rest of the world would be too scared. The UK is one of the few militaries in the world that should scare the Americans.
@@AndrewGeierMelons Trust and believe that not a single American wants to invade Canada... Even though Americans love Canada, Canada isn't ever on the minds of the American people and will most likely never be
@@AndrewGeierMelons tbh no one nation can handle the US😅 especially one it’s invading a country as close as canada Maybe china and russia but why would they
@@AndrewGeierMelons Firstly, the thought of the US invading Canada - its closest neighbor and NATO ally - is completely ridiculous. Secondly, the Commonwealth countries are not obligated in any way to defend or support the UK or any other Commonwealth country militarily. Thirdly, NATO countries would not attack one of their own members, especially not the US which is by far the largest member and contributor to NATO's budget.
The first time I became aware of the Canadian Monarchy connection was when I was 8 years old and my family went up to Niagara Falls. Afterwards, we crossed the border to Canada and went to McDonalds. We got some Canadian coins as change with the queen’s likeness on them, and I asked my mom about it. She probably gave the correct answer about Canada being loyal to Britain or the Commonwealth but what I remembered was basically that girl’s answer: “Canadians like the Queen and put her on their money to be nice.”
As an Australian, I have come to appreciate the historic ties to our UK heritage. We are a nation born of the culture clash between the UK and the indigenous people of this country. Personally, I think a symbolic figurehead is necessary and wise for a stable government, though I am less concerned about the nationality of that figurehead. I am therefore a monarchist, but would be fine if Australia began its own monarchy, even if the monarch was a temporary appointment. Still, I think breaking ties with the UK monarch would feel somewhat wrong, like we were somehow losing a part of our country. It would not make our country greater, it would lessen it somehow. Sometimes mythology is really important.
I always enjoy your commentary, but the person who said they could work in Australia for a summer because of the commonwealth wasn't really wrong: work/travel visas are easy to get between Aus/NZ/UK/Canada largely due to historical ties embodied by the commonwealth. I myself used one to work in UK many years ago.
How older generations in your country hangs up pictures of the Monarch reminds me of how both my grandmothers (one from Ohio and the other from Tennessee) hung up photos of the then-president in their homes. For years, I had a framed photo of Harry S Truman than my Mamaw had hanging in her house when my Dad was born, and my Mom remembers seeing pictures of Eisenhower, Kennedy, and LBJ hanging in my Grandma's house until she moved out after marrying my Dad. They did this until they died, with Mamaw having a picture of George H.W Bush when she died in 1992 and my Grandma having a picture of Bill Clinton when she died in 1998. I don't think this was very common, since I've never heard of any of my friends grandparents doing this.
A free movement policy would have caused a migration crisis, as the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are significantly richer than the other Commonwealth Realms.
there are some immigration rules that allow you to get a work permit in the UK if you're the child or grandchild of a British citizen and our medical degrees translate from one country to another. That's why you'll often see South African or Indian doctors practice here, rather than American doctors. Some weird left over colonialism bits and pieces.
@@brianbarker2551 huh. So... the work permit rule would apply if you were an old enough Australian/Canadian/New Zealander that your grandparents lived in the country before they (the country) granted separate, non-british citizenship?
I was only in my 50's when it finally dawned on me that Queen Elizabeth II was both Queen of the United Kingdom AND Queen of Canada (as well as her other dominions, of course), just like James VI was king of Scotland AND king of England (as James I). Same person, different title. I didn't realize that the "Queen of Canada" designation was only from the 1950's, though. If Canadians do decide to forgo having a monarch that resides in another country, then we absolutely need to keep the symbols and trappings of the Crown. We'd still have a figurehead Governor General as head of state, and crown land, crown attorneys, with the crown still features in military crests. No need to change any of that. Just keep the current system of no political power for the head of state and it will serve Canada well.
When I was in university I had a linguistics professor who was talking about reference vs referent (eg the term we use to describe something vs the entity itself), and he had this fun little anecdote about his immigration to Canada. He moved here from England and decided to stay, so he went for citizenship and at his ceremony he had to pledge loyalty to "Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada", which put him through a loop because as a British citizen, he was already loyal to "er Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". In his capacity as a newly-minted Canadian citizen, he considered himself as having pledged loyalty to the role of Queen of Canada, and not necessary to the woman herself
Even though you are a republican and, at least from what I can tell, have a strong opinion on the monarchy, I think this video came across very unbiased. It always amazes me how well you’re able to present something and share both sides. Nicely done! Also, was that the guy from TL;DR News reading out those sections?
I visited Vancouver some years ago and was talking to my cousin's four-year-old daughter. I mentioned to my cousin's daughter that the Queen was also the Queen of Canada, and my cousin had this look like, "Wow, never thought about that before."
British subjects living in the UK actually do have voting rights there, and here in Canada most provinces allowed it up until the 80s (nova scotia only got rid of it around 2010) and new zealand actually expanded it in 1975 for all residents, not just citizens or subjects
From London here, all the news for the last week has been about the queen, uk tiktok and youtube shorts is trending with videos about the queen has for weeks and billboards are all showing pictures of the queen it's kind of a crazy experience
I should! I actually have come to respect Queen Victoria a lot more. I think she was kind of a dopey, simple woman in a lot of ways, but she did exert a lot of cultural influence on Britain (and America!) and there are a lot of modern middle class traditions, involving Christmas, weddings, and funerals that we can trace back to things that started with her family "modeling" the correct way to behave.
@@JJMcCullough I randomly remembered this comment when reading something about Victoria. Don't think you've made that video yet so thought i'd give you a reminder/push.
This may have been mentioned, but Elizabeth II did two state visits to the USA in her role as Queen of Canada. She has only done state visits as Queen of the UK and Queen of Canada. Canada has also had the most royal visits out of all the members of the commonwealth.
Fun historical fact: There actually was a Canadian Republic at one time, it lasted for less than a year from 1837-1838. It was On Navy Island along the Canadian Side of the Niagara River, it was Known as the Republic of Canada. If Modern Canada today became a Republic, It would likely be Called “The New Republic Of Canada.”
I'm a Canadian living in the UK. The boons of the commonwealth for me here are, the "youth mobility visa" a 2 year work visa that doesn't tie you to an employer like a typical work visa, and the ability to vote as a resident of the UK but not a citizen. Oh, and the embassy gets the cooler name of "High Commission "
@@JJMcCullough Australia, Canada, Monaco, New Zealand, San Marino, and Iceland not exactly the commonwealth I know, but far from the the whole western world. And when speaking to my immigration case handler, they spoke of it as the "commonwealth visa" as its mostly the commonwealth countries in that list who go for it.
@@AmoraTheBrewer But that's only because the UK was in the EU until recently so there was no need for special visas for Europeans. As far as I am aware, it's now eligible for EU citizens too.
@@JJMcCullough I got the visa after the the Brexit fiasco. They have yet to update the visa to include EU citizens. However, I have a feeling by this time next year that will no longer be the case.
Way to make a person to feel old. I was in high school when you were born. Being American I was always fascinated with England and the colonies(commonwealth) and studied them outside of school. Because in the States world history study ends pretty much at the American Revolution.
How was ww1 and ww2 not world history? And if you're speaking truthfully, you haven't been in school for nearly 4 decades, so how should you known what modern children are being thought?
I feel like knowing that Canada is still under the Monarchy's reign, and also knowing the Queen for so long that after her passing it felt bittersweet in the end.
@@spectraljerk330 His/her comment inferred living outside of a monarchy is preferable to living under one. What other sensible choice is there but a republic?
Aw How cool Young J.j., already so well-spoken and charismatic This is super interesting We aren't taught much about our Northern or Southern neighbors here in the States
@gilliganmcneuter4550 - The only reason I was taught about Mexico was because I took Spanish class for five years (at the insistence of my guidance counselors).
As a commonwealth citizen you are able to vote Ik UK elections if you spend half of the year there. You also have visa free travel and can stay there indefinitely in certain situations.
Should we keep the monarchy? Québec : 18% yes Alberta: 45% yes Other provinces fall in-between. There isn't even a majority of Canadians in support of keeping the current constitutional monarchy. However, I bet there will be absolutely no consensus as to how to replace it...
The thing is that it is a non-issue. People not only are uneducated about our government system. It also nearly impossible to pass constitutional changes (like cutting ties to the monarchy). I personally believe it would also be the backbone of any potential CANZUK style union. I'm personally a die-hard monarchist (and partially a British/Canadian nationalist) so obviously I would have a different view on it than most others, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
@@janeeire2439 unfortunately there is some truth to that. Immigrants from other former British colonies bring with them disdain towards the institution since Britain was exceptionally cruel in their countries.
@@janeeire2439 Yes. My community was one of the last to be founded by British settlers in its entirety. I personally view the monarchy as a tie to our heritage as a nation.
As a Social Studies Teacher in the US… With degrees in Political Science, International Studies, and a Masters in Political Rhetoric… you sir did more than my 7 years of college! You did a just great job!!!! Thank you on behalf of a fellow non royalist, yet with great respect and deference to history! I personally do not get Anglophilia, but love history and believe you must understand it! Understanding and love of history does not mean I love the monarchy any more than I would Caesar or Alexander the Great to lead or rule over me! Again, magnificent job! As an American who has been to Canada many a time, and loves Canada, I truly hope and pray your political whoas are soon to improve!
Last weekend, I saw the Queen's funeral cortege passing through Aberdeen in Scotland There was no shortage of love for the Queen along the route taken by the hearse carrying her coffin There have been some people saying some incredibly nasty things about the Queen though A fish and chip shop owner in Scotland was celebrating the Queen's death and became infamous on social media for it
Ex British colonies were celebrating, especially in America, we have no respect for her. I don't think it's far off either. It makes me angry knowing the history of the British empire and Queen Elizabeth control over center things that Brits swear up and down she never had lol. F the Queen 👑
At this point, monarchy in Canada feels like a little game that we're all going along with, which is actually kind of fun imo. The idea of a higher power that gives politicians authority is kind of a nice thought.
@@Pscribbled The "people" is a super vague and impersonal idea though, which can be easily abused since it is so vague( The "People's" Republic of China is a good example of that). Humans aren't a hivemind with one will. There is a reason why direct democracies in history were city states. The thing with monarchy is that the monarch is an actual living being and not some vague abstract idea. This is why monarchies were so popular and prevalent through human history and why republics have the tendency to mutate to proto-monarchies
@@AureliusLaurentius1099 Awful take. Popular sovereignty is not vague. There is a very clear parallel between the rise of ideas around populations having the right of self-determination and the rise of Republican governments during the Enlightenment and the subsequent decline of Imperial powers. It’s an IDEAL, yes, but it’s a very powerful ideal. What IS vague is a family declaring they were given authority by God to rule large swaths of disparate human populations who have no unifying culture or shared national identity. Maybe consider that Empires and monarchs died out precisely because they COULDNT exist in our modern world. Such a form of government has so many contradictions and weaknesses that they were practically fated to erode in the age of mass information
The only place I ever saw portraits of the Queen was in the living rooms of grandmother's in Northern Ireland. Or the Pope. Depends which kind of granny you were stopping in on haha.
I've never thought of Canada as an "immature" country. Having the Queen as Head of State does not make a country "immature" nor does being a republic indicate that a country has "grown up". The world is filled with republics which do not have the wealth, the global influence, human development level or human rights record of Canada. If I lived in a country like Canada, with free health care, strong institutions and a strong economy, I wouldn't worry about still being a monarchy in the 21st century. If all the important institutions that affect daily life for ordinary people work well, why worry about who the figurehead is?
Canada can be a great country while still being immature. Canada can be good at some things and bad at other things. Canada has done many terrible things but we wouldn't brush them off as irrelevant just because we have "free health care" now.
@@JJMcCullough Being good at some things while bad at others is completely normal, both for people and countries. It is not necessarily indicative of a lack of maturity. Nor would I suggest that the bad things in Canadian history are somehow erased by the sucesses of modern Canada. Indeed one could argue that the two are often connected, as part of the wealth of modern Canada is based on the systematic disenfranchisement of native people so that settlers could exploit the land for farming, mining etc. My point is that it is just as much of a mistake to assume Republicanism will somehow change your country or how other countries perceive it, or that it will somehow fix national problems as it is to believe that a King will impart some sort of magical well-being to your country. The same problems will exist the day after the Republic as the day before. Canada is lucky in that as a country, it has comparatively few problems. For other countries in our Hemisphere, being a republic has not necessarily meant prosperity or stability, while Canada is fortunate enough to enjoy both. Having a President or a Monarch is largely symbolic, other factors are more important in creating a stable democracy.
@@gemmeldrakes2758 I don't know, it seems kind of weird that the Head of State of Canada, even without any real title, was someone who is British. Like a Brit was the Queen of Canada and another Brit is now the King of Canada and technically the monarch. Doesn't that make you feel as Canadians like your nation is more of a subject, not fully sovereign nation? I could never imagine the US having foreign monarch who was the King of America
I would love to see JJ making a video of what sort of republic he feels would be best fitting for Canada. He has previously mentioned the monarchy, the senate, the Supreme Court, etc - would be interesting to wrap it all up in one video as to what he things the best change would be.
I think you could just remove the monarch from the Canadian system and give the power to appoint a Governor General to either the HoC or some other body. There would be other technical changes but practically the system would work pretty much the same.
@@sokonek1 yes of course that would work. But I would like to hear JJ discuss the pros and cons of different systems ie presidential, semi presidential etc but also discuss other constitutional changes he would like to see in Canada.
Often when I playfully teased Canadians from across the river in Windsor for having a monarchy, they would quickly deny that Canada had a queen and usually explained Elizabeth being on currency and other things as "we have a strong british influence"
Re at 6:41 - yes, you *do* have rights to do certain things in Britain: for example, as a Commonwealth citizen you have the right to vote and even run for MP in the UK's House of Commons if you also have indefinite leave to enter.
As a Newfie the parliament here has no portraits of the former queen. Plus I don’t like the monarchy because they call the whole country crown land which emplies that Canada is a colony of the British. And you might want to go read the Canadian charter that could show you that we are still a colony
Only subbed to your channel yesterday, actually out of interest about the Canadian constitution and how difficult it is to remove the monarchy. It’s honestly fascinating how entrenched it is in the Canadian constitution, compared to here in the U.K. where entrenching anything is a big no no in our uncodified constitution and impossible as parliament can overrule *anything*. It’s ironically easier in some sense to remove the monarchy here than it is in Canada.
I'm going to be a bit of a contrarian here. While getting rid of the Monarchy is technically doable I think the only thing it would achieve would be to start an expensive 15 way pissing match between the provinces/territories, Ottawa, and the various First Nation communities over Rights responsibilities, and concessions that can be wrung out of the new constitutional order. And, after all the wrangling and inevitable feelings of betrayal and slight by at least some of the parties to this negotiation, what will have been achieved? How will the lives of Canadians be tangibly improved by changing our mechanics of govt from Constitutional Monarchy 2e to Advanced Democratic Republic 3e? We will still have cities we can't afford to live in and a crumbling medical system but at least we will have a president.
I don't know, it seems kind of weird that the Head of State of Canada, even without any real title, was someone who is British. Like a Brit was the Queen of Canada and another Brit is now the King of Canada and technically the monarch. Doesn't that make you feel as Canadians like your nation is more of a subject, not fully sovereign nation? I could never imagine the US having foreign monarch who was the King of America
@@Scaro.s im also canadian and am fine with the monarchy i just think the symbolic make believe is kinda nice. Plus plenty of material for future movies and shows.
At least the British Monarchy by now is fairly ingrained into culture of Canada, even if the current dynasty is basically a transplant from Germany. Seems more strange that Greece got created as a monarchy also from Germany. As an American, the concept of "royalty" seems bonkers. Apparently it appeals to human nature, given the families of American politicians like the Kennedy's, the Bush's, and North Korea's royal family.
The royal families of Europe are all related. A claim like 'Britain's royal family came from Germany' ignores the fact that the House of Hanover resulted from an English royal marrying a Danish royal who went on to produce descendants that married a German royal. It's literally impossible to ground the ancestry of any European royal to just one country.
The full system of Canada is Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Monarchy. Our court websites just changed their names and are now called the Courts of King's Bench. It's not subtle but you can ignore it if you want. The Monarch is the Head of State, King Charles III. It's completely part of HM Realms
Hey JJ, Greg from Quebec here, I always enjoy your content but often find out how much we disagree on things. This time around this is a point where we could agree 100%!
When I went to Toronto on vacation a few years ago, it struck me how similar it felt to NYC. The joke I had in my head was that it felt like if you went back in time and stepped on a butterfly and came back and everything was the same except milk was in bags and everything called Queens gained a possessive apostrophe. I very much agree with your point about people going overboard about her being a symbol of British Imperial tyranny, in part bc you could levy that exact same criticism towards any future British Prime Minister, even if they're an anti-Imperialist descended from a former colonial subject.
People really need to come up with a limiting principle when it comes to things being a “symbol” of historic oppression. People are playing this like a game, a clever person can dream up a reason why any random thing can be tainted by association. Certainly if the standard is just that “the state” as a whole is perpetually guilty, then basically anything even tangentially related to the government or public service should be decried. The interior minister’s daughter, say.
I think there's a lot of complicated questions you could examine about what "independence" even means when politically your government is so close to your allies. And essentially the entire government of the UK and its subsidiaries is defined by falling into weird grey areas without clear demarcations of authority so that people can make whatever out of it that they want to.
The norwegian King and Queen portrait has traditionally usually been in outhouses. This tradition runs from the second world war, when Norway was occupied by the nazis, and is actually not mockery of the royal family at all, but the fact is that it was the safest place to pay homage to our monarchy, since it was the last place the german soldiers, if ever, would look. There was no penalty if this was discovered, but some norwegians also went to the extent of nailing the picture of Adolph Hitler under the outhouse lid. This tradition is more washed out to this day and age, but for boomers who do, it's usually located in outhouses by elderly cabins.
@@JJMcCullough They do exist, but usually by cabins that has no running water or plumbing. Some of those can be as old as one hundred years old. Most of them are however connected to a power grid, but that's it. Heating those old cabins are expensive, as they are lacking proper insulation in the walls, and the way of heating usually are done by firewood. To be honest, many sees the charm in this on a weekend, or a week, if you plan on being there for the easter holiday, but personally I am about to snap after two days of hacking a hole in the ice on the only water supply, namely a stream that has frozen solid., fill up a 5 gallon tank, put it on a small sleigh and pull it while skiing back. Trying to find serenity with the unhygienic family in -40 degrees (C or F) for several days in this situation are taking a large toll on everyones mental health eventually, and the reason we do this is that we are increasingly grateful for what we have when we are back to the civilization, which is the conformity of the city we live in.
In Italy we had an institutional referendum in 1946 where Italians were asked to vote for a Republic or Monarchy; do you believe the same could happen in Canada?
Me and almost all of my friends have served in the CAF where we call the Queen our boss, more jokingly then anything. But I mean technically… All of our unit logos feature the Queen’s crown, most of our military rules and laws are the Queens Orders and Regulations and a few of my friends were even lucky enough to serve in 2 PPCLI as the royal guard at Buckingham Palace. With the Queen’s death I can see Canada grow more distant from the Crown but we should also reflect on how much of a big deal it is that the Queen is dead. Queen Elizabeth II was a constant in not only my life, but also that of our parents and in some cases their parents too. With all of the changes in the world from the Cold War, into our post 9/11 world she was always a constant. For me, it feels like the end of an era as she was one of our last remaining living ties to a different time in the world, a symbol of a time when men were made of steel and fought with rifles made of wood. And like JJ alluded to, Charles is nowhere near as popular as his mother was! What does this mean for Canada’s future? Will we see ourselves distance even further from the Crown? Will we see a shift to be more like America now? Are there many Canadians left who would be pro-commonwealth now that the figurehead of it all, who was there for their entire lives, is gone? Just seems like an uncertain future is even more uncertain now.
At 6:40 you mentioned that Canadians do not have any more rights in the UK than any other foreigner. While this is mostly true, Canadians (and other citizens of Commonwealth countries) residing in the UK can vote in elections while other foreigners cannot.
I always find it weird listening to Canadians and Australians talking about the British empire. It's their empire too. Modern Britain is just one of the states that emerged from the empire and not everyone in that state participated in the empire, whereas everyone in Canada did so it's more Canada's empire than Britain's. I also find it weird we just watched a funeral in a 900 year old hall and cathedral but Canadians just want to ignore all their heritage and start it from when their ancestors settled in North America. I can't imagine completely ignoring all my earlier history and what created my modern culture like that
You earned a uniqueness with your start as a young-thinker on TV. You have represented that uniqueness well to the point that this video is a valuable perspective into the ongoing changes.
this is so incredibly interesting to me as a Bahamian (🇧🇸) cause despite the fact our government is objectively worse than Canada and America's governments, we always felt like even though we're "proud to be independent"; the government still cant do anything without Britain's OK.
I was astonished to learn that Canada would find it more difficult than any other realm including Britain itself to remove the crown in favour of an elected Head of State. The unanimous consent of the commons, senate and all ten regional legislatures plus a referendum.
As an Australian I found this to be a really interesting video as we essentially went through a very similar journey, (independent nationhood in 1901), a similar Royal Titles Act in 1953, and the Australia Act 1983 removing the final elements of British influence (specifically it made it so that only the Australian executive and not the British executive could advise the monarch regarding matters relating to Australia, and also removed the privy council as a court of appeal). Very few Australians would know that the Queen is called the Queen of Australia for our purposes. I think it works as an idea though, and I think Elizabeth was quite good in giving force to that notion (that she the person represented a monarchy of many nations, and thus she had many hats rather than being the UK's Queen ruling from abroad). There is an inescapable aspect of that 'she's British' though. You touched on Canadian monarchism as a 'we are different to the US' identity point, which is not something that motivates Australian monarchists, who either have an appreciation for Britain, an appreciation for the system of governance constitutional monarchy provides, or both. To the extent we wish to be seen as 'different to someone else' it would be a sentiment that called for republcianism. Australia rejected a republican referendum in 1999. The system put forward would have been one where the Governor-General (the Queen's representative in Australia) would have been appointed by 2/3 majority of Parliament, however it is possible a model of directly elected President could have been more successful. It will be interesting to see how this debate plays out now with the death of the Queen. Personally I'm a constitutional monarchist for 'conservative reasons' in that I think it provides a quite stable form of governance that reduces the potential for constitutional crises. I'm not fiercely in favour of it though. I could see the 1999 model being as stable and if that was to occur I wouldn't be upset. I think a directly elected Presidential model would be an inescapable shift in power structures in Australia. It also occurs to me now that I'm still talking about it as if she was still the Queen.
@@LindaAndrews-ly1qf the UK is important in modern day Australia as it is still a powerful world leader, a very large economy, and a and a large and important cultural exporter to the world. It's affairs are important to Australia to the extent they affect the global world order and to the extent that it's funny. Last year, a decent amount of UK coverage due to the AUKUS pact, and because Boris Johnson is funny and Liz Truss was even funnier. This year...mainly comes up in relation to global involvement in the Ukraine/Russian war. A lot of royal family chatter but I'd consider that a separate discussion to the concept of 'the UK' in this context. We don't talk about the UK as like a parent or something. That's not how we view things now. There's an obvious cultural and historical connection but the UK is just a powerful country and an important ally.
JJ, when you mentioned Prime ministers having to swear allegiance to the queen, I hoped you would have mentioned the more "disturbing" information that every person becoming a Canadian Citizen (of which there are more than 300k a year) have to swear allegiance to the queen as part of their Oath Ceremony!
There is a legal concept of the Crown that’s more like “the people” than the individual Queen. So when you swear allegiance to the Queen, it’s similar to swearing allegiance to the people of Canada. This is why you’ll sometime see different “Crowns” (Ie the Queen in right of Canada, the Queen in right of Ontario, etc) and why the system doesn’t change when the monarch becomes someone new. So when you swear allegiance to the Queen, you’re swearing it to the people of Canada as currently embodied by the Queen. It’s weird.
The Armed Forces and police services also swear allegiance to Charles III in all 14 Commonwealth Realms and the UK. I want to argue that this is a good thing in the event that an elected government in a realm becomes authoritarian, they wouldn't be able to really force the Armed Forces and Police to do anything as they could all argue that they swore allegiance to the monarch, not to the elected government.
Over the years Charles has been criticised for his interest in many causes, particularly climate change and agriculture, but, just as the Queen seemed to keep out of politics, he may feel he has to do the same now that he is King.
JJ, I think you mislead one factoid. As Canadians we are a part of the working holiday Visa program, which allows us to work and live in many countries, including Australia, the UK, New Zealand and possibly more former commonwealth nations. This visa is 1 year, extendable to 2 or 3 depending on said nation. The USA is not in this program but most of developed Europe is.
As an Indian, I think that, in India the concept of the Commonwealth is mostly seen as important mostly because of the Commonwealth games and strategic alliance, and not because of any sort of allegiance to the British Monarch.
What you say has two sides. One is that the rising Indian economy has made us a nation less dependent on the UK. Also the geo political consequences of the commonwealth is decreasing with thr current government focusing more on the quad and bricks groups. But we still have a large Indian diaspora in the UK and a large number of student go there to study every year. So yes it is complicated 🙂
Agree. We wanna be friends for everyone who is interested to be loyal friends to us. UK included.. So i see it as no different a thing than being a member or SARC or BRICKS.
why do the commonwealth games and cricket matter? do you still want to be colonised?
@@arunodaybhattacharjee7001 The connection that India gets with the anglosphere from the commonwealth is extremely important for the containment of China.
Thing is, you don't need a monarch to maintain those relations. Same goes for all Commonwealth nations.
As a Brit, the queen portraits as being a *thing* in any capacity seems like a very Canadian thing. Like it's trying to take the American style of in-your-face hyper-visible patriotism, but then skewing it through a strange Canadian lense.
I honestly don't think I've ever seen a portrait of the queen on the wall in that manner here in the UK and as far as I'm aware it's not a thing in Australia or New Zealand either.
I’ve been asking Brits about it and they all find it odd. There is a scene in Pink Floyd's the Wall where the teacher has a picture of the queen and it’s clearly supposed to indicate that he’s some kinda psycho.
I've only ever seen them on cop shows set in the olden days, onm the walll of an office
I think it would certainly be seen as excessive in the UK. The monarchy here is really more of a piece of cultural tradition here than any kind of political issue, republicanism is such a minority fringe that mainstream politics generally pays it no mind. I'd say even the concept of patriotism in the UK isn't particularly tied to the royal family, especially as it's often devolved to the regional countries of England, Scotland and Wales, who haven't had seperate royal families for centuries.
Just a short anecdote: I'm an American from Upstate New York, just a couple of hours from the Canadian boarder. One time, when I was about 12 years old, my family and I visited some quaint Canadian town, and I remember being surprised to see the Queen's portrait in a café. I pointed it out to my family, but they didn't seem to care (typical Americans I suppose). However, I certainly did, and reflecting back upon this moment, it definitely sparked my interest in this topic.
As an American I immediately associated it with the flags obsession. However I guess if I were an old Canadian who wants to feel different from my rebellious counterparts, flaunting my devotion is the only real option.
"I thought we were just being nice" - that response killed me, I love that girl haha
The whole ‘popularizing corgis’ thing actually is a really big impact, funnily enough. My friend’s family has been breeding corgis for generations, and his great grandfather always told the story of how the business exploded around the time of Elizabeth’s coronation, even here in the states, similar to what happened to Portuguese Water Dogs after Obama took office
It goes beyond just dog breeds. For example, it was widely known that pork rinds were one of George H.W. Bush's favorite foods and that he was a fan of the game horseshoes. During his presidency, sales of both increased significantly. Similarly, President Eisenhower helped to popularize golf in the United States (along with Bing Crosby, of course.) JFK helped make rocking chairs more popular after it was reported that he had one for treating his back pain due to Addison's Disease (at his doctor's recommendation).
It's funny that he's talking about A queen when he is A QUEEN.
@@bocawilliams9200 how’s that funny?
@@Hugh_de_Mortimer Because it's a play on words, dummie! A Queen is obviously a ruler of a country but a queen can also mean a gay person and this guy is gay. Learn how to be funny, man!
@@hotwax9376 The pork rinds story was a bit of misinformation to make the patrician Bush seem more a man of the people. In reality, Poppy's favorite snack was supposedly popcorn.
I met lizzie once as a kid and speaking to her literally just felt like talking to my nan so I've always admired her throughout my life just the same way I did with my gran
I didn't care for the rest of the royalty as a whole but she was the only person I'd consider our monarch simply because I liked her as a person
If there's one thing you'll learn in college, its that some people manage to make it that far in life with no real idea how the world around them works or how we got to that point in history.
I was in a 4th year Russian history class (because it fit into my schedule) and when WW2 came up, I found out that 3 of the other students knew nothing of it beyond movies about the western front and a one of them wasn't sure Canada had been involved the whole time.
Lol, something like this just happened to me, I’m a Mexican immigrant living in Canada, I’m in high school, I attend a white majority rural school, we were having a debate in class about the monarchy and wether it was good to abolish it or not and some of the guys (they were Canadian) didn’t even know that Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state of Canada, like, some of them are so oblivious about their own country, when he said he didn’t know he laughed at it and the whole class did it too because, ignorance is soooo funny
I remember once overhearing a conversation in college where a guy had just come back from Germany, and his friend asked him, with sincere curiosity if they still had a Nazi government. And the friend replied with great hesitation, “I’m not… sure.”
@@JJMcCullough I ... wha ... I, uh ... um.
Okay y'know what -- props to those guys, for the one asking such a question, & the other being willing to state uncertainty instead of committing to an answer if he didn't feel he had firm info. I mean, those are definitely things people should be doing, in general & especially in college.
Yep, that's my takeaway & I'm clinging -- I mean, sticking to it 😆
I mean that's what you go to college to do, to learn about how the world works
@@caseyjarmes You shouldn't be completely ignorant about important historical events before getting there. I was in a 2nd year Canadian history class, we were getting some historiography about the Seven Years' War leading up to the Battle of Plains of Abraham and someone asked if they were fighting by Napoleonic Code... In 1759.
Could you make a video about National Parks? Like how they’re chosen and the history behind both them and naturalists?
American/Canadian/Chinese should be mentioned.
Check out National Park Diaries
He’s only gonna talk about the ones in British Columbia for Canada
I’ve always thought the way America perseveres our national parks is one of our great Crown Jewels of which every American ought be proud
I think it was national geography that stated that Russia had the second best national park system.
As a Canadian, I'm concerned that a college classmate didn't understand the foundations of our political system and the reason for having a monarch on our currency.
Being in college doesn't mean that you desire to learn or have the ability to. It often means you or your parents have deep pockets.
Same here in America 🙄
You would think that this sort of thing would be taught to Canadian children already in elementary school.
Ah you forgot that going to college doesn’t equate to great knowledge or intellect, it usually equates to deep pockets or rich families
This is the majority of the Canadian voting public...
When I was 10 or 11 after moving to Kingston from Ottawa I noticed our lease was held by the Queen and used to clean the front steps extra extra hard incase she came.
Even as a kid I knew she wouldn’t ever have time to come closer in so I focused on the entrance way then on the rest. By the time I was 14 I realized the queen had no vested interest in the upkeep of Kingston Frontenac housing (let alone crown corporations) but cleanliness has remained with me.
This video has explained some things I had questions about while discussing the Commonwealth with some people recently. Thank you for this explanation from your perspective and with what you've learned over the years!
My sister (a Malaysian citizen) told me that she and her friends from other nations in the Commonwealth were able to vote in the Brexit referendum (they all voted "remain", obviously). So I guess I've believed for a while that the Commonwealth was more significant than its portrayal in this video.
@@ShaunCheah Only British citizens could vote in the Brexit referendum. Does your sister have dual citizenship? Maybe there are some exceptions but commonwealth citizens definitely couldn't vote
@@ShaunCheah _My sister (a Malaysian citizen) told me that she and her friends from other nations in the Commonwealth were able to vote in the Brexit referendum (they all voted "remain", obviously)_
There's no way that's true unless she's a British citizen.
@@dannyarcher6370 It's very likely that I misheard or misunderstood, then. I'll ask her for clarification next time we speak.
It's funny that he's talking about A queen when he is A QUEEN. You know, cuz he is a homosmexual!
JJ is just waking up and choosing combat every day
I'm sorry...choosing award winning combat
JJ: wins an award
Also JJ: makes sure everyone knows
just another award winning video
Well one thing's for sure, he's not quiet quitting.
America: You know what? I don’t want to pay rent, I’m going solo, so long Mother England
Canada: You can’t do that to our Mother, don’t worry Mother, I will put up pictures of you in my room to show how much I love you, thus making me much better than America
Oh my god. The USA is Lindsay Bluth. And Canada is Buster Bluth. It all makes sense now 😆
Lmao
true true
Sorry there bud
Canadians pay less than a dollar each person each year for the monarch, so being a good boy can pay off.
Weird to hear Jack do some voiceover work outside of TLDR
yeah that was unexpected lol
Lol, Ikr?
the multiverse... its coming together.
I thought it was half asleep chris
want to see JJ on TLDR now
I find it that blaming the queen for British colonialism is a good way for Brits to cop out of taking the responsibility themselves. Those practices were actually done by democratically elected governments, so the people has a part of responsibility
I think those people just dont understand how the british government works.
True, but wasn’t the Mau Mau uprising largely suppressed in her name?
Yeah, except no one alive today had any part in colonialism (except maybe the very oldest British people). You don't inherit guilt.
@@rubeusignis1293 I think that despite having let go of most of their colonies, Britains still has colonialist policies these days. It changed but didn't go away
@@adrienrenaux6211 What policies do you mean?
Hey JJ, I come from Australia. Thanks for this video. I very much support the monarchy. Could you please do a video about what actual power the new king (Charles) now holds over the Commonwealth Realms (such as Australia, NZ, Canada, etc.)
Commonwealth seems to be a strange English word that's dragged out only when ambiguity is desired. Puerto Rico is called a commonwealth. The word artfully disguises Puerto Rico's peculiar relationship to the US. Curiously there's no good translation of the word into spanish where it's called an "estado libre asociado", associated free state.
Another example would be the USSR briefly re-organizing itself into “ the commonwealth of independent states.”
I was taught that my state of Pennsylvania is one of three American states that actually isn't defined as a state. We are the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Which is... basically just a state.
There is also the case of the commonwealth that was established after the execution of Charles I. Brits were at a loss to know what to call a country without a king.
The US state of Massachusetts also styles itself as a "Commonwealth" but I don't think anyone attaches any sinister connotations to it.
@@gemmeldrakes2758, yeah, that's mostly because the government's been too lazy to change the name...for 250 years.
As a latinamerican it's kinda surprising how the public reaction was more emotional compared to the english speaking world.
For example, here in Chile a lot of people went to the British embassy to show their condolences to the royal family and i was surprised how many people were sad that she passed away.
I literally found no one saddened by the queen’s death here in Brazil
@@luisfelipefaria9404 sucking up to the brits is very chilean thing
@Carlos Adrián Aguirre I was curious how Mexico would react. We Mexicans don't have much of a connection to Britain. I know some people see Spain in a similar light to Canada and Britain but you don't really hear about any of the royalty there. I only realized when the Queen died I don't know if they still have a Royal family.
It's not like the Queen was the only Royal either. I heard Japan still has a royal family and I've heard of others. However the Queen was the Queen of the nation that once ruled the world so I guess that's what makes her so significant to some.
@@Utterlyderanged didn't know mourning equals sucking up.
@@Slenderkllz What lol. I’ve been to 3 Brazilian cities since the queen’s death: São Paulo, São José dos Campos and Marília. One has 20 million inhabitants, the other 730K and the other 250K. I’ve talked to the most diverse range of people possible, from conservatives to communists. Literally NO ONE is even slightly saddened, which doesn’t mean that they’re happy she died, they’re just indifferent to it. That’s what you’d expect from people in a country thousands of miles away from the United Kingdom.
JJ you really made a good and nuanced case in this video. As someone who has no stones in this area I was kinda shocked by how vicious some people I know were the minute after her passing was announced so this your viewpoint of having to defend the Queen as a person and not as an institution really resonated with me.
Like do I love the Monarchy? No
Would I be dancing on her grave if I could? Absolutely not
Also it's kinda cute how much of your mannerisms and your speaking style is already visible in little JJ back in 2002.
". As someone who has no stones in this area I was kinda shocked by how vicious some people I know were the minute after her passing was announced"
I guarantee that those people never cared about the monarchy until she died as well.
I guarantee that many of those same people celebrating online probably also tuned in to watch the royal wedding 10 years ago. Young people online don’t actually seem to hold any consistent beliefs on anything. Mostly, they’re immature people hopping on the latest bandwagon.
regardless of the institution she’s still a human that made the choice to colonize several countries
@@land___shark She didn't though.
@@jabrokneetoeknee6448 %100. I'm sure most of these people went to see the Downton Abbey movie earlier this year.
As an American who lives in a state that borders Canada, I always thought "Queen/King of Canada" was such a strange thing to read and even stranger to say. Same goes for Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica and all the other Commonwealth realms. I also remember seeing lots of Canadian coins and my Mom telling me that the face on them was Queen Elizabeth, but at that time I didn't know who she was and I assumed she was the same person as Queen Elizabeth I, who I knew was dead. (My Mom is somewhat of an Anglophile and wrote a thesis in college on Henry VIII and the House of Tudor. The Anglophilia rubbed off on me, but not the interest in the British royals beyond their historical value.) When I learned as a teenager that Canada actually recognized the British monarch as head of state, I was mildly surprised, but at least I finally understood why the Queen's face was on Canadian currency (and of course, I knew who she was by then). And yes, it was very confusing to me for a long time until I learned that the monarchies were officially separate despite having the same monarch.
I bet it must have been even stranger to see a woman on coins.
@@ARCtheCartoonMaster Yeah, and here in America there was a push a few years ago to put a woman on a dollar bill (ultimately Harriet Tubman.) We've also had Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea on dollar coins.
Well as an Australian, it's never been strange to hear "King/Queen of Australia", I mean it's an intriguing concept since our monarch is actually on the other side of the globe and historically in our constitution we never referred to the Monarch as Australian but British, this however changed recently. Ultimately I believe the monarchy is a great symbol of our history and is a unifying factor between the majority English speaking countries (except america). Plus it's super cool.
@@harrisonbailey5449 I was just trying to make the point that if anybody is aware of just how many surviving monarchies there are (and it's more than most people realize), we usually think of them being in Europe or Asia, maybe Africa. Australia isn't the sort of country that comes to mind, and neither is Canada, New Zealand, Belize, or any of the Commonwealth realms in the Caribbean and Oceania. (And plenty of English-speaking countries besides America aren't Commonwealth realms.)
For full disclosure, I strongly support the British monarchy for exactly the reasons you outlined. I don't think it's as essential to the other Commonwealth realms, but I would still hope that they don't abolish it. I'd never want a monarchy here in America (even constitutional) and I am equally strong in my position against absolute monarchies, but constitutional monarchies in countries where it's an essential part of history and national identity and the sovereign is a purely ceremonial figure (like Britain) should never be scrapped.
@@hotwax9376 Oh yes I completely understand that, western European countries have plenty of monarchies and it's Definitely were you'd expect to see them since it's such an important part of their histories. But for the former british colonies you don't see that the importance of the monarchy is downplayed since the actual monarch is so far away, and many former british colonies even abolished it.
The main reason I suppose is how similar our countries are, and people rarely ever see the king or queen in the realms titled "King of Canda" for example. The monarch not actually being here and the near irrelevance of the Governor-General just makes it seem we aren't actually countries that are monarchies and even have the same one.
"Sadam Hussany" great analogy, super funny. Excellent articulated points on the role of the monarch in Canada's cultural identity.
It’s easier to get visas across the commonwealth, which is probably what that “study in Australia for the summer” comment was talking about. The relative ease which Canadians and Britons can get working holiday visas in Australia. That’s also why so many Britons, Kiwis, and Aussies work at Canadian ski resorts.
These are entirely separate arrangements made bilaterally between countries, not a direct (and certainly not an automatic) consequence of belonging to the Commonwealth. Also worth noting that several non Commonwealth countries participate in working holiday and study schemes.
@@schrire39
Non commonwealth countries do participate, but the British white setter colonies get twice as much time on their visas with each other and the motherland.
@@Gamenetreviews Which schemes are you referring to specifically ? There are multiple schemes in multiple countries.
Thing is, it did actually used to be the case that citizens from anywhere in the Commonwealth could go anywhere else, so there is some historic basis to it that might be [mis]informing that belief today. My mother moved from Canada to the UK in pre-EU times and she didn't really have to do anything, though by then the automatic entry into Canada for Brits had gone as my father had to go through the immigration system when they moved to Canada. Even today, Aussies and Canadians in the UK do get to vote in UK local elections and they could also vote in the Brexit referendum (EU citizens also had the right to vote in local elections, but not the Brexit vote).
Yes an Australian at Whistler told me that they have reciprocal visas.
As someone from the US I saw Elizabeth as part of the WWII generation, a generation that I certainly honor.
She was a veteran of the War. She worked as an auto-mechanic from 1944 to 1945.
gag
@@abdisaniini Well, first of all, she was a woman in the 1940s, she couldn't fight on the front lines. Second of all, she was born in 1926, which meant she was only 13 when the war began and 18 when she started. And also, out of the Royal Family, she was the only one who actually did something physically in the war especially since Westminister was actually supposing that for their safety she and her late younger sister, Princess Margaret, flee to Canada for their safety. So overall, she did the most she could do under her circumstances.
@@abdisaniini Well, she is part of the female veterans. But with that being said, Soldiers who actually fought in the front lines did much more than her,l but she still did the best she could and she didn't lock herself up in a palace.
@@abdisaniini she was also part of the monarchy that I believe technically is in command of important military decisions as well so I would think that alone would put her as veteran and also living through the bombings all British people even those who didn’t serve were still part of the war even those back home who were mechanics or machinists the war was mostly won by manufacturing more than anything else we don’t tell soldiers in the military that they aren’t veterans just because they’re and engineer or a cook who does their work away from the front lines it’s a similar situation
As someone who doesn't have the most favorable view of the British royal family, I still really appreciate nuanced discussions like this.
Any decent discussion would have involved the Constitutional Authority held by the Queen or Governor General .
When the Queen ascended the throne in 1953 she took an Oath before God to do her duty for her Citizens.
She took this Oath very seriously . Most people are unaware that the Queen and British PM were required to have confidential meetings every week - the meetings are called an Audience .
I'm sure there were a few occasions when the Queen asked are you doing your duty ?
Is this in the best interest of British citizens ? I don't think we have an Audience in Canada .
.
Also, in Britain , the Queen's signature was required before the HoC could debate any legislation .
In 1999 she refused a piece of legislation to be discussed. Again, I don't think we have this in Canada .
Also, in Britain Cabinet Ministers have real authority and as we just saw , they can push a PM out .
This sounds a bit chaotic , but its far more democratic .
Where as here in Canada , Cabinet Minister's get their taking notes from the unelected PMO ,
and Cabinet Ministers would not dream of voting the PM out .
The bottom line is this : Both Canada and Britain are stronger Democracies because they are Constitutional Monarchy's . As one person it so well , there is political government , who is influenced by the ultra wealthy , but that government still needs to get symbolic approval from an apolitical Queen .
Rarely know bit of info : After WW II , under US occupation Japan's Constitution was changed in 1947
and it was modeled on Britain's Westminster System - with human rights and voting rights for both men and women.
.
@@landsea7332 how about this. Fuck monarchy. Canada would be much better off with out a person just born is our head of state. Take you diary entry amd shove it. The empire that enslaved the world. The kings and queens which okays murder, rape and genocide.
@@landsea7332 she took power in 52
@@landsea7332 I don't know how much of that is true, but I do believe that a neutral party and a ceremonial head of state have a great deal of value in terms of service to its citizens, which is why I think a Monarchical disposition works for democratic countries. I think older democracies had at least two leaders for a reason, like Rome and Sparta for one (I know Sparta had Kings, but the division of power aspect makes it worth pointing out), and that's because the centralisation of power to individuals is the cause of most of the strife associated with Monarchs, Despots and Tyrants. A constitutional Monarchy fundamentally makes it so that power cannot be centralised to an individual, and every Governor-General in the world is there to remind the PM of that fact, that they are merely there to serve the democratic needs of the people in upholding the constitution of the nation, there is no power but the bare minimum required to achieve this result. That is a democracy, whereas a republic is subject to populist nonsense and the repetition of the same old bullsh*t that destroyed most democracies in the first place.
This is an extremely nuanced perspective that I didn't expect but am happy I agree wholeheartedly with. I'm indifferent to the monarchy as a Canadian but I tend to be sympathetic to the Queen since she reminds me so much of my grandmother who is the matriarchy of my family. She saw the Queen when she was younger and ever since she told me that story I was a fan of the Queen as a person. This leaves me feeling very mixed when you consider the institution of the Monarchy and the impact it had on the world through colonialism
The Queen reminds me of my grandmother too, even though I don't really have very sentimental feelings about my grandmother. But both women were symbols of their generation, and are easy to admire for that reason alone... just as a link to an increasingly vanishing past.
Fantastic video JJ! As a pro-monarchy Brit, I really appreciate your honesty yet your nuance that you bring with your points. The maturity of your thoughts and the way you articulate your arguments are why I'm a fan.
While Canada's relationship to the Crown is not my area to speak, a part of me hopes that Canada continues to retain it's ties to the Crown and the Royal family. Likely out of a sense of appreciation for it being a cultural and constitutional tie between our two nations; a part of me would be sad to see said tie be severed.
Nevertheless, I can see that there will be an inevitable movement for various Commonwealth Realms to declare independence in the wake of King Charles ascending to the throne of which they have every right to pursue. In 10 years time when we are well into the new King's reign it will be interesting to reflect on how the relationship between the remaining Commonwealth Realms has developed since he began his reign.
No doubt the King is well aware of the growing scepticism towards the project that is the Commonwealth Realms and the fact that the death of his mother will/is acting as a catalyst for such change. I imagine that he will be eager to re-affirm the fact that we as a nation, and he as monarch, are incredibly grateful of Canada's (and others) continued acceptance of him as head of state.
The fact when I was a kid when reading about the Commonwealth of Nations(which I conflated with the Commonwealth Realm) was that I thought the Queen ruled all of those nations as their absolute monarch( I don't know wtf is a parliament or autonomy then)
I grew up thinking half of the world is ruled by some old lady with her corgis.
She wasn't an absolute monarch, but Victoria kind of was some old lady who ruled half the world
That's kinda of based
@@jackyex *kind of
you love tradition so much, why do you have to ruin English? If you don't like it speak something else.
@@TOBAPNW_ so, the only thing you argue about is some spelling mistakes? How virtuos of you.
@@TOBAPNW_ *If you love traditions so much, why do you have to ruin English? If you don't like it, speak something else.
Fascinating video. I've lived in Ohio, a state just south of Canada, for over 65 years, learned a bit of Canadian history in high school and college, and spent a fair amount of time in my youth fishing in Ontario and Quebec. I think I've gained a better sense of Canada watching these videos recently than in all my prior years. So what does the Queen's passing mean to the Quebecers?
Call back is very much going out of its way to ostentatiously not acknowledge her passing.
Let's just say that the Queen's passing has revivified the old anti-monarchy sentiment amongst Quebec's nationalist and pro-independence movements. 1 deputy of the Bloc Québecois publicly made comments about separatism from the Crown the day after the death of her majesty and the party's leader has sinced said in Parliament he would bring back that debate after the nation has had its time to grief.
I've read somewhere that we'll probably be the last former colony still tied to the monarchy, because while every other commonwealth country will become a republic, Québec will use the fact that every province needs to sign off on changing the constitution as a bargaining chip to further their own goals.
No politician in Québec has said that for now. However, many of them will soon be very vocal about wanting out of the monarchy. It his on pause at the moment, but it will restart very soon. Not to mention that Québec's prime minister has recruited many pro-independence candidates, some are expected to be named ministers after the current elections. There is a possibility Premier Legault could in the future change side and use the Crown as an argument to separate from Canada. He still claims to be a federalist, but that might change...
I personally doubt it as it would be a political suicide, but it is indeed possible.
While I'm an American from New England living in upstate New York, about thirty years ago, I was an undergraduate student in Montreal. The acknowledgement of the monarchy and the Queen was very variable. Most Quebecois francophones were either indifferent or hostile to the institution with a small sliver who were more pro-monarchist as a way to show support for federalism. Among non-francophones, the anglophones varied from indifference to mild pro-monarchism while the allophones were for the most part clueless. Likenesses of the Queen could be found in courtrooms and federal government buildings but not provincial government buildings. The statues of former monarchs such as Queen Victoria and King Edward VIII in public squares seem to be in fair repair but very few people seemed to make too much of their symbolism.
Back then, I was talking to a francophone friend-of-a-friend who I didn't care much for. I mentioned that the Queen was Canada's head of state. He argued with me that this was not the case. I asked him why her likeness was on most of the money. He looked askance. I told him that he may not like it and he may even want to fight against Canada being a kingdom (queendom), but the facts are the facts. I don't think we ever spoke again.
Even as a Canadian monarchist, I must say JJ continues his excellence with this thoughtful video. Also, wow young JJ was already quite articulate and with a sort of proto-JJ speaking style.
People may disagree with each other opinion but respect must always reign.
As a fellow Canadian Monarchist, I can't help but respect JJ... Even though JJ and I disagree on almost everything...
> as a Canadian monarchist,
So traitor to the Canadian people?
@@debodatta7398
What an idiotic statement...So then are our entire Armed Forces traitors having made oaths to the Crown. Debate on the subject is welcome....I'll thought out and inflammatory statements are not..
Thanks!
Some people have noted that Britain allows “Commonwealth citizens” to vote in their elections. I was actually going to mention this in my original script but it was running long. Why I didn’t mention it is twofold: one, this is a unique British law, it is not something that applies universally or mutually. And two, it has nothing to do with the “common allegiance to the crown.” A citizen of a Commonwealth country with no monarchical ties like Rwanda or Singapore can qualify for these British privileges, which could also be easily rescinded by the British parliament at any point.
britain so crazy
Ok bro
Ahh you addressed my comment as I was writing it. Good stuff!
My issue was not the details of the specific program or why it exists
Rather, that in your video you characterized Canadian college students who said they could get a special UK visa through being a Commonwealth member as uninformed and stupid. If you knew that in fact it was a real program and that those students were actually right when you made the video, you could have simply left that out instead of gone ahead with the gratuitous and misleading criticism of them
@@islandlanguage3349 I didn't say anything about "special UK visas."
Once again the one person on TH-cam who I wanted to hear discuss this subject. Thank you J.J.
Definitely my favorite commentary, and quite insightful, as I wasn't aware that Canadians had such an ambivalent relationship with The Queen. ✌️😎🍀
Brit here! I hear alot of hate for the monarchy, I could go either way in a hypothetical referendum. But wanted to say its fantastic to hear a republican talk with respect and nuance! Thank you JJ
Nuance, sure. Respect? What's to give? I'm a republican and I really don't think she deserves any more respect than anyone else. She should be criticised fairly for her actions and inactions. She isn't more special than anyone else, and if she didn't use her considerable position, wealth and (yes, very limited) power to even try to advance the cause of people suffering under the government she was supposedly the head of, I think she'll rightly cop flak.
@@TOBAPNW_ The whole point of the monarchy is to be neutral?
Well why do you love them so much? What have they done for you personally or anyone else in the UK or the Commonwealth? They can have their monarchy...in the UK, not Canada.
@@a.c.e.7568 he’s a brit and he’s talking about if there was a referendum here in the uk
@@TOBAPNW_ ahh, so your saying upon a person's death we should make sure we immediately begin to critique there entire impact on history, before the funeral and while still in mourning.
By respect I mean treating the death of the Queen as if humans are a thing, and many many people are hurting and need to grieve.
But this is a difficult argument as I'm seeing this from a personal aspect, many people only see the monarch as a symbol.
As an American, I always thought Canada's relationship with the United Kingdom was interesting. I was told that the queen was a symbolic leader to Canada, but after you went into detail into the true relationship it was interesting. I thought it was sad that the queen died, yet didn't feel much about it.
The way the average American acted after the Queen's passing; it was like 1776 never happened.🙄
@@alexandercampbell7903 1776 was centuries ago, America should seek closer relations with our great ally and I'm glad some Americans realize that.
@@craydussy I am not disputing your point, but the Queen was the Queen of England; and many Americans and Canadians were acting as if she were THEIR Queen after her passing.
I don't know, it seems kind of weird that the Head of State of Canada, even without any real title, was someone who is British. Like a Brit was the Queen of Canada and another Brit is now the King of Canada and technically the monarch. Doesn't that make you feel as Canadians like your nation is more of a subject, not fully sovereign nation? I could never imagine the US having foreign monarch who was the King of America
@@alexandercampbell7903 Some Americans, especially liberals, see monarchism as a bulwark against populism.
Born in 1968. There were portraits of our Queen in all my public school rooms from Grade to High. Even though my interest with the Royal family has waned later in my life. I knew she would pass away one day. I truly hope her Son holds up the same values as she did.
As an American I was sad at her passing. She was an amazing woman.
As a Brit, I see the monarchy as a totem of our history. Hence I see value in it as our history forms the foundations of our culture.
Therefore when swearing allegiance to the monarch, I like to think of it as swearing allegiance to the people and the nation through upholding the country’s important history and traditions. From that perspective, with the shared British and Canadian history, swearing allegiance to the monarch can make sense.
I do understand how it can seem slightly dystopian though.
I think when an institution has to be understood in this complex metaphorical way it’s clearly failing at some level.
@@JJMcCullough yeah that’s a fair comment
@@JJMcCullough other than our institutions survive on the status quo. For Canada to become a republic we'd have to renegotiate treaties with indigenous communities. Print new money, overhaul our military which is built on allegiance to the crown to the point the crown is in all the ranks. Overhaul our provincial governments as each province is a crown asset. That also means parliament would cease to exist, while our current politicians may not keep power. That also doens t include foreign investment if we randomly uprooted our government to make a new styles government wouldn't prove to investors Canada is a stable nation.
@@joshuamarshall1718 If Britain becomes a republic, I think it would become so almost automatically.
@@JJMcCulloughCan that be blamed on the institution or the ubiquitous historical illiteracy of the nations people?
Thank you JJ for addressing and criticizing the attacks made directly against the Queen after her passing on social media. It means a lot when someone who's a critic of the monarchy defends the former monarch against defamation.
It was rather dejecting how ignorant and hateful some of the rhetoric was. The fact is Britain decolonised during the Queen's 70 year reign and it's hardly fair to describe her legacy as imperialistic or domineering when she was just a figure head.
In my original script I went on at greater length about this. I think it was a reveling glimpse of a lot of the ills of our time, including mass scale ignorance about many very basic facts about history and government.
Exactly
@@JJMcCullough I remember seeing a clip of a New Zealand woman taking the oath to become a member of parliament, and saying "to the colonizing Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth", and I thought that was utterly ridiculous
Attacking the Queen for events which she had no control over only demonstrates both pettiness and immaturity. Any grievances of this kind ought to be directed at the institution of the monarchy, not the Queen.
The other side of the coin of defending her from this kind of criticism is that you can't really praise her for too much in the way of achievements either. If Britain did something bad during her reign, she can't be held responsible because she was just a figurehead. If Britain achieved something great during her reign, she can't take credit for it for the exact same reason.
Honestly, I just wish she could have made it to 72 and beat out Louis XIV as longest reigning monarch.
Same here brother, darned Frenchman...
Louis was under the regency of his mother for the first few years though
Louis started really young
Louise XIV is the most monarchist monarch. Nobody could out-monarch him.
Tbf, Louise XLV became king when he was 4 years old
as a Brit, Canadians do in fact have special privileges enacted under British laws - a Canadian is legally intitaled to become leader of the British people *without* first becoming a British citizen. This is true for Australians, New Zealanders and anyone else within British territories.
Bonar Law was a Canadian citizen who was the British Prime Minister between 1922 and 1923
Yes, still true in 2024. A Canadian citizen living in the UK can register to vote in British Parliamentary elections and can stand for Parliament.
"but, again, that's the cruelty of the system..."
Thank you for this nuanced, heartfelt, and personal summation for this moment in time JJ
In Québec we definitely do not do the pictures of the queen on the wall. I honestly did not know it was a thing in the rest of Canada!!
This makes me realize how interesting and unique Quebec history is. It is interesting how Québec’s identity is strongly related to the sentiment that « we are not English » much like Canadians saying « we are Not Americans ». Although probably more justifiable because of culture ethnicity and language.
I personally did not get know and appreciate Québec’s culture until after my marriage (I grew up all over the place and am half mexicain). Quebec is truly a unique thing inside North America!! But I still am pro-federalism and I do appreciate the Crown’s symbolic role.
I am from Ontario but I prefer Québec.
I feel like I am uniquely qualified to say, I'm especially not American because I'm Francophone Canadian, and then Anglophone Canadian.
Also, I absolutely support the monarchy because the monarchy is the last thing that gives us some independence from the USA. We hate them but they love us. They would invade if it didn't mean war with the UK, which thereby means war with the rest of the commonwealth. NATO, there's a chance that, even though it's supposed to mean that an attack on Canada is an attack on all other NATO nations, do we really think that places like Iceland, France, Denmark, Belgium, etc, are really going to defend us? Or, better yet, be successful in defending us?
The UK would happily sail over with no questions asked. The rest of the world would be too scared. The UK is one of the few militaries in the world that should scare the Americans.
@@AndrewGeierMelons Trust and believe that not a single American wants to invade Canada... Even though Americans love Canada, Canada isn't ever on the minds of the American people and will most likely never be
Yeah the colonial wars and britians soft hand on French colonists led to Quebec staying more French then say, New Holland staying Dutch.
@@AndrewGeierMelons tbh no one nation can handle the US😅 especially one it’s invading a country as close as canada
Maybe china and russia but why would they
@@AndrewGeierMelons Firstly, the thought of the US invading Canada - its closest neighbor and NATO ally - is completely ridiculous. Secondly, the Commonwealth countries are not obligated in any way to defend or support the UK or any other Commonwealth country militarily. Thirdly, NATO countries would not attack one of their own members, especially not the US which is by far the largest member and contributor to NATO's budget.
The first time I became aware of the Canadian Monarchy connection was when I was 8 years old and my family went up to Niagara Falls. Afterwards, we crossed the border to Canada and went to McDonalds. We got some Canadian coins as change with the queen’s likeness on them, and I asked my mom about it. She probably gave the correct answer about Canada being loyal to Britain or the Commonwealth but what I remembered was basically that girl’s answer: “Canadians like the Queen and put her on their money to be nice.”
As an Australian, I have come to appreciate the historic ties to our UK heritage. We are a nation born of the culture clash between the UK and the indigenous people of this country. Personally, I think a symbolic figurehead is necessary and wise for a stable government, though I am less concerned about the nationality of that figurehead. I am therefore a monarchist, but would be fine if Australia began its own monarchy, even if the monarch was a temporary appointment.
Still, I think breaking ties with the UK monarch would feel somewhat wrong, like we were somehow losing a part of our country. It would not make our country greater, it would lessen it somehow. Sometimes mythology is really important.
I always enjoy your commentary, but the person who said they could work in Australia for a summer because of the commonwealth wasn't really wrong: work/travel visas are easy to get between Aus/NZ/UK/Canada largely due to historical ties embodied by the commonwealth. I myself used one to work in UK many years ago.
When I became a Canadian citizen I had to swear my allegiance to the Queen.
Cool
So we better not catch you making fun of her online!
Good.
lol
How older generations in your country hangs up pictures of the Monarch reminds me of how both my grandmothers (one from Ohio and the other from Tennessee) hung up photos of the then-president in their homes. For years, I had a framed photo of Harry S Truman than my Mamaw had hanging in her house when my Dad was born, and my Mom remembers seeing pictures of Eisenhower, Kennedy, and LBJ hanging in my Grandma's house until she moved out after marrying my Dad. They did this until they died, with Mamaw having a picture of George H.W Bush when she died in 1992 and my Grandma having a picture of Bill Clinton when she died in 1998. I don't think this was very common, since I've never heard of any of my friends grandparents doing this.
I think its more common to hang a picture of a founding father on your wall. my dad did that.
I remember I was really bummed when I found out the commonwealth didn’t permit visa free travel between member states. Truly a missed opportunity.
A free movement policy would have caused a migration crisis, as the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are significantly richer than the other Commonwealth Realms.
@@JollyOldCanuck no it would just be for the white countries
@@biggibbs4678 That would be a discriminatory policy.
there are some immigration rules that allow you to get a work permit in the UK if you're the child or grandchild of a British citizen and our medical degrees translate from one country to another. That's why you'll often see South African or Indian doctors practice here, rather than American doctors. Some weird left over colonialism bits and pieces.
@@brianbarker2551 huh. So... the work permit rule would apply if you were an old enough Australian/Canadian/New Zealander that your grandparents lived in the country before they (the country) granted separate, non-british citizenship?
I was only in my 50's when it finally dawned on me that Queen Elizabeth II was both Queen of the United Kingdom AND Queen of Canada (as well as her other dominions, of course), just like James VI was king of Scotland AND king of England (as James I). Same person, different title. I didn't realize that the "Queen of Canada" designation was only from the 1950's, though.
If Canadians do decide to forgo having a monarch that resides in another country, then we absolutely need to keep the symbols and trappings of the Crown. We'd still have a figurehead Governor General as head of state, and crown land, crown attorneys, with the crown still features in military crests. No need to change any of that. Just keep the current system of no political power for the head of state and it will serve Canada well.
The Monarch is Head of State. Governor General is the representative.
When I was in university I had a linguistics professor who was talking about reference vs referent (eg the term we use to describe something vs the entity itself), and he had this fun little anecdote about his immigration to Canada. He moved here from England and decided to stay, so he went for citizenship and at his ceremony he had to pledge loyalty to "Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada", which put him through a loop because as a British citizen, he was already loyal to "er Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". In his capacity as a newly-minted Canadian citizen, he considered himself as having pledged loyalty to the role of Queen of Canada, and not necessary to the woman herself
😂 😂 😂 that was funny,
Even though you are a republican and, at least from what I can tell, have a strong opinion on the monarchy, I think this video came across very unbiased. It always amazes me how well you’re able to present something and share both sides. Nicely done!
Also, was that the guy from TL;DR News reading out those sections?
Lowercase r mate
@@Emmet_Moore I know it should be, it was changed by autocorrect. Thanks for pointing it out
Definitely sounds like him
The description actually confirms that
I visited Vancouver some years ago and was talking to my cousin's four-year-old daughter. I mentioned to my cousin's daughter that the Queen was also the Queen of Canada, and my cousin had this look like, "Wow, never thought about that before."
British subjects living in the UK actually do have voting rights there, and here in Canada most provinces allowed it up until the 80s (nova scotia only got rid of it around 2010) and new zealand actually expanded it in 1975 for all residents, not just citizens or subjects
From London here, all the news for the last week has been about the queen, uk tiktok and youtube shorts is trending with videos about the queen has for weeks and billboards are all showing pictures of the queen it's kind of a crazy experience
It's crazy. I feel like I'm passed the grief stage, and the funeral's not even started
Interesting bit about Queen Victoria and her influencing traditions. I've never heard anything about her reign, maybe you could make a video about it?
I should! I actually have come to respect Queen Victoria a lot more. I think she was kind of a dopey, simple woman in a lot of ways, but she did exert a lot of cultural influence on Britain (and America!) and there are a lot of modern middle class traditions, involving Christmas, weddings, and funerals that we can trace back to things that started with her family "modeling" the correct way to behave.
@@JJMcCullough I look forward to it!
@@JJMcCullough I randomly remembered this comment when reading something about Victoria. Don't think you've made that video yet so thought i'd give you a reminder/push.
This may have been mentioned, but Elizabeth II did two state visits to the USA in her role as Queen of Canada. She has only done state visits as Queen of the UK and Queen of Canada. Canada has also had the most royal visits out of all the members of the commonwealth.
So?
Jj doesnt believe in the concept of queen of canada. So this wouldnt matter to him. He sees the queen as a foreign agent. I find this view appalling .
Fun historical fact: There actually was a Canadian Republic at one time, it lasted for less than a year from 1837-1838. It was On Navy Island along the Canadian Side of the Niagara River, it was Known as the Republic of Canada. If Modern Canada today became a Republic, It would likely be Called “The New Republic Of Canada.”
I'm a Canadian living in the UK. The boons of the commonwealth for me here are, the "youth mobility visa" a 2 year work visa that doesn't tie you to an employer like a typical work visa, and the ability to vote as a resident of the UK but not a citizen. Oh, and the embassy gets the cooler name of "High Commission "
That work visa is eligible to anyone in the western world.
@@JJMcCullough Australia, Canada, Monaco, New Zealand, San Marino, and Iceland not exactly the commonwealth I know, but far from the the whole western world. And when speaking to my immigration case handler, they spoke of it as the "commonwealth visa" as its mostly the commonwealth countries in that list who go for it.
@@JJMcCullough You need to be from a Commonwealth Realm or the Republic of Ireland to vote in UK elections without being a citizen.
@@AmoraTheBrewer But that's only because the UK was in the EU until recently so there was no need for special visas for Europeans. As far as I am aware, it's now eligible for EU citizens too.
@@JJMcCullough I got the visa after the the Brexit fiasco. They have yet to update the visa to include EU citizens. However, I have a feeling by this time next year that will no longer be the case.
That was an extremely insightful, interesting and well-worded mini-essay on Canadian monarchy. Oh, and that footage from 2002 is absolutely adorable.
Way to make a person to feel old. I was in high school when you were born. Being American I was always fascinated with England and the colonies(commonwealth) and studied them outside of school. Because in the States world history study ends pretty much at the American Revolution.
I'm the same age as him and I wish he'd cool it with the "basically middle-aged" talk! 😂
No, it doesn’t
@@decrox13 You might both be right. School curriculum changes over time and even depends somewhat on which state it's being taught in.
How was ww1 and ww2 not world history? And if you're speaking truthfully, you haven't been in school for nearly 4 decades, so how should you known what modern children are being thought?
I feel like knowing that Canada is still under the Monarchy's reign, and also knowing the Queen for so long that after her passing it felt bittersweet in the end.
Life in republics is not the utopia you think it is
@@myamdane6895He never said that?
I don't understand how you extrapolated "republic are utopias" from that
@@spectraljerk330 His/her comment inferred living outside of a monarchy is preferable to living under one. What other sensible choice is there but a republic?
Aw How cool Young J.j., already so well-spoken and charismatic
This is super interesting We aren't taught much about our Northern or Southern neighbors here in the States
@gilliganmcneuter4550 - The only reason I was taught about Mexico was because I took Spanish class for five years (at the insistence of my guidance counselors).
Oh hey I heard the guy from TLDR news do a guest voice over in this. Seems like JJ really knows every educational content creator.
As a commonwealth citizen you are able to vote Ik UK elections if you spend half of the year there. You also have visa free travel and can stay there indefinitely in certain situations.
Should we keep the monarchy?
Québec : 18% yes
Alberta: 45% yes
Other provinces fall in-between.
There isn't even a majority of Canadians in support of keeping the current constitutional monarchy. However, I bet there will be absolutely no consensus as to how to replace it...
Because of mass non British immigration
The thing is that it is a non-issue. People not only are uneducated about our government system. It also nearly impossible to pass constitutional changes (like cutting ties to the monarchy). I personally believe it would also be the backbone of any potential CANZUK style union. I'm personally a die-hard monarchist (and partially a British/Canadian nationalist) so obviously I would have a different view on it than most others, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
@@arabrem488 are you of British ancestry yourself?
@@janeeire2439 unfortunately there is some truth to that. Immigrants from other former British colonies bring with them disdain towards the institution since Britain was exceptionally cruel in their countries.
@@janeeire2439 Yes. My community was one of the last to be founded by British settlers in its entirety. I personally view the monarchy as a tie to our heritage as a nation.
As a Social Studies Teacher in the US… With degrees in Political Science, International Studies, and a Masters in Political Rhetoric… you sir did more than my 7 years of college! You did a just great job!!!! Thank you on behalf of a fellow non royalist, yet with great respect and deference to history! I personally do not get Anglophilia, but love history and believe you must understand it! Understanding and love of history does not mean I love the monarchy any more than I would Caesar or Alexander the Great to lead or rule over me! Again, magnificent job! As an American who has been to Canada many a time, and loves Canada, I truly hope and pray your political whoas are soon to improve!
Last weekend, I saw the Queen's funeral cortege passing through Aberdeen in Scotland
There was no shortage of love for the Queen along the route taken by the hearse carrying her coffin
There have been some people saying some incredibly nasty things about the Queen though
A fish and chip shop owner in Scotland was celebrating the Queen's death and became infamous on social media for it
Ex British colonies were celebrating, especially in America, we have no respect for her. I don't think it's far off either. It makes me angry knowing the history of the British empire and Queen Elizabeth control over center things that Brits swear up and down she never had lol. F the Queen 👑
At this point, monarchy in Canada feels like a little game that we're all going along with, which is actually kind of fun imo. The idea of a higher power that gives politicians authority is kind of a nice thought.
It’s an interesting thought but for me it’s an unsettling one. Politicians should be granted their authority by the people, not some higher power.
@@Pscribbled maybe a higher power that can keep politicians in check?
@@Pscribbled
The "people" is a super vague and impersonal idea though, which can be easily abused since it is so vague( The "People's" Republic of China is a good example of that). Humans aren't a hivemind with one will.
There is a reason why direct democracies in history were city states.
The thing with monarchy is that the monarch is an actual living being and not some vague abstract idea.
This is why monarchies were so popular and prevalent through human history and why republics have the tendency to mutate to proto-monarchies
@@AureliusLaurentius1099 Awful take. Popular sovereignty is not vague. There is a very clear parallel between the rise of ideas around populations having the right of self-determination and the rise of Republican governments during the Enlightenment and the subsequent decline of Imperial powers. It’s an IDEAL, yes, but it’s a very powerful ideal.
What IS vague is a family declaring they were given authority by God to rule large swaths of disparate human populations who have no unifying culture or shared national identity. Maybe consider that Empires and monarchs died out precisely because they COULDNT exist in our modern world. Such a form of government has so many contradictions and weaknesses that they were practically fated to erode in the age of mass information
I wish we had our own monarch, a king who could stand up to the politicians and their oligarchs
The only place I ever saw portraits of the Queen was in the living rooms of grandmother's in Northern Ireland.
Or the Pope. Depends which kind of granny you were stopping in on haha.
oh, that must have been a fun family visit when they got together.
Must have been interesting when the family came together.
I've never thought of Canada as an "immature" country. Having the Queen as Head of State does not make a country "immature" nor does being a republic indicate that a country has "grown up". The world is filled with republics which do not have the wealth, the global influence, human development level or human rights record of Canada. If I lived in a country like Canada, with free health care, strong institutions and a strong economy, I wouldn't worry about still being a monarchy in the 21st century. If all the important institutions that affect daily life for ordinary people work well, why worry about who the figurehead is?
Canada can be a great country while still being immature. Canada can be good at some things and bad at other things. Canada has done many terrible things but we wouldn't brush them off as irrelevant just because we have "free health care" now.
@@JJMcCullough Being good at some things while bad at others is completely normal, both for people and countries. It is not necessarily indicative of a lack of maturity. Nor would I suggest that the bad things in Canadian history are somehow erased by the sucesses of modern Canada. Indeed one could argue that the two are often connected, as part of the wealth of modern Canada is based on the systematic disenfranchisement of native people so that settlers could exploit the land for farming, mining etc. My point is that it is just as much of a mistake to assume Republicanism will somehow change your country or how other countries perceive it, or that it will somehow fix national problems as it is to believe that a King will impart some sort of magical well-being to your country.
The same problems will exist the day after the Republic as the day before. Canada is lucky in that as a country, it has comparatively few problems. For other countries in our Hemisphere, being a republic has not necessarily meant prosperity or stability, while Canada is fortunate enough to enjoy both. Having a President or a Monarch is largely symbolic, other factors are more important in creating a stable democracy.
@@gemmeldrakes2758 I don't know, it seems kind of weird that the Head of State of Canada, even without any real title, was someone who is British. Like a Brit was the Queen of Canada and another Brit is now the King of Canada and technically the monarch. Doesn't that make you feel as Canadians like your nation is more of a subject, not fully sovereign nation? I could never imagine the US having foreign monarch who was the King of America
@@AW-zk5qb I am not Canadian.
@@gemmeldrakes2758 question still remains. Having a foreign monarch means you are still symbolically subordinate
I once heard from a friend that the Queen was the reason for Canada's NATO membership. I did such a hard double take, my neck still hurts to this day
I especially enjoyed your comments on the "muddled" history of the monarchy in Canada. I'm hoping for more.
Yay, another JJ upload! I got the Nanaimo Bear by the way, and I love it! Thanks for making it! It sits on my desk, and is a great decoration.
I would love to see JJ making a video of what sort of republic he feels would be best fitting for Canada. He has previously mentioned the monarchy, the senate, the Supreme Court, etc - would be interesting to wrap it all up in one video as to what he things the best change would be.
I think you could just remove the monarch from the Canadian system and give the power to appoint a Governor General to either the HoC or some other body. There would be other technical changes but practically the system would work pretty much the same.
@@sokonek1 yes of course that would work. But I would like to hear JJ discuss the pros and cons of different systems ie presidential, semi presidential etc but also discuss other constitutional changes he would like to see in Canada.
Often when I playfully teased Canadians from across the river in Windsor for having a monarchy, they would quickly deny that Canada had a queen and usually explained Elizabeth being on currency and other things as "we have a strong british influence"
Re at 6:41 - yes, you *do* have rights to do certain things in Britain: for example, as a Commonwealth citizen you have the right to vote and even run for MP in the UK's House of Commons if you also have indefinite leave to enter.
That’s one of those things where is it happened it would immediately be removed
As a Newfie the parliament here has no portraits of the former queen. Plus I don’t like the monarchy because they call the whole country crown land which emplies that Canada is a colony of the British. And you might want to go read the Canadian charter that could show you that we are still a colony
Only subbed to your channel yesterday, actually out of interest about the Canadian constitution and how difficult it is to remove the monarchy. It’s honestly fascinating how entrenched it is in the Canadian constitution, compared to here in the U.K. where entrenching anything is a big no no in our uncodified constitution and impossible as parliament can overrule *anything*. It’s ironically easier in some sense to remove the monarchy here than it is in Canada.
I don’t think it would be that hard. The Canadian governments always agree on everything anyway.
@@JJMcCullough Doesn’t it require unanimous approval from all provincial and territorial legislatures?
I'm going to be a bit of a contrarian here. While getting rid of the Monarchy is technically doable I think the only thing it would achieve would be to start an expensive 15 way pissing match between the provinces/territories, Ottawa, and the various First Nation communities over Rights responsibilities, and concessions that can be wrung out of the new constitutional order.
And, after all the wrangling and inevitable feelings of betrayal and slight by at least some of the parties to this negotiation, what will have been achieved? How will the lives of Canadians be tangibly improved by changing our mechanics of govt from Constitutional Monarchy 2e to Advanced Democratic Republic 3e? We will still have cities we can't afford to live in and a crumbling medical system but at least we will have a president.
@@JJMcCullough Could you do a Video on British Patriotism ?
I don't know, it seems kind of weird that the Head of State of Canada, even without any real title, was someone who is British. Like a Brit was the Queen of Canada and another Brit is now the King of Canada and technically the monarch. Doesn't that make you feel as Canadians like your nation is more of a subject, not fully sovereign nation? I could never imagine the US having foreign monarch who was the King of America
Fellow Vancouverite here. I'm a monarchist, but I appreciate your view on the subject. Thanks for all your hard work making Canadian content.
Londoner here. Also a monarchist. What would you say are your main reasons for being a Monarchist?
you are monarchist? how can anyone believe in a evil fascist system like monarchism. dude read some history.
@@Scaro.s im also canadian and am fine with the monarchy i just think the symbolic make believe is kinda nice. Plus plenty of material for future movies and shows.
@@SuperKing604 are you fine with a monarchical rule or are you just fine with Canada’s symbolic monarchy?
if ppl who are pro monarchy investigated her ties to ppl like jimmy saville and effery jep stein, would they still be pro monarchy?
At least the British Monarchy by now is fairly ingrained into culture of Canada, even if the current dynasty is basically a transplant from Germany. Seems more strange that Greece got created as a monarchy also from Germany. As an American, the concept of "royalty" seems bonkers. Apparently it appeals to human nature, given the families of American politicians like the Kennedy's, the Bush's, and North Korea's royal family.
Greece’s royal family was danish, not German
The royal families of Europe are all related. A claim like 'Britain's royal family came from Germany' ignores the fact that the House of Hanover resulted from an English royal marrying a Danish royal who went on to produce descendants that married a German royal. It's literally impossible to ground the ancestry of any European royal to just one country.
@@mr.anderson2241 its actually
German
Of origin
Or the Kardashians
The full system of Canada is Federal parliamentary
constitutional monarchy. Monarchy. Our court websites just changed their names and are now called the Courts of King's Bench. It's not subtle but you can ignore it if you want. The Monarch is the Head of State, King Charles III. It's completely part of HM Realms
Hey JJ, Greg from Quebec here, I always enjoy your content but often find out how much we disagree on things. This time around this is a point where we could agree 100%!
I always wanted to explore these topics when I was a kid, but I was too afraid to tell my parents I was into pundit stuff.
When I went to Toronto on vacation a few years ago, it struck me how similar it felt to NYC. The joke I had in my head was that it felt like if you went back in time and stepped on a butterfly and came back and everything was the same except milk was in bags and everything called Queens gained a possessive apostrophe.
I very much agree with your point about people going overboard about her being a symbol of British Imperial tyranny, in part bc you could levy that exact same criticism towards any future British Prime Minister, even if they're an anti-Imperialist descended from a former colonial subject.
People really need to come up with a limiting principle when it comes to things being a “symbol” of historic oppression. People are playing this like a game, a clever person can dream up a reason why any random thing can be tainted by association. Certainly if the standard is just that “the state” as a whole is perpetually guilty, then basically anything even tangentially related to the government or public service should be decried. The interior minister’s daughter, say.
I think there's a lot of complicated questions you could examine about what "independence" even means when politically your government is so close to your allies. And essentially the entire government of the UK and its subsidiaries is defined by falling into weird grey areas without clear demarcations of authority so that people can make whatever out of it that they want to.
The norwegian King and Queen portrait has traditionally usually been in outhouses.
This tradition runs from the second world war, when Norway was occupied by the nazis,
and is actually not mockery of the royal family at all, but the fact is that it was the safest place to pay homage to our monarchy, since it was the last place the german soldiers, if ever, would look.
There was no penalty if this was discovered, but some norwegians also went to the extent of nailing the picture of Adolph Hitler under the outhouse lid.
This tradition is more washed out to this day and age, but for boomers who do, it's usually located in outhouses by elderly cabins.
I’m just surprised to learn there are still outhouses in Norway
@@JJMcCullough They do exist, but usually by cabins that has no running water or plumbing. Some of those can be as old as one hundred years old. Most of them are however connected to a power grid, but that's it. Heating those old cabins are expensive, as they are lacking proper insulation in the walls, and the way of heating usually are done by firewood. To be honest, many sees the charm in this on a weekend, or a week, if you plan on being there for the easter holiday, but personally I am about to snap after two days of hacking a hole in the ice on the only water supply, namely a stream that has frozen solid., fill up a 5 gallon tank, put it on a small sleigh and pull it while skiing back. Trying to find serenity with the unhygienic family in -40 degrees (C or F) for several days in this situation are taking a large toll on everyones mental health eventually, and the reason we do this is that we are increasingly grateful for what we have when we are back to the civilization, which is the conformity of the city we live in.
- why do you think we put the queen on our cache than?
- I thought we were just being nice
The most Canadian exchange ever 1:30
Truly shocking that J.J.'s incredibly inspired video at 4:55 won zero awards.
That's a deciding factor in my considering him my favourite Canadian youtube
In Italy we had an institutional referendum in 1946 where Italians were asked to vote for a Republic or Monarchy; do you believe the same could happen in Canada?
I hope not.
Monarchy would win
@@hmmhmm7029 that's what I would vote 👍
Monarchy would win but give it 10-15 years especially as the white population goes down and different story
Me and almost all of my friends have served in the CAF where we call the Queen our boss, more jokingly then anything. But I mean technically… All of our unit logos feature the Queen’s crown, most of our military rules and laws are the Queens Orders and Regulations and a few of my friends were even lucky enough to serve in 2 PPCLI as the royal guard at Buckingham Palace.
With the Queen’s death I can see Canada grow more distant from the Crown but we should also reflect on how much of a big deal it is that the Queen is dead.
Queen Elizabeth II was a constant in not only my life, but also that of our parents and in some cases their parents too. With all of the changes in the world from the Cold War, into our post 9/11 world she was always a constant. For me, it feels like the end of an era as she was one of our last remaining living ties to a different time in the world, a symbol of a time when men were made of steel and fought with rifles made of wood.
And like JJ alluded to, Charles is nowhere near as popular as his mother was! What does this mean for Canada’s future? Will we see ourselves distance even further from the Crown? Will we see a shift to be more like America now? Are there many Canadians left who would be pro-commonwealth now that the figurehead of it all, who was there for their entire lives, is gone?
Just seems like an uncertain future is even more uncertain now.
I'm pro-commonwealth
At 6:40 you mentioned that Canadians do not have any more rights in the UK than any other foreigner. While this is mostly true, Canadians (and other citizens of Commonwealth countries) residing in the UK can vote in elections while other foreigners cannot.
I always find it weird listening to Canadians and Australians talking about the British empire. It's their empire too. Modern Britain is just one of the states that emerged from the empire and not everyone in that state participated in the empire, whereas everyone in Canada did so it's more Canada's empire than Britain's. I also find it weird we just watched a funeral in a 900 year old hall and cathedral but Canadians just want to ignore all their heritage and start it from when their ancestors settled in North America. I can't imagine completely ignoring all my earlier history and what created my modern culture like that
You earned a uniqueness with your start as a young-thinker on TV. You have represented that uniqueness well to the point that this video is a valuable perspective into the ongoing changes.
Thank you friend
this is so incredibly interesting to me as a Bahamian (🇧🇸) cause despite the fact our government is objectively worse than Canada and America's governments, we always felt like even though we're "proud to be independent"; the government still cant do anything without Britain's OK.
837K subs! Congrats to JJ. I remember being impressed when a channel that makes videos about flags hit a 100K subs.
I was astonished to learn that Canada would find it more difficult than any other realm including Britain itself to remove the crown in favour of an elected Head of State. The unanimous consent of the commons, senate and all ten regional legislatures plus a referendum.
I never want to hear Prince Charles referred to as hard again.
As an Australian I found this to be a really interesting video as we essentially went through a very similar journey, (independent nationhood in 1901), a similar Royal Titles Act in 1953, and the Australia Act 1983 removing the final elements of British influence (specifically it made it so that only the Australian executive and not the British executive could advise the monarch regarding matters relating to Australia, and also removed the privy council as a court of appeal).
Very few Australians would know that the Queen is called the Queen of Australia for our purposes. I think it works as an idea though, and I think Elizabeth was quite good in giving force to that notion (that she the person represented a monarchy of many nations, and thus she had many hats rather than being the UK's Queen ruling from abroad). There is an inescapable aspect of that 'she's British' though.
You touched on Canadian monarchism as a 'we are different to the US' identity point, which is not something that motivates Australian monarchists, who either have an appreciation for Britain, an appreciation for the system of governance constitutional monarchy provides, or both. To the extent we wish to be seen as 'different to someone else' it would be a sentiment that called for republcianism.
Australia rejected a republican referendum in 1999. The system put forward would have been one where the Governor-General (the Queen's representative in Australia) would have been appointed by 2/3 majority of Parliament, however it is possible a model of directly elected President could have been more successful. It will be interesting to see how this debate plays out now with the death of the Queen.
Personally I'm a constitutional monarchist for 'conservative reasons' in that I think it provides a quite stable form of governance that reduces the potential for constitutional crises. I'm not fiercely in favour of it though. I could see the 1999 model being as stable and if that was to occur I wouldn't be upset. I think a directly elected Presidential model would be an inescapable shift in power structures in Australia.
It also occurs to me now that I'm still talking about it as if she was still the Queen.
How important is Britain in modern day Australia? Is it talked about much? Is it’s affairs important to Australia?
@@LindaAndrews-ly1qf the UK is important in modern day Australia as it is still a powerful world leader, a very large economy, and a and a large and important cultural exporter to the world. It's affairs are important to Australia to the extent they affect the global world order and to the extent that it's funny.
Last year, a decent amount of UK coverage due to the AUKUS pact, and because Boris Johnson is funny and Liz Truss was even funnier. This year...mainly comes up in relation to global involvement in the Ukraine/Russian war.
A lot of royal family chatter but I'd consider that a separate discussion to the concept of 'the UK' in this context.
We don't talk about the UK as like a parent or something. That's not how we view things now. There's an obvious cultural and historical connection but the UK is just a powerful country and an important ally.
JJ, when you mentioned Prime ministers having to swear allegiance to the queen, I hoped you would have mentioned the more "disturbing" information that every person becoming a Canadian Citizen (of which there are more than 300k a year) have to swear allegiance to the queen as part of their Oath Ceremony!
As do new British citizens.
There is a legal concept of the Crown that’s more like “the people” than the individual Queen. So when you swear allegiance to the Queen, it’s similar to swearing allegiance to the people of Canada.
This is why you’ll sometime see different “Crowns” (Ie the Queen in right of Canada, the Queen in right of Ontario, etc) and why the system doesn’t change when the monarch becomes someone new.
So when you swear allegiance to the Queen, you’re swearing it to the people of Canada as currently embodied by the Queen. It’s weird.
@@morganmccabe7739 that's basically the same in the UK too.
"The Crown" is also legal shorthand for "the Government" too.
The Armed Forces and police services also swear allegiance to Charles III in all 14 Commonwealth Realms and the UK. I want to argue that this is a good thing in the event that an elected government in a realm becomes authoritarian, they wouldn't be able to really force the Armed Forces and Police to do anything as they could all argue that they swore allegiance to the monarch, not to the elected government.
Words can't describe how thankful I am to you for this video. J.J. forever!
Over the years Charles has been criticised for his interest in many causes, particularly climate change and agriculture, but, just as the Queen seemed to keep out of politics, he may feel he has to do the same now that he is King.
JJ, I think you mislead one factoid. As Canadians we are a part of the working holiday Visa program, which allows us to work and live in many countries, including Australia, the UK, New Zealand and possibly more former commonwealth nations. This visa is 1 year, extendable to 2 or 3 depending on said nation. The USA is not in this program but most of developed Europe is.