1

Before 1982 the federated kingdom north of the 48 contiguous states of the U.S.A. was "the Dominion of Canada". In 1982 the basic constitutional law of Canada ceased to be an act of the British parliament, which could be amended only by the British parliament, and came entirely under Canadian control. This step is called "patriation". Did some other word replace "Dominion" after patriation?

5
  • 6
    This question would benefit from showing research. What happened in 1982? What is patriation? What is wrong with Dominion? What is insufficient about Wikipedia explanation? I had thought that the Canadians defined themselves as a parliamentary democracy, not a kingdom - When was Canada conquered??? <grin>
    – MCW
    Oct 6, 2018 at 22:07
  • 1
    @MarkC.Wallace : At best, the linked Wikipedia article falls short of explicitly answering this question. As to when it was conquered, I suppose the conclusion of the Seven Years War in 1763 was one time when it was conquered. It's true that one doesn't frequently hear it called a kingdom, although it has a queen whose son is expected to inherit the throne and become king and whose father was king until 1952. Oct 6, 2018 at 23:14
  • What happened in 1982 was patriation, and I guess I thought everybody knew that. Oct 6, 2018 at 23:15
  • 4
    We do not know what you know, please assume the same, about us as well. We do need your prior research documented here with an edit that would ideally also include what you now write here in comments, as comments are volatile. Oct 6, 2018 at 23:31
  • 4
    Please edit that information into the question. (After I wrote that, I went did some research; I still think it is wrong to call Canada an "kingdom", but I will grant you that the situation is far from clear. Your position is quite defensible.) It is a good question; documenting research would make it a better question.
    – MCW
    Oct 7, 2018 at 0:18

1 Answer 1

6

The "Dominion" part for the name of Canada fell a bit out of use as early as the 1950's.

Canada Act 1982 and Constitution Act, 1982 changed a bit. But while Queen Elizabeth II is still monarch of Canada and therefore you might call it Kingdom of Canada, the name of the country is now just "Canada", usually.

and other polities with which Canada has official relations as a state consistently use Canada as the only official name, state that Canada has no long-form name, or that the formal name is simply Canada.
While no legal document ever says that the name of the country is anything other than Canada, Dominion and Dominion of Canada remain official titles of the country.


It's interesting that Canada is a realm, a "commonwealth realm" which has then parts called the Monarchy of Canada.

The emphasised "you" is meant just to highlight that under these circumstances it would be unconventional, but in my opinion legitimate, to draw attention to this "oddity" by calling it a kingdom. Not many do that, but outside of diplomatic or political circles, I do not see much reason not to use that term.

The head of state of Canada is called – or rather titled – in Canada:

English: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, Canada and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith
French: Elizabeth Deux, par la grâce de Dieu Reine du Royaume-Uni, du Canada et de ses autres royaumes et territoires, Chef du Commonwealth, Défenseur de la Foi

Wikipedia lists Canada as being:

Government Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Monarch Elizabeth II
• Governor General Julie Payette
• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

8
  • I used the word "kingdom" only as a common noun. One refers to the "Commonwealth of Australia", using the word "Commonwealth" as part of a proper name, but if one mentions that Australia is a kingdom, that is a common noun. Oct 7, 2018 at 15:40
  • 1
    I've never heard Australia referred to as a kingdom - the word kingdom implies that the monarch has some role in the governance of the country, which is not true in any commonwealth nation.
    – MCW
    Oct 7, 2018 at 17:22
  • 1
    @MarkC.Wallace : Then why is the United Kingdom called a kingdom? Oct 8, 2018 at 1:25
  • @MarkC.Wallace : . . . . . and you may recall that a couple of years ago in about 2000, the voters of Australia voted not to abolish the hereditary monarchy. Oct 8, 2018 at 1:27
  • . . . . and lest any confusion arise, let us recall that some countries still within the Commonwealth today have long since abolished the monarchy, such as Kenya and India, which are republics. Oct 8, 2018 at 1:28

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.