Monarchy in Saskatchewan
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Queen in Right of Saskatchewan | |
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Monarchy | |
Provincial/State | |
Incumbent: Elizabeth II Queen of Canada |
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Style: | Her Majesty |
First monarch: | Edward VII |
Formation: | September 1, 1905 |
The Monarchy in Saskatchewan is a legal entity formally known as the Crown in Right of Saskatchewan, which serves as the institution from which the power of the state flows within the province of Saskatchewan, forming the core of the province's Westminster system of constitutional monarchy. The present Canadian monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, since February 6, 1952, who is known within Saskatchewan's legal jurisdiction as the Queen in Right of Saskatchewan. As the monarch does not reside in Saskatchewan, a vice-regal representative, the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, is appointed to carry out all the monarch's duties in the province.
The Crown in Right of Saskatchewan was established through the The Saskatchewan Act, 1905, though the governments of the previous incarnations of the province, going back to the establishment of the Northwest Territories in 1868, have been monarchical in nature, and historical links with the French and British Crowns extend back even further, to the mid 1600s.
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[edit] Constitutional monarchy in Saskatchewan
Within the Canadian constitutional monarchy system the headship of state is not a part of either the federal or provincial jurisdictions[citation needed]; the Queen reigns impartially over the country as a whole. However, due to Canada's federal nature, each province in Canada, as with the federal government, derives its authority and sovereignty directly from the one Canadian monarch, meaning there effectively exists within the country eleven legally distinct crowns with one sovereign[citation needed]. Thus, Saskatchewan has a separate government headed by the Queen; however, as a province, Saskatchewan is not itself a monarchy.
A lieutenant governor is appointed by the Governor General, on the advice of the Prime Minister of Canada, to serve as the Queen's representative in the province, carrying out all the monarch's constitutional and ceremonial duties of state on her behalf. The viceroy is provided with an official residence in Regina, as well as an office and entertainment venue at Government House. These structures and spaces belong to the Crown; they are held in trust for future rulers, and cannot be sold by the monarch. His Honour The Honourable Gordon Barnhart is the current Lieutenant Governor, having served since August 1, 2006.
The Crown in Right of Saskatchewan performs a vast number of functions and duties central to the provincial government, judicial system, and system of honours, as well as owning provincial Crown corporations and Crown Land.
- Further information: Monarchy in the Canadian provinces
[edit] Symbols
Images of St. Edward's, the Tudor, and King's Crown are visible on the Saskatchewan Coat of arms, police badges (see the Regina Police Services badge), and the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, the latter illustrating the monarch's place as the ceremonial head of the Canadian honours system. The Crown is also included on the Lieutenant Governor's personal flag, or vice-regal standard, visible above the shield of the Arms of Her Majesty in Right of Saskatchewan, which, in turn, is surrounded by ten gold maple leafs, symbolizing the ten provinces. Portraits of the monarch are often found in government buildings, schools, and military installations.
Monuments to members of the Royal Family are located across the province. In Saskatchewan's capital city, the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Equestrian Statue stands prominently in front of the Legislative Building. Unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005, the bronze statue depicts Queen Elizabeth II on Saskatchewan-born horse Burmese, the favourite horse she was presented with by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1969. A bronze statue of Saskatchewan-born Governor General Ramon Hnatyshyn was commissioned by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress stands along the banks of the South Saskatchewan River in downtown Saskatoon.
- Further information: National symbols of Canada and Canadian royal symbols
[edit] Honours and Awards
Though the monarch does not form a part of the constitution of any of Saskatchewan's orders, authority for their creation still stems from the Crown. On occasion, members of the Royal Family will bestow these awards in person, such as in 2004 when the Princess Royal presented, in Saskatoon, the Saskatchewan Protective Services Medal to twenty-five recipients, marking the first time a member of the Royal Family had presented a provincial honour in Canada. Saskatchewan citizens have also received the prestigious Royal Victorian Order and Medal, each personal gifts from the sovereign; the Queen personally and privately made her most recent presentations on visiting Saskatchewan in 2005.
Members of Canada's Royal Family in turn receive awards from the Queen in Right of Saskatchewan[citation needed], including the Saskatchewan Order of Merit to the Prince of Wales in 2001, and the Earl of Wessex in 2005, as well as the Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan to the Earl and Countess of Wessex in 2005.
The Queen's Saskatchewan ministers will also present gifts to the sovereign and members of the Royal Family on their visits to the province, the presentation of which is administered by the Office of Protocol and Honours. Past gifts have included two paintings by Robert Newton Hurley for the Queen in 1951,[1] and commissioned work(s) by Catherine Perehudoff for Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Morther.[2] Non-official gifts are also offered on various occasions, including a carload of locally-milled flour from Yorkton for Princess Elizabeth on her marriage in 1947.[3]
- See also: List of Canadian awards: Saskatchewan
[edit] Royal presence
Members of the Royal Family have been visiting Saskatchewan since before the province joined Confederation, either as a royal tour, a vice-regal tour, or as a "working visit" (meaning in association with a charity or military organization instead of a state affair). Queen Elizabeth II has travelled to Saskatchewan more than any other member of the Royal Family, touring all parts of the province from Fort Qu'Appelle to Kindersley.[4]
“ | Yet perhaps the greatest honour for me during my three days in Saskatchewan was the personal welcome from so many people, of all ages and cultures... This is, I believe, what the Crown is all about—helping to emphasize the emotional bond between individual citizens and the ideas, values and traditions the country holds dear.[5] | ” |
— The Prince of Wales, 2001 |
- Further information: Royal Visits to Saskatchewan
[edit] History
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), founded by Royal Charter issued by King Charles II in 1670, was granted by the King as a trading monopoly over the watershed of all rivers and streams flowing into Hudson Bay. This area, which included present day Saskatchewan, was called Rupert's Land, named for Prince Rupert of the Rhine.
By 1870, HBC's monopoly over Rupert's Land was abolished, and the company ceded all the territories to the Dominion Crown through the Rupert's Land Act, 1868. Thenceforth, the area was known as the Northwest Territories (NWT), and was administered by a Lieutenant Governor.
The province of Saskatchewan was created by Royal Proclamation issued by Governor General Earl Grey on September 5, 1905. Reporting to the King on the events of the day, the Governor General said in a telegram: "[the province] a new leaf in Your Majesty's Maple Crown."[6]
The Golden Jubilee of the Queen's accession to the throne was marked by various celebrations across Saskatchewan in 2002-2003; official and community events, commemorative publications, and the Queen's Golden Jubilee Statue Project were among them. Messages of congratulation from citizens were sent to the Queen via an official book of congratulations and email. An official proclamation was also prepared bearing the Great Seal of Saskatchewan and read at the Legislative Assembly. Schools, libraries, provincial government buildings, RCMP depots, First Nations, legions, cadet squadrons, municipalities and other organizations, received 4,000 newly framed portraits of The Queen from the Government of Saskatchewan.[citation needed]
To mark The Queen's eightieth birthday in 2006, the Government of Saskatchewan arranged for books of congratulations at the Legislative Building and Government House Museum and Heritage Property in Regina, as well as in an online messages form. Lieutenant Governor Lynda Haverstock attended a celebratory service in Regina. The Queen's visit to mark the centennials of the entries of Saskatchewan and Alberta into Confederation in 2005 was the second of two occasions on which the Monarch has been in Canada for his or her official Canadian birthday.[citation needed]
[edit] First Nations, Métis and the Crown
Treaties play an important role in the relationship between Saskatchewan First Nations and the Crown; Saskatchewan includes Treaties 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10, however, no bands in the province adhere to Treaty 2. First Nations originally made their treaties with Queen Victoria, giving them a "special relationship" with the monarch. Under these treaties, First Nations surrendered land to the Crown in exchange for reserve lands and compensation such as livestock, ammunition, and certain rights.[7]
However, the treaties did not ensure peace: by 1885 the Métis people of Saskatchewan had concerns for the survival of their people, and, under Louis Riel, established the Provisional Government of Saskatchewan at Batoche, to administer an independent republic. The numerous battles between the Northwest Mounted Police and Riel's men came to be known as the North-West Rebellion. A further uprising by Cree warriors, led by Big Bear, against Frog Lake (dubbed the Frog Lake Massacre), was fuelled by anger over perceived unfairness in the treaties signed with the Queen.
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex opened the First Nations University of Canada at its new Regina campus in 2003. Elizabeth II made the institution her first engagement during the centennial celebrations of Saskatchewan and Alberta in 2005. At the occasion she stated: "This stone was taken from the grounds of Balmoral Castle in the Highlands of Scotland – a place dear to my great great grandmother, Queen Victoria. It symbolises the foundation of the rights of First Nations peoples reflected in treaties signed with the Crown during her reign. Bearing the cipher of Queen Victoria as well as my own, this stone is presented to the First Nations University of Canada in the hope that it will serve as a reminder of the special relationship between the sovereign and all First Nations peoples."[8]
In 2001 The Prince of Wales was named Pisimwa Kamiwohkitahpamikohk, or, "the sun looks at him in a good way", by an elder in a ceremony at Wanuskewin Heritage Park during his first visit to Saskatchewan.
- Further information: The Canadian Crown and First Nations, Inuit and Métis
[edit] Royal connections
Saskatchewan's monarchical status is illustrated via associations between the Crown and many private organizations within the province, as well as through royal names applied to a plethora of regions, communities, schools, buildings, and monuments, many of which may also have a specific history with a member or members of the Royal Family.
[edit] Communities
The Crown's presence at the most local levels is demonstrated in part by royal and vice-regal namesakes chosen to be incorporated by communities across the province. Communities with royally or vice-regally associated named include:
Towns/cities named for Canadian sovereigns include: | ||||||||
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Community | Named for | |||||||
Regina | Queen Victoria; known as "The Queen City" (Regina being Latin for "queen"). Its name was suggested by Queen Victoria's daughter, Princess Louise, wife of Canadian Governor General, the Marquess of Lorne | |||||||
Towns/cities named for members of the Canadian Royal Family include: | ||||||||
Community | Named for | |||||||
Prince Albert | Prince Albert | |||||||
Towns/cities named for members of the Canadian Royal Family include: | ||||||||
Community | Named for | |||||||
Aberdeen | Governor General John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair | |||||||
Earl Grey | Governor General Sir Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey[9] | |||||||
Tweedsmuir | Governor General John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir |
Within some of Saskatchewan's towns can also be found streets with royal names, such as Regina's Victoria Avenue, named for Queen Victoria, which crosses Albert Street, named in honour of Victoria's consort, Albert. Situated near Regina is Duke of Edinburgh Way at the McKell Wascana Conservation Project, named by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 2005. Further, the main thoroughfare streets in Viceroy are named for Canadian Governors General. A similar concept was adopted in the town of Imperial, where street names include King, Queen, Prince and Princess. In Saskatoon, several city streets have royal namesakes including Victoria, Albert and Prince of Wales Avenues, and King, Queen and Princess Streets. Others with vice-regal namesakes include Landsdowne and Dufferin Avenues, and Devonshire, Vanier and Michener Crescents.
In Saskatoon there exist the neighbourhoods of King George, Queen Elizabeth, and Massey Place.
- Further information: Saskatoon Royal Connections
[edit] Education
[edit] Scholarships and academic awards
At various levels of education within Saskatchewan there exist a number of scholarships and academic awards either established by or named for members of the Royal Family. The Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship in Parliamentary Studies, for instance, awards $20,000 to graduate and post-graduate students, established to commemorate the 1987 visit of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh to the province. Also, the Queen Elizabeth II Centennial Aboriginal Scholarship of $20,000 is awarded to First Nations and Métis graduates of the First Nations University of Canada, established to commemorate the visit of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in 2005.
“ | Your Majesty, to mark this occasion, and to celebrate our parliamentary institutions, I would like to announce a gift from the government and people of Saskatchewan - a gift in your name which will strengthen these institutions. It is called The Queen Elizabeth the Second Scholarship in Parliamentary Studies.[10] | ” |
— Premier Grant Devine, Saskatchewan Legislative Building, Regina, 1987 |
The $500 Prince of Wales Scholarship was established for students in community schools as an incentive towards high school graduation, established to commemorate Prince Charles' first visit to Saskatchewan in 2001. The visit of Charles' brother, the Earl of Wessex, was honoured in 2003 with the creation of The Prince Edward Drama Scholarship of $500 for youth studying theatre in Saskatchewan. The C. Irwin McIntosh Journalism Prize of $450 is awarded annually to two students of the School of Journalism, University of Regina, for the best publishable journalistic article on wildlife, habitat, or environmental issues. It was established in memory of Cameron Irwin McIntosh, Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, for his fervent interest in conservation matters.[11]
[edit] Elementary and secondary schools
Schools across the province are also named for Canadian sovereigns, royal family members, or either federal or provincial viceroys.
Schools named for Canadian sovereigns include: | ||||||||
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School | Location | Named for | ||||||
King George School | Moose Jaw | King George VI | ||||||
King George Community School | Prince Albert | King George VI | ||||||
Victoria School | Kamsack | Queen Victoria | ||||||
Victoria School | Saskatoon | Queen Victoria | ||||||
King George School | Saskatoon | King George VI | ||||||
King Edward School | Saskatoon | King Edward VII | ||||||
Schools named for members of the Canadian Royal Family include: | ||||||||
School | Location | Named for | ||||||
Queen Elizabeth School | Lloydminster | Queen Elizabeth | ||||||
Queen Elizabeth School | Weyburn | Queen Elizabeth | ||||||
Queen Elizabeth School | Saskatoon | Queen Elizabeth | ||||||
Prince Arthur Community School | Moose Jaw | Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn | ||||||
Prince Philip School | Saskatoon | Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh | ||||||
Princess Alexandra School | Saskatoon | Queen Alexandra when Princess of Wales | ||||||
Queen Mary School | Prince Albert | Queen Mary | ||||||
Princess Margaret School | Prince Albert | Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon | ||||||
Prince Charles School | Prince Albert | Prince Charles, Prince of Wales | ||||||
Connaught School | Regina | Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn | ||||||
Schools named for Canadian viceroys include: | ||||||||
School | Location | Named for | ||||||
Roland Michener School | Saskatoon | Governor General Roland Michener | ||||||
Vincent Massey School | Saskatoon | Governor General Vincent Massey | ||||||
Massey School | Regina | Governor General Vincent Massey | ||||||
Vincent Massey Community School | Prince Albert | Governor General Vincent Massey | ||||||
Vanier Collegiate Institute | Moose Jaw | Governor General Georges Vanier | ||||||
Earl Grey School | Earl Grey | Governor General Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey | ||||||
F.W. Johnson Collegiate | Regina | Lieutenant Governor Frederick Johnson |
[edit] Post-secondary Institutions
Saskatchewan's three universities have connections with Canada's Crown: Campuses in Saskatoon and Regina have been the site of numerous visits by members of Canada's Royal Family, such as the visits of the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Earl of Wessex to the First Nations University of Canada between 2003 and 2005. Most vice-regal representatives have been actively involved in campus life as students, professors and senior leadership; Saskatchewan's Lieutenant Governors act, by law, as visitors to both the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina. They may be called upon in this role under special circumstances, such as to investigate the University Crisis of 1919 at the University of Saskatchewan.
Lieutenant Governor Archibald McNab, for example, is largely credited with bringing the University of Saskatchewan's main campus to Saskatoon. It is home to Saskatoon's only royally-designated institution, the Royal University Hospital. The Diefenbaker Canada Centre, also situated on the main campus, produced an exhibit and educational programme entitled "Happy and Glorious: The Royal Presence in Canada," opened by Lieutenant Governor Lynda Haverstock in 2004. Original correspondence between the Queen and Prime Minister John Diefenbaker is housed in the Centre's collection.
- Further Information: University of Saskatchewan's Royal Connections
Royal Family members and vice-regal representatives have also been conferred honorary degrees by these universities. The Princess Royal, for example, was awarded her first Canadian honorary degree for her charitable work by the University of Regina in 2004. The University of Saskatchewan awarded six degrees on viceroys between 1955 and 2006.[12]
[edit] Landmarks
A number of buildings, monuments and geographic locations are named for Canadian monarchs, members of the Royal Family, or federal or provincial viceroys.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have worshipped on three occasions (1951, 1959, 1987) at Saskatoon's Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, the cornerstone of which was laid in 1912 by Prince Arthur, and Governor General Viscount Alexander worshipped there in 1948.[13] Also, St. Paul's Cathedral in Regina has been a place for worship by members of Canada's Royal Family, including the Princess Royal, while St. John's Church in Moose Jaw has hosted the Earl of Wessex for worship. Lieutenant Governor Lynda Haverstock delivered addresses at provincial memorial services for Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, at St. John's and St. Paul's.[14]
The Prince of Wales Branch Library in Regina opened as the Eastern Branch Library in 1913, and was renamed after a visit by Prince Edward, Prince of Wales, six years later. More than eight decades following, the sod-turning for the Prince of Wales Culture and Recreation Centre in Assiniboia was performed by Prince Charles, Prince of Wales on visiting Saskatchewan in 2001.[15] The former Post Office in Regina was also renamed; Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, brother of Charles, rededicated the renovated structure as the Prince Edward Building in 1994.
The Hotel Bessborough, Saskatoon's "Castle on the River," was named with the consent of former Governor General Vere Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough in 1931. The chateau-style riverbank landmark in the Central Business District was visited by the Earl and Countess in unfinished state in 1932; it has since accommodated royal visitors. Saskatoon's King George Hotel is named for King George V and is its second oldest standing hotel. Although its condition has declined since its elegant beginnings, its renovation and restoration have been undertaken by a developer who purchased the property in 2006. The Patricia Hotel in Saskatoon owes its name to Princess Patricia.
Saskatoon civic parks such as Victoria Park, Princess Diana Multi-District Park, and Massey Park are also evidence of the Crown's presence in names, as well as Prince Albert National Park in central Saskatchewan. Prince Edward Park in Melfort, and Queen's Golden Jubilee Rose Garden in Moose Jaw were both inaugurated by the Earl of Wessex in 2003. Additionally, the Prince of Wales Promenade along the South Saskatchewan River is a popular viewpoint along the Meewasin Valley trails. Along that river stands the natural gas-fired Queen Elizabeth Power Station, which was originally named the South Saskatchewan River Generating Station but was renamed and commissioned by the Queen in 1959.
The Prince of Wales dedicated the Anniversary Arch in celebration of the 90th anniversary of Saskatoon's YWCA in 2001. The Arch was re-built from stones taken from the original building, and can be seen outside the organisation's downtown location. As well, at the Saskatchewan Legislative Building there is a barrier-free entrance named the The Prince of Wales Entrance. Outdoor events are held at the Legislative Building in the presence of royal and vice-regal visitors, such as inspections of guards of honour.
[edit] Royal designation, charter and patronage
Organizations in Saskatchewan may be founded by a Royal Charter, receive a "royal" prefix, and/or be honoured with the patronage of a member of the Royal Family.
The Earl of Wessex became patron of the Globe Theatre, housed in the Prince Edward Building, Regina, in 1992. The Prince attended a special performance at the Globe, the only Canadian organisation granted his patronage to date, on his third visit to Saskatchewan in 2003.
Although neither a royal designation or patronage, Regina's Western Hockey League team, the Regina Pats, is named in honour of Princess Patricia, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and daughter of Canadian Governor General the Duke of Connaught, who visited Saskatchewan several times as a child and proved popular with the people of the province.
- Further information: Monarchy in the Canadian provinces: Royal designation, charter and patronage
[edit] See also
- Monarchy
- Politics of Saskatchewan
- Federation
- Debate on the monarchy in Canada
- Symbols of Saskatchewan
[edit] External links
- The Monarchy in Saskatchewan
- Monarchist League (Saskatoon and North Saskatchewan)
- Monarchist League (Regina and South Saskatchewan)
- Royal Visits to Saskatchewan
- Royal Visit to Saskatchewan & Alberta (2005)
- Elizabeth II Speech at Saskatchewan Legislature (2005)
- Elizabeth II Speech at Government of Canada Luncheon (2005)
- Elizabeth II marks Legislative Building Anniversary (1987)
- The Queen in Saskatchewan (1987)
- Princes of Wales Visits Canada (2001)
- Saskatchewan Honours Future King (2001)
- Prince of Wales addresses the Saskatchewan Legislature (2001)
- Significance of Treaties Reaffirmed Through Historic Royal Visit (2001)
- Award Winner Receives Royal Treatment (2003)
- Earl of Wessex Visits His Regiment (2003)
- Saskatchewan Welcomes The Princess Royal (2004)
- Princess Receives Honorary Degree in Regina (2004)
- Mace Runner Presentation Ceremony (2006)
- Caribou Slippers for Prince Charles (1959)
- Royal Visit to Saskatchewan (1939)
- Prince of Wales Becomes a Cowboy (1919)
Recent Speeches from the Throne:
- Speech delivered by Lieutenant Governor Lynda Haverstock, 2005
- Speech delivered by Lieutenant Governor Lynda Haverstock, 2004
- Speech delivered by Lieutenant Governor Lynda Haverstock, 2002
- Speech delivered by Lieutenant Governor Jack Wiebe, 1997
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Robert Hurley
- ^ Catherine Perehudoff
- ^ Yorkton Historical Timeline
- ^ Archives of Ontario: Pomp and Ceremony, Decorations and Decorum
- ^ Royal Reflections (2001)
- ^ Grey Papers; Grey to Edward VII; 4 March and 1 Sept. 1905
- ^ The Monarchy in Saskatchewan
- ^ Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, at the First Nations University of Canada, 2005
- ^ Earl Grey History
- ^ Saskatchewan Premier Grant Devine on Legislative Building Anniversary (16 October 1987)
- ^ University of Regina Journalism Prize
- ^ University Archives, Honorary Degrees
- ^ City of Saskatoon Archives
- ^ Queen Elizabeth Memorial Services (2002)
- ^ Saskatchewan Royal Connections
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