Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Britain Takes Over Turks and Caicos! (Could Canada be Next?)

Canadians never believe me when I tell them that their supreme ruler is Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, but the people in the Turks and Caicos probably didn't think the Queen was their overlord either. Wrong! Britain has suspended part of the Turks and Caicos constitution, and plans to dissolve the Cabinet and legislature due to rampant corruption. In other words, the Brits are taking over!

The U.K. government decided that corruption on the islands had gone too far, and London will assume direct control until it can "restore good governance and sound financial management." Can Britain dissolve the government of other former colonies—like, say, Canada?

The government led by Prime Minister Gordon Brown doesn't have that power, but the Queen might. Unlike Turks and Caicos, which remains an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, Canada has no formal relationship with the British government. Its ties to the United Kingdom have to do with Queen Elizabeth II, who officially serves as queen of England and Canada. (She's also the queen of Australia, Jamaica, Tuvalu, and others.) But these positions are legally distinct, meaning that her job in Canada is neither related to, nor dependent on, her title in England. In fact, she doesn't even venture across the Atlantic to perform her royal duties; rather, she appoints a governor general to swear in the prime minister, summon Parliament into session, provide royal assent to laws, and dissolve Parliament in preparation for elections. Technically speaking, the queen (acting through the governor general) may be able to dissolve the Canadian Parliament unilaterally. However, such an unprecedented act would trigger a historic constitutional crisis.

Source: Slate Magazine

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