Canada’’s Deep Crown: Beyond Elizabeth II, the Crown’’s Continuing Canadian Complexion

The Crown in Canada has had a profound influence in shaping a country and a constitution that embraces the promotion of political moderation, societal accommodation, adaptable constitutional structures, and pluralistic governing practices. While none of these features themselves originated through legislative or constitutional action, David E. Smith, Christopher McCreery, and Jonathan Shanks propose that all reflect the presence and actions of the Crown.

Examining how a constitutional monarchy functions, Canada’s Deep Crown discusses how the legal and institutional abstractions of the Crown vary depending on the circumstances and the context in which it is found. The Crown presents differently depending on who is observing it, who is representing it, and what role it is performing. With a focus on the changes that have taken place over the last fifty years, this book addresses the role of the Crown in dispersing power throughout Canada’s system of government, the function the sovereign, governor general, and lieutenant governors play, and how the demise of the Crown and transition to a new sovereign is likely to unfold.

David E. Smith is adjunct faculty in the Department of Politics and Public Administration and a member of the Yeates School of Graduate Studies at Ryerson University.
Christopher McCreery is the private secretary to the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia and executive director of Government House Halifax.
Jonathan Shanks is senior counsel at the Privy Council Office Legal Services Sector of the Department of Justice Canada.