Latest news with #KingCharlesIII
Globe and Mail
10 hours ago
- General
- Globe and Mail
The King of Canada, and other things nobody understands
In 2002, then-defence minister John McCallum admitted that the first time he'd heard of the Raid on Dieppe was when he attended a ceremony in France marking the battle's 60th anniversary. In an attempt to redeem himself from embarrassment, he wrote a letter to the editor of the National Post – in which he confused Vimy, Canada's First World War victory, with Vichy, France's collaborationist Second World War regime. Before entering politics, Mr. McCallum had been a university professor, the chief economist of a bank and dean of arts at McGill. With a resumé like that, you're not supposed to be last off the turnip truck. In most countries, you wouldn't be. But this is Canada, where our history is a self-erasing tabula rasa. Which brings us to the visit of King Charles III to deliver the Throne Speech – and high-level Canadian officials revealing low levels of Canadian knowledge. On Monday, the social media account of Governor-General Mary Simon tweeted the following: '#GGSimon was honoured to have an audience with His Majesty King Charles III at @RideauHall as part of Their Majesties' Royal Visit to Canada.' And then: 'These ongoing conversations deepen the meaningful bond between our nations. GB. CA.' The people who wrote those words work in the office of the person delegated to represent our head of state. Yet they're under the impression that our head of state is the ambassador of a foreign government – 'GB' for Great Britain. Vimy, Vichy. King of Canada, King of Kensington. Whatever. The post was later removed. But the high-level misunderstandings continued on Wednesday in Question Period. A Bloc Québécois MP asked why taxpayers' money had been wasted on 'the King of England.' I get that this is the term the BQ always uses, but come on: There hasn't been a King of England since 1707. Wanting to end the monarchy is a perfectly reasonable position, but at least know what you're swinging at. Steven Guilbeault, the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture (real title, I swear) replied that there was nothing unusual about the visit because, even when the King doesn't attend in person, 'it's always the British Crown that reads the speech.' Opinion: King Charles's visit to Canada was a show of weakness, not strength The 'British' Crown? Seriously? The minister of Canadian Identity needs help identifying the pieces on our constitutional chessboard. The personified symbol of national sovereignty (it sounds weird, I know) who read the Throne Speech is not a representative of the British government. In fact, given that the King was participating in a ceremony of Canadian sovereignty directed at an American audience, it's possible that Britain – where he's also the head of state – would have preferred he not come. But the request to the Canadian head of state came from the Canadian head of government, and as such would have been received as something of an obligation. The guy who arrived on a Canadian plane, rode through the streets of Canada's capital, visited the Canadian national war memorial and opened the Canadian Parliament with words written by his Canadian ministry, was the King of Canada. He was not on the clock in Ottawa as King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or King of Australia, or King of the Bahamas. Fifteen countries share the monarch, but he occupies each post independently. Someone working at Starbucks while attending university is not the representative of Starbucks to their school. Nor are they their school's representative to Starbucks. Same thing here. Coyne: This was the moment Charles became King of Canada, and Canada his kingdom We're trying to make a big show of how we're not Americans, yet when we encounter our most shockingly not-American bits, we trip over them. Even Prime Minister Mark Carney has had trouble. Since the election, he's several times said that Canada has three founding peoples – English, French and Indigenous – with the monarchy related to the first of them. Leaving aside whether we should be talking anymore of 'founding peoples,' the reason for the Crown, or this visit, isn't that. Canada is an independent constitutional monarchy, and the King of Canada is the independent constitutional monarch. The government advised the monarch that he was needed to take part in an important constitutional convention, so he did. A historical connection to Britain is how we got here, but Canada's Crown has long been independent of that. Canada has many people of Indian ancestry, but that doesn't mean Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to be asked to read the Throne Speech. Is Canada a weird country? Sometimes. It's the result of a history of not being American. And this particular arrangement is almost impossible to change, so you might as well embrace it. Stay weird, Canada.
RNZ News
10 hours ago
- Business
- RNZ News
When will we see King Charles on our currency?
Samples of the 10 cent coin with the new 'heads' image of King Charles III are quality checked before production. Photo: Supplied/RBNZ It will be several years before currency bearing the image of King Charles III comes into circulation. The new 10 cent coin featuring King Charles will be released in 2027, with the rest of the coins to follow around 2029. Reserve Bank director of money and cash Ian Woolford told Morning Report the wait was partly due to the King's antipathy to waste. Buckingham Palace made it "fairly clear to us that the King didn't want to see waste", he said. "We need to hold a decent inventory to met the currency needs of the public, so we hold quite a lot of ten cent coins with the Queen's face on it," Woolford said. "Rather than destroy those coins, they'll continue to be issued and continue to circulate, and when we do issue the King's coins we won't destroy the Queen's coins, they'll circulate side by side." He said the other reason is the complex process, which included liaising with the palace, testing and getting production scheduled at a mint. "There's actually more science than art to things like bank notes and coins." Woolford said, contrary to popular belief, there's more cash in circulation than ever. "It's a bit of a myth that no one uses cash anymore." he said. "There's more cash in circulation than there's ever been, it's sort of doubled over the past ten years." While there's less cash used as a proportion of all transactions, surveys and StatsNZ data, showed "a bit of a turn around - the high users of cash are using it more and more". New Zealand's coins of King Charles would use an image the Royal Mint created for Commonwealth countries. New Zealand could have chosen to have our own image created, but it would have required sign off from Buckingham Palace regardless, Woolford said. The coins, which will be minted in Canada, would have the same physical characteristics as those featuring Queen Elizabeth II, but he will face to the left, as convention dictates new sovereigns face the opposite way than their predecessors. Queen Elizabeth II has appeared on the "heads" side of New Zealand coins since 1953, but did not appear on banknotes until 1967, when the Reserve Bank printed its third series of banknotes, this time decimal currency. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Morning Report Essentials for Friday 30 May 2025
money education 35 minutes ago In today's episode, Parents who repeatedly refuse to send their children to school are more likely to be prosecuted as the government cracks down on truancy, Christchurch-based musician Amelia Murray, better known as Fazerdaze, was named Best Solo Artist and also took out the coveted Album of the Year award for her third release, Soft Power, big changes are coming to New Zealand's money as the Reserve Bank revealed photos of the new 10 cent coin that features the effigy of King Charles the third, we have our weekly political panel and we cross the Tasman for the latest from Kerry-Anne Walsh.
RNZ News
14 hours ago
- Business
- RNZ News
King Charles to be on NZ money from 2027
Big changes are coming to New Zealand's money as the Reserve Bank revealed photos of the new 10 cent coin that features the effigy of King Charles the third. The Reserve Bank's director of money and cash Ian Woolford spoke to Paddy Gower. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) acknowledges the 2025 Speech from the Throne
OTTAWA, Ontario, May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) is encouraged by the 2025 Speech from the Throne, delivered by His Majesty King Charles III on May 27, 2025. We appreciate the affirmation of the enduring relationship between the Crown and First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. The NAFC stands ready to be a strong national partner to assist the government to achieve its stated commitments to advancing Reconciliation, constitutional obligations to Indigenous peoples, and the advancement of Indigenous economic projects. "We appreciate the government's focus on advancing reconciliation through investments and commitments, and we are ready to help advance specific strategies for urban Indigenous people" said Jocelyn Formsma, Chief Executive Officer of the NAFC. "Urban Indigenous communities face unique challenges, and it's crucial that policies and programs are designed with these specific commitments such as tackling the negative impacts of climate change, upholding constitutional protections for Indigenous rights, and advancing and uplifting Indigenous languages.' "We look forward to collaborating with the government to ensure these commitments translate into tangible outcomes for urban Indigenous peoples. As the government moves forward with its agenda, the NAFC stands ready to engage in meaningful dialogue and partnership to ensure that urban Indigenous voices are heard and their needs addressed.' The Speech highlighted the Government of Canada's commitment to advancing reconciliation and building stronger partnerships with Indigenous communities. Key highlights included the expansion of the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program, doubling its capacity from $10 billion to support economic partnerships that foster long-term wealth and prosperity. The government also reaffirmed its dedication to addressing the urgent challenges of climate change. Additionally, it emphasized the constitutional duty to uphold the legal right of Indigenous Peoples to free, prior, and informed consent. Finally, the government expressed its ongoing commitment to respecting and promoting Indigenous languages across Canada. FOR MEDIA INQUIRES: John Paillé Senior Communications Coordinator jpaille@ For over 50 years, the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC), a network of over 100 Friendship Centres across Canada, has provided culturally appropriate services to urban Indigenous communities from coast-to-coast-to-coast. Friendship Centres are the most significant Indigenous civil society movement in Canada. We are vital community hubs that are owned and operated by First Nations, Inuit and Métis in urban communities across Canada, from major cities to small and remote communities, we provide culturally relevant community supports, including employment and training, child-care and children's programs, culture and language, shelter, health, support, and development programs and in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
