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For those interested in the bottom line; excerpted from the last heading of above link:
Competence[edit]
"In recent years, the Commonwealth has been accused of not being vocal enough on its core values. Allegations of a leaked memo from the Secretary General instructing staff not to speak out on human rights were published in October 2010.[88]
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2011 considered a report by a Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group panel which asserted that the organisation had lost its relevance and was decaying due to the lack of a mechanism to censure member countries when they violated human rights or democratic norms.[89] The panel made 106 "urgent" recommendations including the adoption of a Charter of the Commonwealth, the creation of a new commissioner on the rule of law, democracy and human rights to track persistent human rights abuses and allegations of political repression by Commonwealth member states, recommendations for the repeal of laws against homosexuality in 41 Commonwealth states and a ban on forced marriage.[90][91] The failure to release the report, or accept its recommendations for reforms in the area of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, was decried as a "disgrace" by former British Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, a member of the EPG, who told a press conference: "The Commonwealth faces a very significant problem. It's not a problem of hostility or antagonism, it's more of a problem of indifference. Its purpose is being questioned, its relevance is being questioned and part of that is because its commitment to enforce the values for which it stands is becoming ambiguous in the eyes of many member states. The Commonwealth is not a private club of the governments or the secretariat. It belongs to the people of the Commonwealth."[91]
In the end, two-thirds of the EPG's 106 urgently recommended reforms were referred to study groups, an act described by one EPG member as having them "kicked into the long grass". There was no agreement to create the recommended position of human rights commissioner, instead a ministerial management group was empowered with enforcement: the group includes alleged human rights offenders. It was agreed to develop a charter of values for the Commonwealth without any decision on how compliance with its principles would be enforced.[89]
The result of the effort was that a new Charter of the Commonwealth was signed by Queen Elizabeth on 11 March 2013 at Marlborough House, which opposes "all forms of discrimination, whether rooted in gender, race, colour, creed, political belief or other grounds".[92][93]
My query would be the alternative to the O/P's; why indeed would you to desire to pay dues to yet another organization that is "all hat but no cattle".
"full sovereignty was attained when the Canada Act 1982 severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the British parliament."
Canada has never renounced the British Monarchy. They might be free of the British Parliament, but their head of State is still the British sovereign, represented by the Consul General to Canada, who is appointed by the British sovereign.
What would be the practical benefit of being a member?
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Closer ties between nations linked by language and history. Closer business links to all Commonwealth nations, and opportunities for Americans to live overseas (I'd live in Britain again if the opportunity were available to me)
Closer ties between nations linked by language and history. Closer business links to all Commonwealth nations, and opportunities for Americans to live overseas (I'd live in Britain again if the opportunity were available to me)
It's a common misunderstanding, however being in the Commonwealth does not make it easier to live overseas. An Australian moving to the UK has to go through exactly the same process as an American moving to the UK, and Vice Versa.
Closer ties between nations linked by language and history. Closer business links to all Commonwealth nations, and opportunities for Americans to live overseas (I'd live in Britain again if the opportunity were available to me)
Commonwealth nations cannot move to other commonwealths... Same process as everyone else
I realise that however, there is a movement afoot or the proposal of a Free movement area between Canada, Oz, NZ and the UK which will become a more viable idea if the UK leaves the EU. There are members of Parliament including Boris Johnson who support the idea.
And personally I'm not ashamed or down on my country, but the UK offers a bit more of the way and environment I want to live (cooler, less sun...good transport, the NHS, actual history and culture of which I do feel strongly connected to, and its just gorgeous and I get on with the people quite well there).
I realise that however, there is a movement afoot or the proposal of a Free movement area between Canada, Oz, NZ and the UK which will become a more viable idea if the UK leaves the EU. There are members of Parliament including Boris Johnson who support the idea.
And personally I'm not ashamed or down on my country, but the UK offers a bit more of the way and environment I want to live (cooler, less sun...good transport, the NHS, actual history and culture of which I do feel strongly connected to, and its just gorgeous and I get on with the people quite well there).
But the Commonwealth is more than socioeconomic and cultural ties among English-speaking countries. America will never take a backseat to Britain in the Anglosphere, and Commonwealth membership would mean submitting to Britain in form if not in practice. The US does not recognize the Queen in any shape or form -- and she is the sovereign head of the Commonwealth. That's far too much uncomfortable colonialism for Americans to stomach. You'll note that the US doesn't even observe the Queen's English (English is largely divided into spelling, usage, and syntax rules called "American" and "Commonwealth"). US membership in the Commonwealth is about as unlikely as Boris Johnson -- the current mayor of London who was born in New York City -- running for US president. And that's very unlikely.
Last edited by masonbauknight; 10-03-2015 at 09:37 AM..
Canada has never renounced the British Monarchy. They might be free of the British Parliament, but their head of State is still the British sovereign, represented by the Consul General to Canada, who is appointed by the British sovereign.
Sorry, but that is incorrect. Canada is a Canadian Monarchy, Canada's head of State is the Queen of Canada, not the Queen of the United Kingdom, and Canada's monarch is represented by the Governor General, a Canadian recommended by Canadian parliament to the Queen of Canada to be appointed as Governor General.
Elizabeth Windsor is presently the monarch of 16 independent realms. They are all autonomous constitutional monarchies each with their own monarch.
Speaking for Canada, Elizabeth is called Queen of Canada and she is our monarch because she is who Canada wanted. Canada chose her as Canada's monarch.
Canada had and still has the option of choosing somebody else as monarch if Canada wishes, and Elizabeth Windsor had and still has the option of refusing to be our monarch if she wishes.
When Elizabeth dies her successor(s) might or might not choose to be monarch of Canada and Canada might or might not choose a different monarch. That remains to be seen but it is presently assumed that Elizabeth's successor will agree to be Canada's new monarch and that Canada will also agree to having her successor as our monarch.
If her successor chooses to not be the monarch of Canada then Canada will need to choose another person as monarch if Canada wishes to remain a monarchy. Canada can choose whoever it wants as monarch.
If you're genuinely interested you can read the following to gain a somewhat better understanding of Canada as a monarchy and of Elizabeth Windsor as the Monarch of 16 seperate realms:
If you're genuinely interested you can read the following to gain a somewhat better understanding of Canada as a monarchy and of Elizabeth Windsor as the Monarch of 16 seperate realms:
Canadians do not give any financial support to The Queen in her roles as Head of the Commonwealth, as Queen of the United Kingdom or as Sovereign of her other Realms.
So, Canada refers to the Queen as a Sovereign of her Realms. See where the sovereignty of Canada resides?
Quote:
I don’t like Prince Charles. It would be better to skip over him and have William as King.
Just as in our own families, our shared national family, the members of the Royal Family, each have their own personalities, particular interests and quirks. Again as in our own families, the failure of a marriage or the fact we can’t stand certain relatives does not lead us to seek the destruction of the institution of the family. Without defending or explaining the many admirable qualities of the Prince of Wales, two factual points need underlining to those who favour a skipped succession. First, all the Commonwealth Realms would have to agree on a process to allow the succession to skip a generation, which would certainly cause a debate both focused on personality and potentially embarrassing and harmful to the Crown.
So Canada can't just pick its own monarch, it has to come to an agreement with the other Commonwealth nations if the monarch is to be changed.
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Ever wonder why the preamble of the United States Constitution starts with 'We the People'? It's because sovereignty in the U.S. comes from the people, not from a sovereign monarch.
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