Comment on Europeans watching US/CA relations implode

MissJinx@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

• bdonvr@thelemmy.club ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Not really. They’re part of the Commonwealth, an association of former British colonial possessions, and “recognize” the British monarch as their own monarch. The monarch (King Charles, currently) has a representative in Canada known as the Governor General. They do a ton of stuff like appoint Prime Minister, heads of the Provinces, dissolving parliament, etc.

  However they almost exclusively can only act when asked to by Parliament or the Prime Minister. They also do ceremonial stuff. They do have some emergency power however it’s never been used in the post-independence era.

  Basically no, not really. King Charles (King of Canada) could technically try and like dissolve the parliament or something but it would cause a constitutional crisis that would probably just end up removing the whole Canadian Monarchy thing.

  But they are strong allies.

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  • Arghblarg@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Am Canadian, I have wondered this as well – could we ask the UK and rest of Commonwealth to help us out if things get too bad? I hope so… but I don’t think there is any obligation to come to our defense ala NATO if things get shooty.

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    • Roflmasterbigpimp@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      We can send more Eggs.

      Image

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      • MissJinx@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        wow calm down there bill gates, don’t come rubbing your wealth in our faces.

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    • elucubra@sopuli.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      If the UK hadn’t done Brexshit, there probably could have been a way to add Canada to the EU as an associated member, like Norway, Switzerland, etc…

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    • obinice@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      could we ask the UK and rest of Commonwealth to help us out if things get too bad?

      The UK need not have entered the last conflict against aggressive fascists when and how she did, but did so as much out of a sense of obligation to one’s friends and the moral right as anything. When conflict loomed, the UK made a defensive pact with Poland, when she could have easily just sat back and watched.

      The same is true of Canada. We are no longer an empire, no longer a large and powerful nation, but if and when the US eventually takes direct aggressive military action, the UK, backed by the Allies of the new Millennium in Europe and beyond, will come to Canada’s aid.

      To do any less would be to side with the fascists.

      Thinking of the USA’s current lying, deceitful leader, and their increasingly aggressive moves, I’m once again reminded of Chamberlain’s address to the nation…

      We have a clear conscience. We have done all that any country could do to establish peace, but a situation in which no word given by Germany’s ruler could be trusted and no people or country could feel themselves safe had become intolerable. And now that we have resolved to finish it, I know that you will all play your part with calmness and courage.

      As such a moment as this the assurances of support that we have received from the Empire are a source of profound encouragement to us.

      …Now may God bless you all and may He defend the right. For it is evil things that we shall be fighting against, brute force, bad faith, injustice, oppression and persecution. And against them I am certain that the right will prevail.

      And if you’ll forgive me a little more quoting of particularly famous speeches, this line about the new world comes to mind also…

      we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.

      Even if one of us falls, the others will step forth to their rescue and liberation. Freedom from fascism is a universal right, and we will enforce it until we no longer can ♥️

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  • DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    The Governor General actually has veto power over legislation and basically everything, with the catch being if they’re too annoying about it Canada will just get rid of the monarchy.

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    • bdonvr@thelemmy.club ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Yeah like I said. Plus it doesn’t look like they’ve ever used it without being asked.

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      • DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        Not quite.

        You said they can’t do it unless asked.

        They can, they choose not to. And, of course, soft power being what it is, sometimes people get told to ask.

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  • MissJinx@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    humm got it. At least you guys do have many allies if the crazies invade

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  • AA5B@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Be careful about convention, with no explicit rules. We also haven’t usually acted this way either but now that someone challenged every moral precept we’re finding nothing enforced it

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• Tm12@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  They’re supposed to. I have no idea aside from logistics why we still have the monarchy. King Charles ain’t doing shit.

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  • SouthEndSunset@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Ceremony and tradition, probably.

    As a Brit, fuck the monarchy.

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• win95@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Unrelated but I always call myself dumb which “isn’t that deep” but I recently realized I do feel dumb when asking questions when in fact we are the opposite of dumb since we want to expand our knowledge and we know that we don’t know. Most people just stay ignorant and don’t want to see themselves as not knowing everything and thus they stay dumb.

  Anyway, thanks for coming to my Ted talk and you’re not dumb!

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  • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    It’s the other side of Dunning-Kruger… You have to be smart enough to know that you’re not smart enough to know everything.

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• jaxxed@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  It’s only a ceremonial association. It’s similar to AUS.

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  • alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    It’s not that ceremonial, like AUS, Canada has a Governor General appointed by the crown.

    In 1975, the Governor General unilaterally removed Labor from power and put the Liberals in power.

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    • jaxxed@lemmy.ml ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      It’s ceremonial in that if the GG ever vetoed a bill with any coercion from England there would be a riot.

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