Unlike his mother The Queen, King Charles III will not carry the title “Defender of the Faith” as Canada's sovereign and head of state. Last month’s federal budget included a brief mention of changes to Canada's Royal Styles and Titles Act, without any details or specifics. Those changes were recently revealed by the government and included dropping the reference to the United Kingdom and “Defender of the Faith.”.This means that for the first time since Confederation, the royal style and title of the Canadian sovereign and head of state will not include the phrase “Defender of the Faith,” nor any mention of the United Kingdom. These changes bring Canada in line with other Commonwealth realms — such as Australia — which dropped the phrase “Defender of the Faith” and reference to the United Kingdom years ago. As such, the new title of the Canadian sovereign will be: 'Charles the Third, by the Grace of God King of Canada and His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.' The title of Her late Majesty as Queen of Canada was: 'Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.'.Should we be concerned? Probably not. The Canadian sovereign's title has evolved since Confederation to reflect geopolitical and constitutional realities. For example until 1947, King George VI was styled “Emperor of India,” self-evidently now an obsolete description.. HM Queen Elizabeth opens Parliament 1977HM Queen Elizabeth opens Parliament 18th October, 1977, as part of her Silver Jubilee Tour. .Over the past decades, discussions surrounding the title of the Canadian sovereign have taken place. Ultimately, they have been “put on hold.” With the end of the Elizabethan age and the beginning of a second Carolean era, numerous changes — of which many have not been pondered for more than 70 years — will take place, and this is one of them..But if the monarchy is no longer defending the faith, it's still a good opportunity to review what the Crown means in Canada — and to deplore the present government's disinterest in it..Since Canadian courts have upheld the principle of symmetry — whereby the sovereign of the UK is also the Canadian sovereign — it would have been legally harmless to leave in reference to the United Kingdom. With that said, its removal does not diminish our historical and cultural links with the UK, rather it helps clarify the distinct role of Charles III as King of Canada — constitutionally and legally independent from his role as King of the United Kingdom. The removal of the phrase “Defender of the Faith” is more straightforward than some might think. In the United Kingdom, the sovereign who is the head of state also serves as the supreme governor of the Church of England. In Canada, the head of state has no official religious role. This does not negate Canada’s Judeo-Christian values and principles, but rather clarifies the role of the Canadian sovereign as our head of state. It is understandable that the phrase “Defender of the Faith” be dropped from the title, as part of the evolution of the Canadian Crown as a distinctly Canadian institution reflecting its constitutional role..On a positive note, the phrase “Grace of God” remains, for which I see as a compromise between referencing a specific Christian denomination and not referencing God altogether. One could argue that retaining the phrase “Grace of God” reflects the fact that although irreligion in Canada is growing, spirituality and belief in a divine being, or as stated by Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent — “all-wise Providence” — remains alive and well in Canada..These changes to the title of Canada’s sovereign were expected and bring Canada in line with other Commonwealth realms. The government has therefore acted appropriately in this matter, although sadly not in its overall disregard and attitude towards the Crown..There are many examples: Unlike past Liberal and Conservative governments which issued medals for the Silver (1977), Golden (2002) and Diamond (2012) Jubilees, the current Liberal government could not be bothered to issue a medal for the Platinum Jubilee in 2022. The same happened in 2017 regarding a medal for the 150th anniversary of Canadian confederation — compared to 1967 and 1992, when medals were issued for the 100th and 125th anniversaries of Confederation, respectively..As a monarchist I welcome any positive actions from the government regarding the Crown and decry any that are negative, regardless of which political party is in power. A key component of our constitutional monarchy is that our head of state, the sovereign, is nonpolitical and above everyday politics. Governments come and go, but the Crown endures. The sovereign represents all Canadians regardless of political affiliation or lack thereof. Even though these sensible changes to the title of the King of Canada are welcome, this government’s ambivalence shown towards Canada’s constitutional monarchy — an integral part of our parliamentary democracy and sense of identity — speaks volumes about their larger view of Canada’s history, heritage, and institutions..Philippe Chartrand is Chairman of the Ottawa Branch of the Monarchist League of Canada.
