Hi everyone. My boyfriend and I are looking at drawings that were made as float suggestions for a parade for the Canadian Jubilee of 1927 (60th anniversary of the Confederation).
There is one float that we're pretty interested into, that apparently depicts 8 provinces (although there was 9 at that time?), embodied by persons sitting down with the heraldic of the province in their hands, and an woman who looks like a queen or empress sitting above them. so the float probably represents something like the provinces under the eye of the British Empire, that would be coherent with the situation at that time and the writings under the image.
But we couldn't determine what was represented by the person standing next to the woman. We can't identify the heraldic that person is holding either...
Would someone have any idea about it? Thank you very much!
Here is the image and the detail.
Note : we're both french canadians, sorry for any writing mistakes!
As far as I can read it, left-to-right, the provinces seem to be: Ontario, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, (coat of arms not visible; Newfoundland, maybe?), British Colombia, Nova Scotia (salmon and three thistles on a field of gold, abolished in 1929), Sasketchewan, Alberta, and the one standing is Quebec, in the older two fleur-de-lis variant: http://www.ngw.nl/heraldrywiki/index.php?title=Quebec_(province)
There were only 8 provinces in 1927. Newfoundland did not join Confederation until April 1 1949. The Yukon and Northwest Territories existed in 1927 but I believe that they were controlled by Ottawa so would not have warranted a position in the float.
George was the King of England in 1927 so I am guessing that the lady on the right would represent Mother England. The man to her left holding the staff would be representing our Governor General who represents the British Crown's interest in Canada.
Here is a little more information about our country.
Canada did not become an independent nation in 1867. We became a Confederation of independent colonies that agreed to unite under one central government led by an elected Prime Minister. Our Constitution was a Private Member's Bill that was introduced into the British House of Commons, complete with a preamble explaining its intent and purposes. This Bill defined the powers and responsibilities to be given to the provincial and federal governments and the protections to be given to the citizens.
The Prime Minister was given the responsibility to lead our country but the Federal Government could not pass any laws or legeslation that overrode the powers of the provinces. Nor could the Federal Government pass any acts without the approval and consent of first the House of Commons and then the Senate. A further check was put in place whereby once a new act was passed by the Senate in Canada, it was then forwarded on to the Governor General. He would then take it to the House of Lords in Britain for Royal Assent. Only in their approval would the new act become a legal act or law.
In 1931 the British Crown issued the Statute of Westminster which gave all of the named British colonies the right to govern themselves. Canada did not choose to do so until Pierre Trudeau brought our Constitution home to Canada in 1981. So even though we had the right to govern ourselves, from 1931 until 1981 Canada remained a British colony.
Trudeau needed consent from the British House of Lords to patriate our Constitution. This new Constitution had to be ratified by all of the Canadian provinces for it to become legal and binding on all Canadians.
But Quebec refused to sign this new Constitution. Trudeau then took then took it to the Supreme Court of Canada and had the judges force it upon us as our legal and binding Constitution. Because of this there are some people who claim that Trudeau's Constitution Act and Charter of Rights and Freedoms is invalid and not worth the paper it's written on. (I know a few of them who can make some very convincing arguments... but I digress).
Both Meech Lake and the Charlotte Town Accord were attempts by the Federal Government to appease Quebec and have her sign on to the Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Both of these attempts failed.