By the arrangements of the Canadian federation, the Canadian monarchy operates in Saskatchewan as the core of the province's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. As such, the Crown within Saskatchewan's jurisdiction is referred to as the Crown in right of Saskatchewan, His Majesty in right of Saskatchewan, or His Majesty the King in right of Saskatchewan. The Constitution Act, 1867, however, leaves many royal duties in Saskatchewan specifically assigned to the sovereign's viceroy, the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, whose direct participation in governance is limited by the conventional stipulations of constitutional monarchy.
In Saskatoon, the most populous city in Saskatchewan, connections to the crown are visible in visits from the Sovereign of Canada, the Canadian Royal Family and vice-regal representatives, and also in the prominence of names and symbols in civic traditions. The Crown's image appears in the centrepiece portrait at Saskatoon City Council chamber and also in the badges of Saskatoon Police Service officers. On one of several visits to Saskatoon, Queen Elizabeth II said "Constitutional Monarchy has always placed the emphasis on people in community – as it were, a national family with the Sovereign as its head."Monarchist League of Canada (2007). An Archive of Quotations from The Queen and prominent Canadians about The Crown and Canada. Saskatoon's manifold connections include more than a dozen royal visits, frequent vice-regal visitors, namesakes for schools, streets and neighbourhoods, and the regular inclusion of its own namesake, the saskatoon berry, on menus for royal and vice-regal functions.CBC News Online (2005). Royal Visit Diary. In Indepth: The Royal Family. 18 May 2005.Office of the Secretary to the Governor General of Canada (2003). Rideau Hall Chef to Showcase Culinary Cutting Edge at Expo Québec. Canada's 2008 definitive postage stamp features a photograph of Queen Elizabeth II taken in Saskatoon.Canada Post Corporation (2008). New 2008 definitive stamps light the way for the New Year.
Constitutional role
The role of the Crown is both legal and practical; it functions in Saskatchewan in the same way it does in all of Canada's other provinces, being the centre of a constitutional construct in which the institutions of government acting under the sovereign's authority share the power of the whole. It is thus the foundation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the province's government. The —is represented and duties carried out by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, whose direct participation in governance is limited by the conventional stipulations of constitutional monarchy, with most related powers entrusted for exercise by the elected parliamentarians, the ministers of the Crown generally drawn from amongst them, and the judges and justices of the peace. The Crown today primarily functions as a guarantor of continuous and stable governance and a nonpartisan safeguard against the abuse of power. This arrangement began with the granting of Royal Assent to the 1905 Saskatchewan Act, and continued an unbroken line of monarchical government extending back to the mid 17th century. However, though Saskatchewan has a separate government headed by the , as a province, Saskatchewan is not itself a kingdom.
Government House in Regina is owned by the sovereign only in capacity as in right of Saskatchewan and is used both as an office and as an official event location by the lieutenant governor, the sovereign, and other members of the Canadian Royal Family. The viceroy resides in a separate home provided by the provincial Crown and the and relations reside at a hotel when in Saskatchewan.
Governance Municipal authority is vested in the mayor and ten councillors that constitute Saskatoon City Council. Its powers are set by the Province of Saskatchewan largely through the Cities Act, which makes several references to the Crown. , at the centre of its meeting chambers hung a photographic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Governors general normally pay civic calls on their first visits to municipalities, which include meetings with the mayor and other councillors. On this and other special occasions, the mayor wears a chain of office, part of the mayoral regalia, in a tradition that races its roots to the Crown in medieval times. The mayor presented Saskatoon's key to the city, another medieval tradition, to the Queen in 2005. The municipal police force, the Saskatoon Police Service is one of a few police agencies to have armorial bearings, granted by the Chief Herald of Canada in 2007. Its badge follows the conventional municipal structure, ensigned by the Crown, indicating that the officers enforce the King's peace and the justice of the Crown.Saskatoon Police Service (2007). Armorial Bearings.
Royal associations
Those in the Royal Family perform ceremonial duties when on a tour of the province; the royal persons do not receive any personal income for their service, only the costs associated with the exercise of these obligations are funded by both the Canadian and Saskatchewan Crowns in their respective councils. Monuments around Saskatchewan mark some of those visits, while others honour a royal personage or event. Further, Saskatchewan's monarchical status is illustrated by royal names applied regions, communities, schools, and buildings, many of which may also have a specific history with a member or members of the Royal Family. Gifts are also sometimes offered from the people of Saskatchewan, via the Office of Protocol and Honours, to a royal person to mark a visit or an important milestone; for instance, Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh (later Queen Elizabeth II), was in 1951 given two paintings by Robert Newton Hurley and works were commissioned from Catherine Perehudoff for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Unofficial gifts are also offered on various occasions, including a carload of locally milled flour from Yorkton for Princess Elizabeth on her marriage in 1947, and Royal Family members and viceroys have been conferred honorary degrees by Saskatchewan universities.
Associations also exist between the Crown and many private organizations within the province; these may have been founded by a Royal Charter, received a royal prefix, and/or been honoured with the patronage of a member of the Royal Family. Examples include the Globe Theatre, which is under the patronage of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, which received its royal prefix from Queen Elizabeth II in 1993. At the various levels of education within Saskatchewan, there also exist a number of scholarships and academic awards either established by or named for members of the Royal Family, such as the Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship in Parliamentary Studies and the Queen Elizabeth II Centennial Aboriginal Scholarship.
The main symbol of the monarchy is the sovereign , image (in portrait or effigy) thus being used to signify government authority. A royal cypher, crown, or the provincial arms (known as the Arms of Majesty in right of Saskatchewan) may also illustrate the monarchy as the locus of authority, without referring to any specific monarch. Additionally, though the monarch does not form a part of the constitutions of Saskatchewan's honours, they do stem from the Crown as the fount of honour, and so bear on the insignia symbols of the sovereign. The or others in family may bestow awards in person: in 2004, the Princess Royal presented to 25 recipients the Saskatchewan Protective Services Medal, marking the first time a member of the Royal Family had presented a provincial honour in Canada, and, when the Queen was in the province in 2005, she appointed Saskatchewan citizens to the Royal Victorian Order. Similarly, under the authority of the Queen in right of Saskatchewan, other members of the Royal Family have received Saskatchewan honours.
Civic names
Place names provide information about the landscape and settlement of an area. Several among the names of neighbourhoods, parks and streets in Saskatoon have connections to the Crown. One of its most recognisable features is the Broadway Bridge, an arch bridge that spans the east and west river shores. It was at one time considered that the bridge should be renamed for King George V.City of Saskatoon (2000). A View From Above: Key to Landmarks. Neighbourhoods of note include King George near the city centre. Once home to celebrated athlete Gordie Howe, most of its homes were built prior to World War II. Queen Elizabeth is another mature area. Most of the homes were built during and soon after World War II, and several among its streets have royal namesakes. Massey Place is named for Canadian Governor General Vincent Massey. Most of its homes were constructed in the 1960s and 1970s. McNab Park, near the airport, is named for Lieutenant Governor Archibald McNab and also for his son, a noted pilot in World War II. It was built as a station for the armed forces in 1967, and has since been used as a low-income housing development.
Parks with royal namesakes include Victoria Park, named for Queen Victoria. Spanning , it is one of the oldest and most scenic public spaces. It is home to badminton and tennis clubs and a civic swimming pool. The south river bank between the Broadway Bridge and University Bridge was dedicated Coronation Park for King George VI after his coronation in 1937, later to be renamed Cosmopolitan Park in 1952.City of Saskatoon (2007). Saskatoon: A Brief History. Princess Diana Multi-District Park is named for Diana, Princess of Wales, and its construction was undertaken a year after her death, in 1998. Massey Park, which spans in the Nutana neighbourhood, is believed to be named for Governor General Vincent Massey. The playing fields at Nutana Collegiate are the last remnant of the Louise Grounds, named for Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, daughter of Queen Victoria and wife of Governor General the Marquess of Lorne.
Streets named for monarchs and their consorts include Albert Avenue, Alexandra Avenue, Edward Avenue, Victoria Avenue and William Avenue. Some named for royal family titles including Duchess Street, Duke Street, Empress Avenue and Street, King Crescent and Street, Prince of Wales Avenue, Princess Street and Queen Street, while others named for royal houses include Hanover Avenue and York Avenue, and some named for royal castles include Balmoral Street, Osborne Street and Windsor Street. Albany Crescent and Alberta Avenue can trace their namesakes less directly to royal family members. Governors General are remembered in many streets including Aberdeen Place, Alexander Avenue, Argyle Avenue, Byng Avenues, Connaught Avenue and Place, Devonshire Crescent and Way, Dufferin Avenue, Grey Place, Hnatyshyn Avenue, Lansdowne Avenue, Lisgar Avenue, Lorne Avenue, Massey Drive, Michener Court, Crescent, Place and Way, Minto Place and Vanier Crescent and Way. Others including Fedoruk Drive, Munroe Avenue, Patterson Crescent and Worobetz Place, are named for Lieutenant Governors.Duerkop, J. (2000). Saskatoon's History in Street Names. Saskatoon: Purich Publishing.
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