With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II this afternoon, millions of grieving Canadians are wondering what comes next..The Queen, Britain's longest-reigning sovereign and the world's oldest monarch at 96-year-old, was immediately replaced by heir Prince Charles. As the Prince of Wales, Charles already undertakes official duties on behalf of the Queen..Soon, Canada's governor general will drive to Parliament Hill to proclaim in front of cabinet that Canada has a new “lawful and rightful liege.”.The act is encoded into Canadian law, with the 1985 Interpretation Act stating, “Where there is a demise of the Crown … the demise does not affect the holding of any office under the Crown in right of Canada.".The most visible indicator of Queen Elizabeth's rule over Canada is her face being on every Canadian banknote and coin. Every year, approximately 1 billion coins bearing the Queen's face are printed from the Bank of Canada's facility in Winnipeg. .The Royal Canadian Mint told the Western Standard that the government Canada has "exclusive jurisdiction" over the design of Canadian coins.."As the Mint’s role is limited to manufacturing and distributing Canada’s circulation coinage, the mint will abide by the decision and timetable of the government on changing the obverse (heads) design of our coins," they said..They said it is also important to note that the legal tender status of existing circulation coins does not change just because Canada’s monarch has changed.."There is no legal requirement to change existing circulation coins and the coinage needs of business and consumers will continue to be met without interruption.".Rideau Hall and Canada's 10 government Houses are prepared for what Buckingham Palace calls "the Bridge," the period of time between the death of a monarch and the coronation of a new one..The moment the Queen dies, all staff of Canada’s Governor General, Lieutenant Governors and Territorial Commissioners are given black ties and black armbands. Black ribbons will also be hung on portraits and flagpoles..In the backrooms of Government Houses across Canada, there are currently cardboard boxes labelled “mourning.” Those boxes will soon be brought out, but Rideau Hall has been mute on the exact sequencing of events that would happen..It may take a while until the coronation. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned a full 15 months after her father died. Meanwhile, every government office in Canada will feature its usual portrait of the Queen, but with a black ribbon attached. .Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will soon convene parliament and pass a resolution expressing “loyalty and sympathy” to the next monarch. Afterwards, the usual procedure is to issue an Order in Council declaring a “Day of Mourning” on the day of the Queen's funeral..And similar to the funeral of King George VI, every Canadian military installation will be ordered to fire a 96 gun salute — one for every year Queen Elizabeth II lived..There will also be huge amounts of paperwork to change all references to the 'Queen' and replace them with 'King.'.Canadian passports are issued in “the name of Her Majesty the Queen.” Lawyers across Canada have business cards printed with the title “QC” for “Queen’s Counsel” and go to work at a “Court of Queen’s Bench.” Conservative MPs sit in “Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition.” These will all need to be changed..Some references will stay, however. Objects that were named for the sovereign personally, such as Alberta’s Queen Elizabeth II Highway, will keep their titles..Similar to the UK's BBC, the CBC has called a “Broadcast of National Importance." All regular programming is cancelled, all advertisements are halted, and all TV channels and radio stations now shift into 24-hour news mode.
