Canada Will Get A New Monarch When Queen Elizabeth II Dies & Here's How It'll Go Down

It is a commonly forgotten fact that Queen Elizabeth II is not just the monarch of the United Kingdom, but also the Queen of Canada.

And, just like the U.K., Canada also has to go through the rigmarole of changing its official monarch in the event of her death.

Canada has been ruled by a monarchy since its inception in 1867 and, in our modern parliamentary system, it's the source of all governmental power – a power the queen "entrusts" to parliament.

But, what happens when that monarch dies? It's a good question, especially since it hasn't happened since 1952.

Well, a few things take place as soon as calls of "The queen is dead! Long live the king!" start ringing out.

First things first, when the Queen dies, Canada still has its sovereign and government.

In the 1985 Interpretation Act, the law says that when The Crown — aka the monarch — meets their demise, their death "does not affect the holding of any office under the Crown in right of Canada."

So, basically, nothing dissolves, disappears or goes away in Canada's government when a monarch dies.

But things are a bit more complicated than just that. According to an article in the National Post, the Governor General, the Queen's proxy here in Canada, must go to Parliament Hill and proclaim that Canada has a "new and rightful liege."

But this is more an act of show or "window dressing."

On the most basic level, as soon as the queen dies, her heir succeeds on the throne, becoming king. In this case, it would be Charles, Prince of Wales.

So before Canada has even announced or recognized it, it will have a new monarch.

This, of course, is one of the few changes that will take place when the queen dies, along with alterations to our money, passports and more.

There's also a good chance Canadians will get a stat day off to mourn for her funeral.