I still don't understand why Queen Elizabeth is on their coins. Isn't Canada its own country? Why do they celebrate Canadian Independence Day on July 1, if they aren't even independent?
#5- lol
Queen Elizabeth is not only the Queen of the United Kingdom, she is also the Queen of Canada (Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, et al) and as such is the Head of State. Technically speaking, Canada is a Dominion and the Prime Minister serves at the leisure of her Gov-General.
They are a Dominion. The Queen is their head of state.
As an ex-Canadian, I can give a simple answer to your question: Queen Elizabeth is The Queen Of Canada. When Canada became a country in 1867, it chose to retain its links to the Mother Country by the expedient of retaining the monarchy. The Fathers Of The Confederation originally wanted to name the new nation The Kingdom Of Canada, but the British government was afraid of offending the United States, so it insisted they choose something else. They picked the term Dominion and it fit the country like paper to a wall. The Governor-General is the representative of the Queen when The Sovereign is not in Canada.