HRM Elizabeth II

There’s a growing debate in Canada right now, about the Royal Family: should we keep it, or abolish the institution.

In Canada, our Head of State (HoS) is the reigning Monarch of Great Britain. This has been the case ever since we were a colony of the British Empire. Even earlier then that, the Monarch of France was the sovereign over New France- when the British beat the French, the Kings and Queens of GB became rulers over the entire Northern part of North America.

In the past, we have always been in favour of the Monarch as our HoS but lately, things seem to be wavering a little.  And I think it’s healthy to have this debate- it just coincides when the Queen or one of the other members of the Royal Family visits0 Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla, are in Canada right now.

Canada has been an independant country since 1867, 1939, and/or 1982, depending on how you look at it. In 1867, the British Parliament passed the British North America Act (BNA) uniting the colonies of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into the Dominion of Canada. However, Ottawa really became the rulers of our domestic affairs and our international voice was fairly limited, as it was still mainly dominated by London. In 1914, Canada was forced into WWI, as London was at war, so was Canada. Come 1939, and the former British Empire, the Commonwealth of Nations, passed the Statute of Westminster giving Canada, and the other countries, the power to decide their own foreign policies. Come WWII, and Canada declared war on Germany; we didn’t know how, so we had to do some research there, but hey! We did it! 1982 becomes another inportant year. This is the year we completely cut political ties with London. In 1982, Canada patriated our Constitution. Up until that point, Canada had to request to London to change the BNA Act for us- in 1982 that completely changed.

My point is that it’s healthy to have this debate as we are evolving as a country and becoming our own. However, tradition says alot; history says alot.

Today, the Queen is represented by the Governor General (GG). Without Royal Assent, none of our bills become laws, Parliament cannot be dissolved (no elections), and a government cannot be created. Without the HoS, none of this is possible. However, it is all ceremonial and pomp. Our Constitution dectates when elections will be held, and so on and so forth. We just need the GG to make it official and Constitutional.

There is merit in getting rid of the Monarch, but what position do we put in place as HoS? The Prime Minister is the Head of Government and in a Parliamentary system, I find it difficult to put the PM as HoS as well. A President? But then you need elections, and elections mean issues, and political ideologies. If we create a position of President in Canada, then we would have to give that person powers and the right to make decisions. With a President, the HoS becomes political instead of neutral. How often do people protest the Queen or the Governor General? How many people protest the PM? A heck of alot more. How many people protest the US President (who is both HoS and HoG)? More people.

With the Monarch as the HoS in Canada, (s)he is able to represent Canada as a whole on the international scene. The GG is able to represent everyone of Canada and Canadian values. Unlike the US President, who is suppose to represent the US, but since it’s a political position really only represents the people of his political values. How many Americans did Bush really represent when he was suppose to represent the entire US population.

With a politicised HoS, you lose that neutrality of representation on the world scene, and ceremonies and such. The PM still represents us at world leaders events, such as the G8 and other areas. But the GG represents Canada to Canada, and Canada to ceremonious situations, such as funerals of foreign leaders, WWII memorial events, and other things like that. It is a purely ceremonious role that is filled quite nicely.