God Save the Queen?

As far as issues affecting the daily lives of Canadians, the monarchy certainly isn’t one of them. It is safe to say that Canada has shrugged off most of the vestiges of the British Empire and, other than a handful of diehards who still remember what the old flag looked like and some theoretical monarchists scattered around academic institutions, the population has little interest in its attachment to the crown. Most people couldn’t be bothered to change anything.

The Queen of England can be found on all our coins, $20 bills and some of our stamps. Is it healthy for a country to maintain a symbol that means relatively little in the daily lives of Canadians? According to the Monarchist League of Canada, the monarchy costs only $1.10 per citizen. But then again, this is roughly the same as the operation of the Federal Court system. Could that money be better spent in other areas: research and development in hospitals, promoting artists or building daycare centres?

The Australians held a referendum on the matter, so why can't we? It would certainly help the problem of national unity, since the British royal family is hardly a symbol of pride for Quebecers, a faint reminder of the dominance begun under the Union Jack. If, as a country, we could outgrow our attachment to that small island in the North Sea, we would at last walk on our own two legs, reach the adulthood envisaged for so long.

Why keep it? Well, it solidifies the parliamentary tradition we have inherited, distinguishes English Canadians from Americans and allows us the position of a Governor General, who acts as a unifying force, removed from the fray of partisan politics unlike any elected head of state.

Perhaps both sides need to be discussed in more depth, so we can make a decision once and for all: will our country stay attached to the monarch of Britain or will it break free and join the family of republics? If you are interested, please come with your ideas, your bias and your facts checked to the first discussion of the Canadian Constitutional Club de la constitution canadienne, being held in room 404 of Thomson House on Tuesday, October 17 at 5:30.

Long may she reign…