The last Monarch
Opinion
Posted 1 month ago
On Tuesday, July 6, Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh hopped on a jetliner and left Canada, bound for New York City to speak at the United Nations.
This came on the heels of a whirlwind nine-day tour of Canada—the 22nd such visit by Queen Elizabeth II, the country's symbolic Head of State.
By all accounts, the trip was a celebration of all that this country has accomplished since Confederation of 1867 and all it is expected to accomplish in the future.
Watching live coverage of the Queen's visit to Halifax, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Toronto over the course of her trip, it was difficult not to get wrapped up in all the pomp and circumstance surrounding the Royal visit.
And yet, the gushing and the celebration had felt like a country wanting desperately to gather favour from a long ago absent mother, one who abandoned us as children to fend for ourselves and then returned to see how we got along without her.
As staunch monarchists, some will say that the Queen and her relationship to Canada is one that should be honoured as a testament to our history and heritage as a country.
Others, however, believe that clinging on to an outdated mode of representation is antithetical to this country's evolution as an independent and strong leader in the world.
In an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on the eve of the Queen's visit showed that nearly two thirds of Canadians felt Canada should sever ties with the Monarchy for good as soon as the reign of Queen Elizabeth II ends.
That number roughly translates to six out of every 10 Canadians.
In fact, nearly 60 per cent of those polled by Ipsos Reid said that the Governor General should be the Head of State of Canada, not the Queen.
With the announced retirement of current Governor-General Michaëlle Jean, next in line for the position would be the University of Waterloo president David Johnston.
Johnston would definitely be a better representative of Canadians, seeing as he is one and lives in this country. The Queen on the other hand, or any other Royal for that matter, including Prince Charles of Wales, is a lasting vestige of time that seems too far removed from ordinary Canadians.
Just think Prince William of Wales, now 28 years old, is second in line of succession to the throne and consequently the Head of State of 16 separate independent nation states, including Canada and Australia. Does that mean that fifty years from now the Canadian Mint will print our money with his face?
Sure the Queen visits us every now and then, pats our heads as a mother should and tells us we're doing a good job, but when it comes right down to it, we're a little too old to be treated as mere children. We have a proud history and can take responsibly for our own actions.
Although she is just a figurehead and has no real authority over the direction of how the country is run, she is a symbolic Big Brother, watching us commoners from her throne, making sure we act accordingly. We have our own mothers to do that for us.
-editorial@strathmorestandard.com
