Category: Canadian Monarchy

Green Party Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Meryam Haddad

6/23/2020

Meryam Haddad

The second reply I received today
was from Ms. Meryam Haddad.
Ms. Haddad's response was very
different from her opponent:

"I personally do not believe in the
monarchy and think that we
should eventually get rid of it."

No public statements were found.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Green Party Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Dylan Perceval-Maxwell

6/23/2020

Dylan Perceval-Maxwell

The leadership survey(s) continue
with me having three replies to
share today. First up, Mr. Perceval-
Maxwell sent an interesting reply.

In response to what he thought of
the monarchy he replied:

"I love Prince Charles he has been an environmentalist for at least 40 years. Bush won over Gore because the USA does not have a Royal head of state. It is important."

Mr. Perceval-Maxwell continued with a bit of personal
history:

"My Grandmother was presented before the King before she
was married as was the custom. We still have a chair from
the coronation. They would let you bring them home in the
old days."

The first part of the quote seems to refer to a ceremony held
in the UK, and sporadically in Canada, where debutantes
were presented to the Sovereign (known as 'coming out'). The
last such ceremony presided over by a reigning monarch was
in 1958 after which Her Majesty abolished the ceremony.

Finally, Mr. Perceval-Maxwell addressed the policy questions
but only explicitly addressed one of them:

"I would be in favour of having Royal pictures up etc."

As with the other candidates who have not held elected office
I could not find any public statements on the monarchy. That
said it was great to see the personal connection his family has
to the monarchy.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Green Party Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Amita Kuttner

5/19/2020

Amita Kuttner

Well, the trees are getting a bit of green on
them, the fiddleheads are out, and the
grass will soon be long enough to mow. It
has been a slow start to spring but it looks
to finally be here. Continuing this theme of
green renewal I have received a reply from
Green Party leadership candidate Amita
Kuttner regarding my policy questions.

Of the questions asked only one received a direct response. It
should also be noted that this response came through Amita's
campaign manager Anthony and not directly from the
candidate.

What are your views on the monarchy?

"The impact of the Monarchy on Canada cannot be
understated. The Royal family and Queen Elizabeth II have
shaped much of the Canadian identity for decades. However
we must also acknowledge that the Monarchy is also a
symbol of genocide and systemic violence perpetrated
against the Indegenous (sic) people of this land for centuries
in the name of colonialism. If Canada is to be united in
overcoming the crises we face, we must first find a way to
reconcile our traditions with those of all people who call
Canada home."

As prime minister would you make use of the
Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments
that was active between 2010 and 2015?

During the previous parliament the government
cancelled a program that mailed physical copies of
the Queen's portrait to any Canadian who asked free
of charge. Would you restore this program?

The government also removed the Queen's portrait
from the lobby of the Foreign Affairs Office and
replaced it with paintings by Alfred Pallen. Would
you find a way to have both paintings and portrait
share the ample wall space of the Foreign Affairs
Office lobby?

"...at the moment Amita does not know enough to give you
an answer to these questions. Amita and the team are still
looking at a broad range of policy areas including the issues
you've raised. It would be inappropriate of me to give you an
answer before Amita and the team have researched these
issues and completed their work. Rest assured we have not
forgotten about your questions and will get back to you as
soon as we can. Thank you for reaching out."

Amita appears to have made no public statements regarding
the monarchy. As such I only have the statement from their
campaign which isn't great. I will update this post should they
ever get back to me.

UPDATE: Amita has added abolishing the monarchy to
her campaign platform.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

What comes after the Supreme Court ruling on Royal Succession?

4/27/2020

Badge of the Supreme Court of Canada

Last Thursday the Supreme Court
of Canada upheld a ruling by the
Quebec Court of Appeal on the 2013
Succession to the Throne Act. The
decision upholds the act as being
constitutional. Without getting too
far into the legal arguments the
point of contention was whether
changes to royal succession require
an act of the federal parliament or
the consent of every province in Canada. This ruling upheld
the first interpretation. Monarchists were divided over this
question with the Monarchist League of Canada supporting
the ruling and the Canadian Royal Heritage Trust joining the
challenge to the act. While there were valid concerns on
both sides, today I'm more interested in what this means for
the future.

The Queen and her heirs

The good news is that no matter which
way the courts had ruled the succession
would not be affected in the near future.
The bad news, in the view of some
monarchists, is that changes to the
succession potentially don't need the
consent of the provinces and may only
need the federal parliament to pass the
necessary acts. This situation ultimately
came about because Canada doesn't
have a succession law and from the way
in which the Canadian Crown split off
from the British Crown. In place of a
succession law we have a 'principle of symmetry' where the
monarch of Britain is also the monarch of Canada. This of
course raises the question of what happens if Britain abolishes
their monarchy? I have mentioned before that similar laziness
resulted in Canada not having a regency act.

Some monarchists are uncomfortable with the possibility the
federal parliament could change the succession on its own.
This is because while republicans taking over the House of
Commons is, in practice, difficult but republicans taking every
parliament and legislature is, in practice, impossible. And
when it comes to protecting the monarchy making it
impossible to attack is preferable for many monarchists to
making it difficult to attack.

But I'd argue this is a tad unhistorical. Ever since the Glorious Revolution the principle in the UK has been that parliament
ultimately decides who the monarch is. This was a rejection of
the idea that the succession was divinely immutable. Canada
meanwhile has come to a place where succession to the throne
is no longer constitutionally immutable. It is a tad
uncomfortable but it does present a potential course of action
that can be taken now that could not before. The ruling seems
to suggest that the Canadian Parliament could pass both a
succession law and a regency act on its own. Both would be
welcome laws to have. We can only put off passing key laws
in this country for so long before we end up in a crisis and
being a bit more proactive would be a good thing.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Green Party Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: David Merner

4/24/2020

David Merner

Today I received a response from
Green leadership candidate David
Merner to my survey questions. He
is the former 2019 candidate
for Green Party of Canada candidate
in Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke.

It has been a while since the last
survey response was received so as a
refresher the questions I sent to each
candidate are below:

1. What are your views on the monarchy?

2. As prime minister would you make use of the Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal
Appointments that was active between 2010 and 2015?

3. During the previous parliament the government cancelled a program that
mailed physical copies of the Queen's portrait to any Canadian who asked free of
charge. Would you restore this program?

4. The government also removed the Queen's portrait from the lobby of the Foreign
Affairs Office and replaced it with paintings by Alfred Pallen. Would you find a
way to have both paintings and portrait share the ample wall space of the Foreign
Affairs Office lobby?

Mr. Merner responded to questions 1 and 4 via Facebook and
questions 2 and 3 by telephone. His replies were:

Question 1: "I am a supporter of the monarchy."
Question 2: Mr. Merner stated that it was a sensible idea to
make use of the committee. As someone with a constitutional
law background himself he felt having constitutional experts
weigh in on vice-regal appoints was a good idea.
Question 3: As the program is currently structured he would
not bring it back and would go further and end a similar
program for copies of the Charter. However, while discussing
the program he was supportive of somehow incentivising
libraries to take on this particular role with possible financial
support from the federal government.
Question 4: "yes, I would raise this issue with the Minister
of Foreign Affairs."

As always I checked for any public comments by Mr. Merner
on the monarchy. I found none which is pretty standard for
leadership candidates who have not held public office. There
are simply fewer public statements to go by. Overall, he seems
solidly in the monarchist camp.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Marilyn Gladu

3/3/2020

Today I'm sharing the survey response
received from Marilyn Gladu via
Facebook. She is the MP for Sarnia—
Lambton and was first elected in
2015. Mrs. Gladu's response was the
last received before the reminder
emails went out. So far the response
rate has been better than expected. I
will be posting an index of them soon.
Now, on to survey results.

What are your views on the monarchy?

"I love the Queen."

As prime minister would you make use of the
Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments
that was active between 2010 and 2015?

"I haven’t heard about this program, but will look into it."

During the previous parliament the government
cancelled a program that mailed physical copies of
the Queen's portrait to any Canadian who asked free
of charge. Would you restore this program?

"Yes"

The government also removed the Queen's portrait
from the lobby of the Foreign Affairs Office and
replaced it with paintings by Alfred Pallen. Would
you find a way to have both paintings and portrait
share the ample wall space of the Foreign Affairs
Office lobby?

"Yes."

Let me start off with what was good about Mrs. Gladu's reply;
It was broadly supportive and she committed to carrying out
two of the policies outlined above.

While Mrs. Gladu stated that she loves the Queen this does
leave unrevealed what she thinks of the institution as a whole.
Her lack of knowledge about the Advisory Committee on Vice-
Regal Appointments is perhaps best explained by her election
having occurred after the committee ceased to be used. And
of course I'd prefer longer replies (but I always prefer longer
replies so that is neither here nor there).

Checking the Parliament debate records did turn up an
interesting quote:

"Our Westminster style of Parliament is based on allegiance to the Queen. How
then can we allow someone who has lived in Canada for 13 years, who has seen
how our government is based, who knows this and wants to be a Canadian citizen,
to swear their oath pledging allegiance to the Queen one day and then the next day
revoke that allegiance and still retain their citizenship? Will we also allow
individuals to revoke the other part of the oath where they pledge to obey Canadian
law? My view is that, when people take the pledge to join this great country, they
should not be able to pick and choose which parts they like. It is not a buffet."

This is probably a reference to this practice. No further
comments were found via google search.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Erin O'Toole

2/10/2020

I had a chance to meet with leadership
candidate Erin O'Toole this morning
during his campaign stop in Moncton. This
is Erin's second attempt to become the
leader of the Conservative Party. I have
contacted Erin before but due to how
the last survey was conducted it ended up
causing us both a headache. As such I
really wanted to get his reply in-person this
time. The results of the Q&A are below.

What are your views on the monarchy?

This was the one question I didn't have to ask in-person as he
answered it the last go around:

"I was very proud to have received The Queen's Commission in the Canadian
Armed Forces, and it hangs in my office. I have worked indirectly with the Royal
Family on the True Patriot Love Foundation - a military charity I co-founded - and
for which I received Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee medal. The photo book of
Prince Harry's visit to Canada House for this charity sits on the coffee table in my
Hill office. And it was this organization that successfully bid for Canada to host this
year's Invictus Games, led by Prince Harry. There is nobody in the race who has
more of a direct association with the monarchy, nor, I believe, is there anyone in
the race who has been more publicly supportive of the monarchy than I. One of my
most widely reported policies during this race is all about working closer with our
Commonwealth allies. I have raised the monarchy and its strengths in my many
discussions about the CANZUK policy, which would create a trade and security
pact for Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The above is a snapshot to
give you a flavour of my track record and consistent and steadfast support for the
monarchy as a foundational element of our parliamentary democracy and a
positive force in our society." (2017)

A quick check of openparliament.ca brought up a couple
examples of Mr. O'Toole's regard for the monarchy.

As prime minister would you make use of the
Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments
that was active between 2010 and 2015?

Erin stated that he supports the reactivation of this
committee.

During the previous parliament the government
cancelled a program that mailed physical copies of
the Queen's portrait to any Canadian who asked free
of charge. Would you restore this program?

Erin stated that he would reinstate this program and that he
was critical at the time of the decision by the government.

While I couldn't find his opposition to ending the program
online he did link to an article on his MP page about the
problems in regard to ending it.

The government also removed the Queen's portrait
from the lobby of the Foreign Affairs Office and
replaced it with paintings by Alfred Pallen. Would
you find a way to have both paintings and portrait
share the ample wall space of the Foreign Affairs
Office lobby?

Erin stated support for this idea in principle. He only
hesitated to fully get behind this idea due to not being entirely
sure how much space was available. He mentioned it has been
several years since he was last in that building.

I would like to thank Mr. O'Toole for taking the time to
answer my questions.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Green Party Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Judy Green

2/5/2020

Photo Credit: Judy Green

The Green Party is the second federal
party holding a leadership race this
year after the lovely Elizabeth May
announced in 2019 that she was
stepping down. In truth I am paying
somewhat more attention to this race
than I am to the Conservative one for
the simple fact Elizabeth May has been
one of the most vocal monarchists in
Parliament of the last decade and it
would be nice for her to have a worthy
successor. Today I received a reply from
the aptly named Judy Green. The
questions Mrs. Green was asked for reference:

1. What are your views on the monarchy?

2. As prime minister would you make use of the Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal
Appointments that was active between 2010 and 2015?

3. During the previous parliament the government cancelled a program that
mailed physical copies of the Queen's portrait to any Canadian who asked free of
charge. Would you restore this program?

4. The government also removed the Queen's portrait from the lobby of the Foreign
Affairs Office and replaced it with paintings by Alfred Pallen. Would you find a
way to have both paintings and portrait share the ample wall space of the Foreign
Affairs Office lobby?

Her reply: "Hi James, We are a constitutional monarchy. I
do not have strong personal preferences one way of another.
As with all GPC policies it is not the leader or president who
makes those decisions. I would encourage you to follow the
process for creating policy and present your plan to the
membership at the BGM. Personally, I would look at the
reasons that this was changed, what are the pros and the
cons and what do the people want, before taking a position
on it."

Overall, a neutral response. Previous Green politicians have
noted that the leader has no control over policy and used this
to avoid saying anything about their personal stance. So in
that regard Mrs. Green gets points for saying she doesn't care
either way. Her suggestion on submitting questions 4 & 5 as
policies was also helpful. Sadly, this survey isn't seeking to
measure helpfulness but it is nice to see regardless.

Judy Green has not been elected and therefore has no
presence in the Hansard. Her online presence seems limited
to the announcement of her candidacy.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Aron Seal

2/4/2020

Photo Credit: Aron Seal

Hard to believe that it has been
three years since I last surveyed
the prospective leaders of the
Conservative Party of Canada. As
in 2017 there is a large number of
candidates. Also, like 2017, there is
a second race later in the year for
a different federal party (this time
it is the Greens). I am sending an
expanded list of questions this
time around:

1. What are your views on the monarchy?

2. As prime minister would you make use of the Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal
Appointments that was active between 2010 and 2015?

3. During the previous parliament the government cancelled a program that
mailed physical copies of the Queen's portrait to any Canadian who asked free of
charge. Would you restore this program?

4. The government also removed the Queen's portrait from the lobby of the Foreign
Affairs Office and replaced it with paintings by Alfred Pallen. Would you find a
way to have both paintings and portrait share the ample wall space of the Foreign
Affairs Office lobby?

First up is Aron Seal who replied the same day the questions
were sent. While I appreciate promptness in this instance it is
because he didn't have to think the questions over very hard:

"Sir - I believe this tweet
should answer your
questions. I am afraid we
are at odds on this issue.
Best wishes, Aron"

As Mr. Seal has not held
public office the Hansard
cannot be checked for any
additional comments.
However, he has tweeted
a similar sentiment at
least once before.

Overall, a disappointing
start to this overview of
the candidates as the last
one found none of the
contenders harbored any
republican sentiments.
Both the sentiments
expressed (and factual
errors in his tweets) do
not leave me with much to
commend.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Is it a Good Idea for Prince Harry to Become Governor General of Canada?

1/14/2020

The Duke & Duchess of Sussex

A recent poll found that 60% of
Canadians would be supportive
of Prince Harry becoming
Governor General of Canada. The
poll result is interesting in its
own right with younger
Canadians being just as
supportive of the idea as middle-
aged Canadians. But would this
even be a good idea?

This question is really two separate questions: 1. Would it be
good for the office of the governor general, and 2. would it be
good for Prince Harry and Meghan themselves? For once the
question of constitutionality doesn't butt in; pretty much
anyone can be Governor General of Canada.

Sussex, NB. Photo Credit: Rangeley

So lets start with what the
hypothetical appointment
would bring to the position of
governor general. For starters it
would bring to the position
someone who is experienced in
doing the job. This doesn't
count for nothing as many of the early missteps taken by
Julie Payette were the result of her not being properly
prepared for what she was getting into. There aren't many
jobs that prepare you to be governor general after all. Being a
member of the Royal Family is one of them. Prince Harry
would also bring a greater degree of attention to the activities
of the governor general. This is needed as governors general
advocate for many causes and charitable organizations and
acts to try and bring Canadians together. This role is neutered
when no one knows what the representatives of the Crown are
doing. This leads to a final point: the office of the governor
general is also a more effective counter to the prime minister
of the day when the person in that office is well-known. While
we have had many good governors general over the years the
combination of relative pre-appointment anonymity, media
neglect, and unfounded suspicions of partisan appointment
have often left the governor general in a prestige deficit
compared to the prime minister of the day. A prime minister
that is a little less sure they have the public's support to push
the governor general around would be a positive
improvement.

Flag of Sussex (England)

But all that said, would it be good for
Prince Harry and his young family?
This is where the idea falls apart
because I don't think it would be.
Prince Harry has a complicated
relationship with the media. In order
to do his job as a royal he needs the
media but as a son, and now as a husband and father, he has
seen the media hurt those he cares about. Prince Harry was
unable to protect his mother from the British tabloids and he
has begun to see the limits to how much he can protect his
wife and son. His situation evokes enough pathos to strangle
an elephant. To put him in a position which greatly needs
more media attention would be cruel. For her part Meghan
would be thrust back into the position of trying to balance
being a new mother, having a career, and being a royal. It is
hard enough to pull off two of those things at the same time
without adding a third. And Prince Harry and Meghan have
only been married a short time. It very well could put too
much strain on their marriage. And the last thing the Royal
Family needs is another messy divorce.

Invictus Games Logo

So Prince Harry should never be
Governor General of Canada?
Well, I didn't say that. The
problems I mentioned above are
mostly temporary considerations.
Archie will grow up. Prince Harry and Meghan will hit their
stride. And the media in Canada will continue to be a bit
tamer than their British cousins (I credit the cold winters).
While not a good idea in the immediate future I think in about
ten to fifteen years it would be welcome to hear of the
appointment of 'His Excellency, Prince Harry, Governor
General of Canada'.

And to a certain extent events could
nudge everyone in that direction. Prince
Harry and Meghan want a reduced role
as members of the Royal Family. The
simplest way would be to have their
portfolio of duties centred on Canada
which would cut down on international
travel a bit (and keep the British tabloid
bottom-feeders far away). Prince Charles' Canadian charities
would be a good fit for this. Living here, working here, and
(dare I dream) potentially seeking Canadian citizenship would
all increase support for such an appointment. Because as
much as people talk about Canadians being apathetic about
their monarchy that is only true when members of the Royal
Family aren't here. The awkward situation of the governor
general being over-shadowed by a member of the Royal
Family doing much the same job as them part-time but
getting more traction could only go on so long before the idea
of going through with this appointment comes up again.

And who knows where it would end? If Prince Harry breathes
new life into the position why replace him after the customary
five years? Or ten years? Or ever? Maybe we would actually
have a governor general that gets enough time to really make
the position shine.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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