Category: Conservative Party

2022 Conservative Party Leadership Race: Views on the Monarchy

5/17/2022

This article is a collection of responses from candidates for
the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada regarding
the monarchy. It will continue to be updated as more replies
roll in.

I have again included a scoreboard for the candidates as well as a section for notable quotes.

Questions & Replies

The questions that were posed to the candidates are below.
The questions are largely the same as the last survey except
for the addition of question 5.

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. In 2019 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?
5. The current government has not committed to supporting the creation of a
Platinum Jubilee Medal to mark Her Majesty's 70th year on the throne. What are
your views on this?

Below are links to each candidate's reply and a short look at
any previous comments they may have made in regards to the
monarchy. Candidates who failed to qualify or withdrew are
included for historical reference.

Qualified to appear on the ballot
Pierre Poilievre
Leslyn Lewis
Jean Charest
Roman Baber
Patrick Brown
Scott Aitchison

No longer in the race
Leona Alleslev

Crown & Cap Scoreboard

Here I have ranked the candidates support for, or opposition
to, the monarchy. Keep in mind this is only my assessment
and your mileage may vary. Also, note that changes may occur
as the campaign goes on.

The crown score is out of five crowns with each candidate
receiving one crown for stating support for the monarchy
in their reply, one crown for having defended the monarchy
in Parliament, two crowns for outlining how they would
improve the monarchy's role in the future, and one crown for
having spoken in support of the monarchy outside of
Parliament.

The cap score is likewise out of five caps with one cap given to
a candidate for being opposed to the monarchy in their reply,
one cap for desiring a referendum on the monarchy, one cap
for opposing the monarchy in Parliament and two caps for
making the establishment of a Canadian republic a part of
their policy platform.

Leona Alleslev

Ms. Alleslev scored well on all points except
having spoken on the monarchy outside of
Parliament. Also, while she spoke of the
monarchy fairly often in Parliament she was
never in the position of having to defend the
institution.

Score:

Scott Aitchison

Mr. Aitchison missed out on a perfect score
only because he has never spoken about, let
alone defended, Canada's monarchy on the
floor of Parliament.

Score:

Jean Charest

Mr. Charest is interesting in that of all the
candidates he has had plenty of time to say
a lot about the monarchy but hasn't and his
score reflects this.

Score:

I would like to thank all of the candidates for getting back to
me. While I might disagree at times with the replies I receive
it is at least good to know that politicians still take the time
to reply to ordinary Canadians.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Jean Charest

5/17/2022

Just yesterday I received a reply from
Jean Charest to my survey of the tory
leadership candidates regarding their
views on the monarchy. Before getting
into the survey answers I will briefly go
over any statements Jean Charest has
made in Parliament or in the media. In
this case very briefly as I could not find
much. The only instance appears to be
a comment made during a previous
royal homecoming on how any protests
would not effect Quebec's image on the
world stage.

Jean Charest's replies to the survey are below:

1. What are your views on the monarchy?

"My position is consistent with the Party in maintaining our
ties with the Monarchy and retaining the Queen as a Head of
State. Constitutional questions involving the Monarchy are
not high priorities for Canadians with our current state of
the federation divided over issues like equalization and
resources."

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

"Yes."

3. In 2019 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."

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?

"I would leave such a determination, as I would in any
individual department to the appropriate Minister. Should
each elect to post a portrait within their department such
issues would not pre-occupy me as Prime Minister nor
should they become national news."

5. The current government has not committed to
supporting the creation of a Platinum Jubilee Medal
to mark Her Majesty's 70th year on the throne. What
are your views on this?

"I believe Canada’s position should be consistent with the
Commonwealth in having one available. I received the
Golden Jubilee medal in 2002."

Jean Charest's positions would help fix damage done to the
institution over the last number of years but I am slightly
concerned over question #1. Being asked about what your
views on a topic and replying with party policy is a deflection.
Question #4 concerns me less as leaving ministers to handle
their own departments is a fair position to take.

Overall, I get the sense that Mr. Charest has an intellectual
appreciation for the monarchy but not a deep-seated love for
the institution.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Scott Aitchison

4/5/2022

Another Conservative Party leadership
candidate has replied to my survey. This
time it is Scott Aitchison who is the MP for
Parry Sound-Muskoka. As a refresher these
are the questions that were sent out:

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. In 2019 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?
5. The current government has not committed to supporting
the creation of a Platinum Jubilee Medal to mark Her
Majesty's 70th year on the throne. What are your views on
this?

Mr. Aitchison's reply is as follows:

"I am proud of our Queen and a devout monarchist. My answers to each if your
questions is a resounding yes and I am frustrated by the current government’s
dismissive attitude toward Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee."

As always I checked Hansard to see if the candidate has talked
about the monarchy at any point. Mr. Aitchison has not. In
fairness he was first elected in 2019 and the last few years
have not been normal as far as debates in parliament go.

Next I checked to see if Mr. Aitchison has comments on the
monarchy in public. As it turns out he spoke warmly about
Prince Philip's career shortly after his passing.

Scott Aitchison is a solid monarchist candidate.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Leona Alleslev

3/26/2022

Once again there is a federal Conservative
leadership race underway. As has become
my practice I have sent surveys out to all of
the leadership candidates to get their views
on Canada's monarchy. The first candidate
to get back to me is Leona Alleslev. Mrs.
Alleslev is the former MP for Aurora-Oak
Ridges-Richmond Hill, a position she held
from 2015-2021. This is her first candidacy
in a leadership race.

The questions have been somewhat expanded this year due to
a variety of reasons.

What are your views on the monarchy?

"As someone who holds a “Queen’s commission” to serve as
an air force officer - I take my oath to Queen and country
very seriously. As I am sure you know - our Queen is our
head of state - and commander in chief of our military -
which is separate from our head of government - the Prime
Minister. I think it is critically important that those two roles
remain separate and that Canadians continue to understand
why they are. I had a portrait of the Queen in both my
constituency office and my hill office the entire time I was an
MP. I was also awarded the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award
by Prince Edward in 1988 and will sing the words to God
Save the Queen as well as O Canada."

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

"I don’t know enough about the advisory committee of vice
regal appointments to answer your question - but Vice regal
appointments are critically important and should have the
advice and wisdom of representatives of the provinces and
territories and other groups prior to appointments being
made."

In 2019 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, Canadians should be able to obtain a portrait of the
Queen if they want one - I can tell you that it was difficult for
me - as a Member of Parliament - to get portraits of the
Queen for my parliamentary offices and I was furious. I
would change that."

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?

"Every government dept. lobby should have a portrait of the
Queen. Wherever there is a picture of the PM (and a Minister
and a public servant Deputy Minister) there should also be a
picture of the Queen."

The current government has not committed to
supporting the creation of a Platinum Jubilee Medal
to mark Her Majesty's 70th year on the throne. What
are your views on this?

"I don’t know enough about the medal history and tradition
so I would need to know more before answering your
specific question - but - in principle I am a very strong
believer in history and decorum (having attended Royal
Military College and memorized the names of the first 18
cadets and carried a ceremonial sword) so I strongly believe
that the appropriate and historic commemorative action
should be taken to mark the 70th year of her reign."

A quick overview of her profile on openparliament.ca
shows frequent mention of the monarchy in passing (most
often in relation to her military career).

Overall, Leona Alleslev is a solid monarchist candidate in my
estimation.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Peter Mackay & Derek Sloan

7/27/2020

This should be the final post of this series looking at the
Conservative leadership race. I never did get a response from
Peter Mackay or Derek Sloan. However, the Monarchist
League of Canada put together their own overview of the tory
candidates. As such I was able to expand Dr. Lewis' entry and
now have info on the last two, rather elusive, candidates.

Peter MacKay

Derek Sloan

Peter MacKay

“My own personal view is that we should embrace this particular link...to our very
origins, and embrace the fact that the Queen has continued, in a very diligent and
forthright way, to continue this lineage, this connection to our country. It is
something that I as a Canadian feel very proud to continue.... I am proud to sat...
that the constituents in my riding have expressed to me, and members of the
Monarchist League of Canada have expressed quite clearly, that they are satisfied
to continue the traditions of recognizing the Queen as the official head of Canada.
They wish to continue the symbolism and history that comes with it, and the
Governor General as Her official representative in Canada. It is something that is
inextricably linked to our country's past and something that we should proudly
embrace.”

Interestingly, it doesn't appear Mr. MacKay got back to the
League either. The above quote is taken from a debate back in
2002 on changing the Oath of Allegiance (which can be found
here). Due to formatting, the lead-in to the quote above could
equally be from the Mackay team or a statement by the
League and function as a sort of "He didn't get back to us but
he's loyal see look here" statement. If the latter they are quite
charitable.

I do get the strategy of not replying to emails when you are
the front runner (nothing is gained and much potentially
lost). And indeed its been a consistent pattern, with a few
notable exceptions, that the farther a candidate is from being
a front runner, the quicker they get back to me. This is part of
the reason the current Green leadership race is so much fun;
there are no clear front runners.

As far as content goes, it is supportive enough.

It should be noted that as Minister of Defence Mr. Mackay
restored the use of the 'royal' moniker to the navy.

Derek Sloan

"Canada’s constitutional monarchy provides an indispensable component of our
national identity. It's an historical constant, and an essential pillar of Canada’s
parliamentary democracy. The Crown it stands for serves both as a symbol of our
institutional unity and as a guardian of the constitutional freedoms of all Canada’s
citizens. Canada is renowned for having welcomed newcomers from different
cultures and parts of the world over many generations. Our constitutional
monarchy is the unique Canadian “roof” under which everyone can find an equal
and honoured place."

Sometimes it pays to have a larger organization when doing
these kind of things. The League was able to bring my survey
to the attention of Mr. O'Toole's campaign in the last race and
in this one got substantive answers from both Dr. Lewis and
Mr. Sloan.

It might also be due to my desire to ask a more in-depth set of
questions. The League was looking for answers to what the
"candidate's positions [are] on the constitutional monarchy
as Canada's form of government". But I'll count any reply as
a win.

And with that, one project is out of the way for the year.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Leslyn Lewis

6/23/2020

Dr. Leslyn Lewis (Photo Credit: John Balca)

The third survey reply I have
today is from Dr. Leslyn Lewis.
Truthfully, I received Dr.
Lewis' reply some time ago but
it was so short I made an extra
effort to try and get a longer
reply. As this has not happened
yet I will assume the quote
below is the candidates' full
opinion on the subject. To the
question of what Dr. Lewis
thought about the monarchy
she replied:

"I love the Queen."

Besides Dr. Lewis' short reply she seems to have made exactly
one public remark about the monarchy by re-tweeting
birthday greetings. From this we can conclude that Dr.
Lewis does indeed love the Queen. What this leaves unsaid is
what she feels about the monarchy as a whole.

UPDATE: The Monarchist League of Canada has received a
response from Dr. Lewis. Her Crown score has been updated
to reflect her new response:

"Canada's history is defined by its institutions that are
rooted in its Constitutional Monarchy and our Parliament is
the embodiment of the key principle that I hope to represent
as Prime Minister: responsible government. The reign of Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has seen Canada enjoy
tremendous growth and prosperity, and I believe that we are
well served by our Constitutional Monarchy. Long may she
reign."

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

2020 Conservative Party Leadership Race: Views on the Monarchy

5/2/2020

Andrew Scheer

This article is a collection of every
candidate response received thus far to
my questions regarding the monarchy.
It will continue to be updated as more
replies roll in.

I have again included a scoreboard for
the candidates as well as a section for
notable quotes.

This leadership race is to replace out-
going tory leader Andrew Scheer.

Questions & Replies

The questions posed to each candidate:

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?

Below are links to each candidate's reply and a short look at
any previous comments they may have made in regards to the
monarchy. Candidates who failed to qualify or withdrew are
included for historical reference.

Qualified to appear on the ballot
Leslyn Lewis
Peter MacKay
Erin O'Toole
Derek Sloan

No longer in the race
Marilyn Gladu
Aron Seal

Crown & Cap Scoreboard

Marilyn Gladu

Ms. Gladu scored well with only a lack
of dialogue about the monarchy
outside of parliament holding her
back.

Score:

Erin O'Toole

Mr. O'Toole improved his score from
2.5 to 5 crowns from the last
leadership race.

Score:

Aron Seal

Aron Seal is the first tory candidate
surveyed to hold strong republican
views. I believe the only thing that
kept his cap score as low as it is was
his lack of public office.

Score:

Leslyn Lewis

Dr. Lewis' score suffered from not
having much to say about the
monarchy outside of her email reply
and no plans that deal directly with
it.

Score:

Peter MacKay

Score suffered most from never
having defended monarchy outside of
Parliament. However, he was the
minister who in the past restored the
royal moniker to the navy.

Score:

Derek Sloan

A dearth of comments regarding the
monarchy inside or outside of
Parliament lowered Mr. Sloan's
overall score.

Score:

Loyal Quotes

"The heavy burden of public service and constitutional duty
devolved on the Queen when she was only 25 years old and
the mother of two was an awesome and daunting task. For
half a century she has, with grace and complete and total
integrity, discharged her constitutional obligations to the
people of this country and throughout the Commonwealth."
~Peter MacKay, 2002

"My own personal view is that we should embrace this
particular link...to our very origins, and embrace the fact
that the Queen has continued, in a very diligent and
forthright way, to continue this lineage, this connection to
our country. It is something that I as a Canadian feel very
proud to continue.... I am proud to say... that the constituents
in my riding have expressed to me, and members of the
Monarchist League of Canada have expressed quite clearly,
that they are satisfied to continue the traditions of
recognizing the Queen as the official head of Canada. They
wish to continue the symbolism and history that comes with
it, and the Governor General as Her official representative in
Canada. It is something that is inextricably linked to our
country's past and something that we should proudly
embrace."
~Peter MacKay, 2002

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

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

<<Previous

2022 Conservative Party Leadership Race: Views on the Monarchy

Questions & Replies

Crown & Cap Scoreboard

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Jean Charest

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Scott Aitchison

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Leona Alleslev

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Peter Mackay & Derek Sloan

Peter MacKay

Derek Sloan

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Leslyn Lewis

2020 Conservative Party Leadership Race: Views on the Monarchy

Questions & Replies

Crown & Cap Scoreboard

Loyal Quotes

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Marilyn Gladu

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Erin O'Toole

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Aron Seal

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Peter MacKay

Derek Sloan

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