Category: Conservative Party

The Canadian Monarchy in the Year Ahead

12/26/2019

While 2019 has been an exciting year politically, the Canadian
Monarchy has been low-key in a lot of ways. The Governor
General seems to have adapted to her new role and put her
mark on it. The government's questionable decision to cancel
the free royal portrait program was balanced out by the recent
appointment of a new Canadian Secretary to the Queen. Of
course the Queen finished off the year with her Christmas
message as she always does. That one of Her Majesty's themes
was reconciliation is apropos to Canada.

But as we inch towards the New Year I wanted to take a
minute to look at what is known to lie ahead and what can
with some certainty be predicted.

Leadership Races

Elizabeth May

Both the Conservatives and the Greens
will have leadership races in 2020. As is
my tradition I will be submitting a list of
questions to all the candidates. Both of
the out-going leaders are monarchists
with Elizabeth May being very vocal
over the years about this and Andrew
Scheer being the leader of Her Majesty's
Loyal Opposition. So I am sad to see
their time as leaders come to an end.
But at the same time there is a silver
lining to be seen.

Either by accident, or design, Mr. Scheer repelled Maxime
Bernier from the Conservative Party. Long-time readers may
recall that Mr. Bernier did not score highly on the last
survey I conducted. That the man who came in a close second
last time has zero chance in the up-coming contest is a relief.

I have greater concerns about the Green Party which seems to be at a cross-roads of sorts. Elizabeth May has been a strong
influence within the party for so long that I can't make any
predictions about what her successor would be like.

The New Democrats

I still have concerns about Mr. Singh's republicanism but
the party itself looks better going into 2020. Declared
monarchist Randall Garrison kept his seat in a reduced
caucus and the minority government situation should keep
the NDP from putting forward any damaging proposals.

Polls

At some point there will be an opinion poll on the monarchy.
The poll will show Canadians love the Queen more than our
politicians, are evenly divided on the monarchy itself, and are
ambivalent about Prince Charles. Reporters will conveniently
forget that ambivalence is actually an improvement and fret
about the future of the monarchy. Having finished this
pantomime for another year we will give ourselves a pat on
the back and agree to meet again in another 8-12 months.

Royal Homecomings

While none have been announced to my knowledge with the
appointment of a New Canadian Secretary to the Queen we
may hope that one is in the works.

Monarchy in New Brunswick

Just this week a group in New Brunswick launched a court
action over the recent appointment Brenda Murphy as the
province's Lieutenant-Governor. This case will likely play out
over the coming year. My gut feeling is that it won't go
anywheres but you never know. Something to watch closely.

Monarchist League in New Brunswick

Personally, I have finished out my first full year as Chairman
of the New Brunswick Branch of the Monarchist League of
Canada. Out-reach and educational activities were largely confined to the South-East. This is a situation that I will be
working to address.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Candidate Erin O'Toole and the Monarchy Revisited

4/9/2017

Recent events have necessitated a re-visiting
of Conservative Leadership Candidate Erin
O'Toole's views on the monarchy. This is
due to Mr. O'Toole objecting to my
characterization of his views in my last post.
This situation has been quite distressing as,
while not a journalist, I do try to be accurate
in reporting the views of others. Accuracy is
important in an era of 'fake news' and casual
regard for the truth. As such I took the
charge of misrepresentation very seriously.

In my previous post I stated that Mr. O'Toole 'refused' to
answer my questions regarding the monarchy. As a result
several people have interpreted this to mean that Mr. O'Toole
doesn't support the monarchy. It was not my intention at all!
While I might be disappointed in such refusals to reply to
questions I have always viewed a refusal as being an
essentially neutral response. However, I understand why
people might not read it that way and for that I apologize.
Further, Mr. O'Toole has stated that the idea he 'refused' to answer my question is simply false. I have more to say on this
but first I would like to go over the events that led to this
point.

I would like to quickly review the process I used to contact
Mr. O'Toole (and the other candidates). My primary method
of communication has been email for a couple of reasons:
-Its often the primary means of contacting the candidate.
-It creates a written record that I can refer back to.
-Searching for an email is easier than most social media posts.

However, as the months started ticking down I did start also
contacting candidates via Facebook. This did yield results and
I did not perceive of it as being a potential problem. The
following is the private message I sent to Mr. O'Toole's
campaign through Facebook on January 30th:

"Greetings Mr. O'Toole,
NOTE: I have previously contacted the candidate at least twice over the last few months and have not received a response.
My name is James Wilson and I am looking to get a better idea of the views of the Conservative Party leadership candidates so I may cast an informed vote. Could I get your views on the following?
1. What are your views on the monarchy?
2. What are your views on intellectual property?
3. What are your views on Basic Income/Mincome?
4. Do you support Canada joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)?
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my message.
Best Regards,
[Named Redacted]"

As you may notice I actually polled Mr. O'Toole on various
areas of policy. This format is consistent across all of the
candidates I contacted. On February 27th I received the
following reply:

"Hi [Named Redacted]. Sorry for the delay in response. I appreciate you sending me a message!
While I don't have these detailed policy positions right now, I am working on it. At
this time I am putting forward a number of policy papers on how I would govern
Canada. I am reaching out to hear what Conservatives are thinking because I am
running a campaign of ideas and innovation that reflects where our country is
going and what we need to do to succeed. I intend to release my policy proposals in
the near future. These are intended to provoke discussion amongst members. They
will not be top-down policies, nor will there be two dozen of them. They will
represent key priorities that I want all Conservatives to consider as we build the
winning team for the next election. So far I have created policies for immigration,
jobs, farming, firearms and Veterans which you can read about on my website
www.erinotoole.ca If you would like to join the mission please send an email to
volunteer@erinotoole.ca. I would love to have you on my team for CPC leadership
and our victory in 2019!"

At the time I interpreted this reply
as a brush-off and a failure to
answer the questions I had asked.
However, in hindsight 'refusal' was
too strong of a word to have used. I
will concede this was a poor word
choice and I would like to apologize
to Mr. O'Toole for the mis-
characterization of his stance, no matter how unintentional. I
would also like to apologize to the Monarchist League of
Canada as I inadvertently put them in a difficult situation.

If any good came out of this situation it is that Mr. O'Toole
has released a statement to the League outlining his views on
the monarchy:

"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."

I have added a note to the original post directing readers here
as well as updated the Five Crown Scoreboard to reflect new
information I have learned. I will also be reviewing the
processes I use in contacting public figures to see if there is
room for improvement.

Apologetically Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Andrew Scheer

3/21/2017

The latest response to my survey of Tory
leadership candidates is Andrew Scheer. I
would like to give a special thanks to James
Hawkes of the North Saskatchewan Branch
of the Monarchist League of Canada who
took it upon himself to remind Mr. Scheer
about my email(s). This project has taken
over my blog these last few months and I am
glad it is almost over. Mr. Scheer's reply:

"I have long believed that the Monarchy is an important part of Canada's past,
present and future. It provides a link to our past and provides continuity, stability,
and the preservation of our distinct Canadian identity. The Crown has an enduring
capacity to adapt to the interests of Canadian self-government and identity. It is
vital to our democratic system. The former Conservative government, Rideau Hall
and several provinces – with Saskatchewan in the lead – have made important
contributions towards public education about the Crown in recent years. We need
to continue these efforts. So, I encourage efforts to explore opportunities to elevate
understanding and appreciation of the Crown; to restore Canadians’ understanding
of its role in our democratic system and to remind ourselves of our history and the
role of the Crown in that journey. In my time as Speaker, I had the privilege of
travelling to the UK to attend to an audience with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
and present on behalf of the Canadian Parliament the Loyal Address and
Proclamation on the Birth of His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge. It
was certainly a highlight of my career thus far."

I'm not sure if I can add anything to this. The quote stands
well on its own. I will say (again) that this kind of detail is the
reason I prefer direct replies. Moving on to other topics lets
see what has Mr. Scheer had to say about the monarchy while
in Parliament. As it turns out Mr. Scheer has mentioned the
monarchy a few times making note of her 90th birthday in
2016 and praying for her well-being during his time as
Speaker of the House.

Mr. Scheer also sent along a pdf (link below) detailing a trip
taken to the UK in 2014. The main purpose of the visit "was
to attend to an audience with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
and present on behalf of the Canadian Parliament the Loyal
Address and Proclamation on the Birth of His Royal
Highness Prince George of Cambridge."

Overall, Mr. Scheer's response has been a welcome surprise as
I wind down this project and begin focusing on the NDP
leadership race.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

report_to_parliament.pdf
File Size:	168 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Erin O'Toole

3/3/2017

UPDATE: Due to questions raised about
some of the points below and additional
information being received from Mr.
O'Toole regarding the monarchy the
information below is out-of-date. It is kept
for historical reasons. Updated Article

Erin O'Toole has taken the time to reply to
my email. Unfortunately, I wish his reply
had been better. Long story short Mr.
O'Toole has refused to answer my question
regarding the monarchy. Mr. O'Toole is not the first
candidate to refuse to answer my question regarding the
monarchy but his refusal is the most disappointing. Anyways,
lets see if Mr. O'Toole has had anything to say about
monarchy in other contexts.

And in fact Mr. O'Toole has mentioned the monarchy and
various members of the Royal Family on different occasions.
These quotes don't necessarily fall under the category of him
having 'defended' the monarchy, but they do represent a
decent knowledge of it and willingness to discuss it and how
it relates to Canada. Which makes it hard to pick a quote that
exemplifies all of them. The one I've chosen is based mostly
on its uniqueness:

"Mr. Speaker, troubling reports out of the United Kingdom indicate that a Canadian
terror suspect is being pursued with respect to possible risks to the Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge travelling in India. I ask that the Minister of Public
Safety update the House and confirm that CSIS and all of our security agencies are
providing co-operation in this international investigation."

And given that Mr. O'Toole has only held office since 2012 the
number of references is encouraging even if they are fairly
minor. Finally there is the fact that Mr. O'Toole supports
CANZUK. While the idea has obvious economic benefits it is
also pretty upfront about how important it holds our shared
monarchy to be. Overall, Erin O'Toole is an interesting
candidate. I just wish he'd give answers to questions asked.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Brad Trost

2/27/2017

Brad Trost's campaign team has gotten
back to me with an answer to the question
I've been asking for a few months now;
What are your views on the monarchy?
Like several other candidates the answer
came via a campaign staff member (in this
case it was Mr. Murray Heinzlmeir). It has
taken a bit of time to get this response but
I understand the candidates are very busy.
So what does Mr. Trost have to say?

"The Monarchy is fundamentally linked to the rule of law and Parliamentary
democracy in Canada. Mr. Trost has talked to me on a number of occasions over the
years about the importance of Question Period, for example. The Prime Minister
and the Cabinet are held accountable for 45 minutes every day of the week that the
House of Commons is sitting. The importance of the Monarchy to our military is
also of historical and current significance."

I feel there is a bit of a tangent here conflating monarchy with
cabinet government. While its true that some republics don't
have the executive face questioning on a regular basis, its not
true for all of them. This answer is perhaps a first in that it
would be better if it were shorter because the other points
regarding rule of law, parliamentary democracy, and the
military are all valid.

So what has Mr. Trost had to say about the monarchy during
his time in Parliament? Well, nothing of substance as it turns
out. As Mr. Trost has been a Member of Parliament since
2004 he has had plenty of time to have made some statement
on the monarchy. Overall, par for the course.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Lisa Raitt

2/4/2017

I have received a response from Lisa Raitt
to my inquiry on her views on the
monarchy. As a fellow Maritimer I was
quite interested to see what Mrs. Raitt's
views on the monarchy are.

However, in the response from her
campaign team I was told that no answer
would be forthcoming. As such this will be
a very short post.

UPDATE: Lisa Raitt's campaign replied through the
Monarchist League of Canada on April 10th:

“Lisa is a strong supporter of the monarchy.”

Lets move on to checking the Hansard and Mrs. Raitt's public
comments. I found no significant mentions of the monarchy
by Mrs. Raitt during her time in Parliament. Likewise, I was
unable to find any public comments on this topic by Mrs.
Raitt either.

That is all.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Rick Peterson

1/31/2017

Rick Peterson was nice enough to reply to
my inquiry over Facebook. It got me
thinking how much technology has really
allowed people to easily connect with their
political class. A mere 20 years ago an
exercise such as mine would have been
conducted primarily via phone, snail mail,
or in person meetings. So far, I have only
met one candidate in person and the others
were contacted via Facebook or email.

But enough of that. What are Mr. Peterson's views on the
monarchy?

"I support the monarchy."

I can't really say too much on this can I? Rick Peterson
supports the monarchy. I know brevity is a politician's friend
but sometimes I wish it were not. This only leaves the
question of what Mr. Peterson has said about the monarchy in
the past. This is where things get difficult. Mr. Peterson has
never held public office so the Hansard is of little use here. A
quick Google search didn't turn up anything either. Although,
as a private individual perhaps that is to be expected.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Andrew Saxton

1/11/2017

Andrew Saxton's campaign team has gotten
back to me. As I've said before I tend to
prefer direct replies but I take what I can
get sometimes. Mr. Saxton's reply is the
eighth I have received. Which incidently
means I am at the halfway point with about
two months left before the leadership vote.
Pretty good and better than previous
attempts at such surveys. Andrew Saxton's
campaign gave the following reply:

"Mr. Saxton does support our constitutional monarchy. Being Canada's 150
anniversary, we can look back on our history and see the benefits that our system
has brought to us. The monarchy in Canada is a deeply rooted tradition and one
that Mr. Saxton supports."

Much like Pierre Lemieux's reply Mr. Saxton's reply focuses
on on history and tradition. I do like that Mr. Saxton notes
that for the last 150 years Canada's constitutional monarchy
has worked well (trusting systems that are tried and true
being a classic conservative trait).

As with the other candidates I checked out what Mr. Saxton
has said about the monarchy in Parliament. And like several
other candidates there was nothing to be found.

I would like to thank Mr. Saxton's campaign for getting back
to me. I understand the candidates will be getting increasingly
busy as the leadership approaches and I appreciate the
candidates taking the time to get back to me.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Deepak Obhrai

1/4/2017

Well, it has been a bit of a wait but Mr.
Obhrai has gotten back to me with an
answer to my inquiry. I don't mind
waiting (especially if it leads to quality
responses) and I thank him for taking the
time to write back. Mr. Obhrai's response to
my question on the monarchy (and other
questions I had) was the most detailed by
far. So, what are Mr. Obhrai's views on the
monarchy?

"I was born and raised under colonial rule and when Tanzania became independent
they cut ties to the Monarchy. It gave them a great deal of self-pride. However in
Canada and my 20 years in Parliament, 10 of which were on the Foreign Affairs
portfolio, I have come to see Monarchy as a stabilizing factor in our country which
is a federation of different provinces. Why I say stabilizing factor is because of the
example of Australia, whose people voted to cut ties with the Monarchy but could
not agree on how to replace it. The debate in Canada would tear our country apart,
hence my support for stability."

Ok, there is a lot to unpack here. I can sort of understand Mr.
Obhrai's views vis-a-vis Tanzania. And arguably Tanzania has
managed reasonably well in spite of being a republic.

And while I can appreciate the sentiment that the monarchy
encourages stability, I don't know if linking it to being unable
to agree on an alternative is a strong reason. Especially when
there are so many better reasons to support monarchy.
It is also interesting to note the implication of his statement
that his time in Parliament made him appreciate the
monarchy more.

As with the other candidates I examined the Hansard to see
what Mr. Obhrai has said about the monarchy. Last year he
stood in the House to wish Her Majesty a happy birthday
(which now that I think about it has actually been somewhat
uncommon among the candidates). Going back further Mr.
Obhrai made the following comment in 1998:

"Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the minister of fisheries. First, this government
forgot Christmas and Easter on the heritage calendar. Now we have been
harpooned. This government has announced that the Prince of “Whales” is coming
to town. Is there something this minister should be telling us about Moby Dick? Is
this some secret code name for a plan to finally stop U.S. overfishing off the west
coast?"

More recently Mr. Obhrai defended the Crown's honour when
a bill was brought before Parliament attempting to blame it
for the Deportation of the Acadians.

Overall, I'd say Mr. Obhrai is someone slowly moving towards
a greater appreciation of Canada's monarchy.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Pierre Lemieux

12/14/2016

The latest Conservative Party leadership
candidate to take the time to write back to
me is Pierre Lemieux. I actually got ahold
of Mr. Lemieux back in August but at the
time he declined to answer due to needing
to focus on raising the money for his
registration fee and organize his policy
views. These are both reasons I respect and
I thank the candidate for taking the time to
send me a reply.

Mr Lemieux's reply to my question regarding the monarchy
was thus:

"I am for the monarchy and for our proud Canadian traditions."

This reply is par for the course. The second half seems to be a
nod to his status as a social conservative but that is neither
here nor there.

My search of the parliamentary debate records produced no
mentions of the monarchy, Queen, or royal family. Having
served from 2006 to 2015 I feel he had ample time to do so.

With this reply I have received responses from 2/5 of the
candidates. That is provided no one else throws their hat in
the ring.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

<<Previous

Forward>>