Category: Education

Green Party Leadership Race: Views on the Monarchy

9/1/2020

Elizabeth May

The Green Party is holding the second
leadership race this year. It is to choose
a successor to Elizabeth May who has
been a longtime champion of Canada's
monarchy. This is also the first time
since the party gained national status
that a leadership race has been called.
As such it is an important chance to see
what the party's thinking is on Canada's
monarchy.

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included for historical reference.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
David Merner
Amita Kuttner
Annamie Paul
Meryam Haddad
Glen Murray
Dimitri Lascaris
Courtney Howard
Andrew West

No longer in the race
Dylan Perceval-Maxwell
Judy Green

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.

Judy Green

Judy's response was neutral having no
preference for either a monarchy or a
republic. Withdrew and endorsed
David Merner.

Score:

David Merner

David Merner supports the monarchy
and several ways that its role can be
highlighted and improved. His score
mostly suffers from a lack of public
statements on this topic.

Score:

Amita Kuttner

Amita is a republican. Most of their
score comes from including
abolishment in their platform.

Score:

Annamie Paul

Aside from acknowledging that the
Queen is Canada's head of state, Ms.
Paul had no opinion on the monarchy.

Score:

Dylan Perceval-Maxwell

Dylan was supportive of the monarchy
in his reply but lacked any public
comments to improve his overall
score. Removed from the race for
comments made during a debate.

Score:

Meryam Haddad

Meryam is a republican and thinks
the monarchy should be abolished at
some point but has not made it part of
her platform.

Score:

Loyal Quotes

"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."
~Dylan Perceval-Maxwell

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

Marking Emancipation Day

8/1/2020

August 1st is Emancipation Day. It is exactly 186 years since
the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 received royal assent. While it
is often thought that this was done during the reign of Queen
Victoria, it actually went into force three years before she
ascended to the throne. That said, I thought I'd share a few
interesting stories to mark this anniversary.

British Empire's First Anti-slavery Act

The first act curtailing the slave trade anywheres in the British
Empire was enacted in Upper Canada, now Ontario, in 1793.
This Act Against Slavery was championed by John Graves
Simcoe who was a loyalist and served as the first lieutenant
governor of the new colony. While an abolitionist his aims
were partially thwarted by powerful members of the elected
Legislative Assembly.

The act was a compromise. Simcoe got a total ban on the
importation of slaves into the colony and freedom for any
child of a slave women at age 25. In return no slaves were
immediately freed by the act. Even so, there was an attempt
six years later to revoke the act which the un-elected
Legislative Council rejected.

"The principles of the British Constitution do
not admit of that slavery which Christianity
condemns. The moment I assume the
Government of Upper Canada under no
modification will I assent to a law that
discriminates by dishonest policy between
natives of Africa, America, or Europe."
~John Graves Simcoe, Address to the
Legislative Assembly

John Graves Simcoe

Queen Victoria and the African Princess

Omoba Aina

Omoba Aina's life got off to a rough start. Born in 1843 as a
princess of the Yoruba people she was orphaned and enslaved
at the age of five by King Ghezo of Dahomey. He intended to
use her for a human sacrifice but was rescued when Captain
Frederick E. Forbes of the Royal Navy convinced King Ghezo
to gift her to Queen Victoria. The captain gave the young child
the name Sara Forbes Bonetta (Bonetta being the name of the
ship he was captain of).

In 1850 she was presented to Queen
Victoria who was impressed with her
exceptional intelligence and had her raised
as a member of the British middle class as
her Goddaughter. Due to health concerns
attributed to the climate of England she
returned to Africa in 1851 but was back in
England by 1855. She would be invited to
attend the wedding of Princess Alice in
1862.

Later that same year Sarah (affectionately nicknamed Sally by
the Queen) asked permission to marry a Yoruba sea captain
by the name of Captain James Pinson Labulo Davies to which
the Queen agreed. The couple moved to their native Africa
and settled in Lagos, Nigeria. The Queen continued to look
out for her goddaughter's well-being and the Royal Navy had
standing orders to evacuate Sarah in the event of an uprising
in Lagos.

Sarah would have several children with her eldest daughter
also being Queen Victoria's goddaughter. Today members of
the family live in Sierra Leon, England, and Nigeria.

Patron of the Anti-slavery Movement

Prince Albert

While slavery was mostly abolished in
1833 there remained a number of exceptions and continuing violations of
the law that allowed reduced slave trading
activities to continue. There was also the
issue of the West African nations which
had practiced slavery for generations before the Europeans arrived and continued to do so. In 1839 Fowell Buxton set up the Society for the Extinction of the
Slave Trade and for the Civilization of
Africa to oppose the slave trade. Prince Albert agreed to become the organization's patron and spoke at the society's first public meeting:

It is important to remember the past; To draw inspiration
from it, heed its warnings, to understand our times, and
reflect upon what more might remain to be done.

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

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: Annamie Paul

6/21/2020

Annamie Paul

I have received a response from
Green Party leadership candidate
Annamie Paul to the survey
questions I sent out:

"I am afraid that I do not have set
policies on many of the questions
that you have asked, other than to
acknowledge that the Queen is
Canada's head of state."

Ms. Paul also noted that the Green Party membership sets
party policy. While true, this has not stopped Ms. Paul or the
other candidates from putting forward policy proposals. As
for the response itself it doesn't quite reach the level of being a
supportive statement. I suppose it is good Ms. Paul recognizes
that the Queen is head of state and not the governor general.

Ms. Paul has made no public statements regarding the
monarchy as far as can be ascertained.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

GGconversations: The Difference Between Being Partisan And Being Political

6/18/2020

Governor General Julie Payette has
launched a video series where Her
Excellency discusses different issues
related to the current pandemic. It is
always good to see Her Majesty's
representatives taking the initiative in
performing their role. The video series
began in May and has covered science,
art, entrepreneurship, and other topics.

Some of the videos go into topics that we might call political.
And that is fine. The Crown is permitted, even encouraged, to
be political. Sadly, there seems to be a misconception that to
be non-partisan requires a vow of silence.

This is not the case. The Crown provides a vital role when it
brings a light to forgotten or neglected issues. Political parties
can do this as well but almost inevitably the issue will become
partisan by association. Only the Crown can act within the
government to look at, and sometimes even address,
problems without a partisan wrestling match breaking out.

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

The Royal Veterans

11/11/2019

As people around the world commemorate Remembrance
Day we remember the sacrifices and bravery of our armed
forces. The fact I can sit at my computer in rural New
Brunswick and write this article without any fear of attack is
in large part because of them. That this could easily be
different reminds me that but for the grace of God go I.

The Royal Family remembers this more than most. It has
long been tradition for members of the Royal Family to get
some form of military training for when they would have to
lead their armies themselves. While no monarch is expected
to be in the field anymore it is still recognized that a royal
should share in some measure of the soldier's experience.

Princess Elizabeth, then 18

It is widely known that Her
Majesty served as a truck
driver and mechanic during
World War Two. She remains
the only female member of
the Royal Family to have
entered military service and
the only living head of state
who served in that war. Her Majesty served in the Women’s
Auxiliary Territorial Service and had the rank of Second
Subaltern.

Prince Philip, 2015

Prince Philip served in the British
Navy during World War Two in the
Indian Ocean and Mediterranean
Sea. He was mentioned in dispatches
for his services during the Battle of
Cape Matapan during which he
controlled the search lights. During
the invasion of Sicily he devised a
means to distract in-coming German
bombers away from the ship by the
use of rafts and smoke signals. On
his 90th birthday he was given an
honorary appointment to all three branches of the Canadian
Armed Forces.

Photo Credit: Eva Rinaldi

Prince Harry served in the military for ten years and undertook two tours of Afghanistan. Part of his training was
carried out in 2007 while in Canada.
His first tour ended prematurely after
two media outlets revealed that he
had been secretly deployed which
posed a threat to him and his fellow
soldiers. To get around this Prince
Harry completed his Apache attack
helicopter training and was then
redeployed. Since attack helicopters
are always high-priority targets it was
determined his presence would create
no additional threat to the other military personnel.

Prince Harry's time in the military has made a lasting impact
on him and inspired the creation of the Invictus Games for
wounded and disabled soldiers and veterans.

The bond between the Royal Family and their soldiers is a
strong one built over time and generations. And as this
Remembrance Day comes to an end we hope for the day when
no one will have to put themselves in harms way in defence of
Queen and country.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

<<Previous

Forward>>

Green Party Leadership Race: Views on the Monarchy

Questions & Replies

Crown & Cap Scoreboard

Loyal Quotes

Marking Emancipation Day

British Empire's First Anti-slavery Act

Queen Victoria and the African Princess

Patron of the Anti-slavery Movement

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

Peter MacKay

Derek Sloan

Conservative Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Leslyn Lewis

Green Party Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Meryam Haddad

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

Green Party Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Annamie Paul

GGconversations: The Difference Between Being Partisan And Being Political

2020 Conservative Party Leadership Race: Views on the Monarchy

Questions & Replies

Crown & Cap Scoreboard

Loyal Quotes

The Royal Veterans

About

Archives

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Questions & Replies

Crown & Cap Scoreboard

Loyal Quotes

British Empire's First Anti-slavery Act

Queen Victoria and the African Princess

Patron of the Anti-slavery Movement

Peter MacKay

Derek Sloan

Questions & Replies

Crown & Cap Scoreboard

​Loyal Quotes

About

Archives

Categories

Loyal Quotes