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Justin Trudeau's Partial About Face on the Monarchy

5/13/2023

 
PicturePhoto Credit: Reuters
I have, for a while now, been 
critical of Prime Minister 
Justin Trudeau's handling of 
the monarchy. Perhaps,
surprisingly, he has done
several positive things for the
monarchy in a very short 
amount of time and it is worth 
examining what the effects of 
his actions will be. 

Approval of Coronation Medallions

Picture
Trudeau faced a fair amount of 
criticism, even from within his own
caucus, for failing to issue a medal to
mark the late Queen's jubilee. While
no coronation medal was issued, a
medallion was. Now, I hate to be the
one to nit pick but medallions are
generally sold while medals are
given to recognize some worthy
person. Given the recent times we've
been through there are a large
number of Canadians who ought to be honoured. Trudeau's
​reluctance to issue a medal on both occasions is curious.  

King Charles III to Grace the $20 Bill

The government confirmed that the King's portrait will be
on the Canadian $20 bill as well as all coins issued. The coins
were never really in doubt but there were suggestions around
not having the King on the $20 bill. Trudeau has put that
​speculation to rest.

Ottawa Coronation Celebrations

While the events were described as low-key, Trudeau's
government didn't have to hold them at all so the fact that he
did shows some desire to acknowledge the monarchy.

A New Crown

Trudeau's government has created a new Canadian crown.
It is a heraldic design only and shares elements with the
Tudor Crown, Saint Edward's Crown, and (probably
unintentionally) the Loyalist Coronet.
Picture
Now, some dislike this design. There are criticisms about how
the design was decided on (without consultation), removal of
religious symbols (crosses and fleur-de-lis), and the addition
​of a snowflake to the top of the crown. Even the direction of
the ermine arrows was critiqued (I am not going to discuss
ermine arrows!). 

Okay, first of all, I understand why there was no consultation
with Parliament. There may still be people old enough to
remember the Canadian Flag Debate and all the acrimony 
that caused. The monarchy is meant to be a unifying symbol,
intentionally making it a source of division would be perverse.

Second, as a Christian myself, yes, I would prefer to have my
beliefs represented. However, the Canadian Monarchy, unlike
the British Monarchy, has no connection to an established
church (which is also reflected in a recent change to the
King's Canadian titles). It is weird then for such a connection
to be present in the crown. Given the monarchy's association
with a single faith has been a point of attack for republicans
this may blunt that particular charge.


The new design plays up the theme of Canadians being tied to
the land they live on with the crown's representations of
rivers, mountains, maple trees and snow. Also, that snowflake
is a bestagon. 

This does mean that future Leadership Surveys will need
to change out the crown used but thats a me problem.

New Passport Retains Royal Symbols

PicturePhoto Credit: Sean Kilpatrick
The new passport design was
released to mixed reviews. Some
praised the artwork while others
criticized the lack of historical
references. But despite this the
passport retains the coat of arms
and its royal symbolism (even if 
the cover is a bit awkward). As a 
side note the coat of arms still uses
Saint Edward's Crown which may
indicate a lack of coordination between the government
departments. Most likely, differing time tables on when things
needed to be done prevented the new crown from being
​included.

Defence of the Monarchy Improves

Recent terrible polling for the monarchy has led other leaders
in the Commonwealth musing about future republics. To his
credit, Trudeau wasn't one of them. In the past I did critique
his defence of the monarchy. His comments after the King's
coronation were quite a bit better and came at a time when
they were needed. Likewise, his comment before the funeral
of Queen Elizabeth II about appreciating the monarchy's
'steadiness' shows a degree of growth, if not in his thoughts
regarding the monarchy, at least in how he presents those
​thoughts.

Closing Remarks

Some of the actions above have attracted criticism but that is
unavoidable in the current political climate. Overall, I think
Trudeau has set the monarchy up well for the future. I still
have grievances with how Trudeau handles the monarchy
file (the free portrait program especially) but he has done a
​solid B+ job recently. 

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Coronation Cost Too Much? Its A Steal At Double The Price.

5/7/2023

 
Picture
The King's coronation this past 
Saturday went off without a 
hitch and frankly was a beautiful
affair. It is hard to believe that 
the British were once held to be 
rather bad at pulling off such 
highly orchestrated events. And, 
as with all things these days it
seems, someone is worried that 
too much money is being spent.

The final cost won't be known for some time but unofficial 
estimates put it at $125 million on the high end. Now, it 
would be rather trite to call that a rounding error in a country 
with a yearly GDP of 3 trillion dollars, so I won't. Instead, I
want to do a small comparison with republics. Specifically, I
​want to take a look at inauguration costs (all sums given in
US Dollars).

United States of America

The USA is to republics what the UK is to monarchies; the
arch-typical example everyone seems to compare themselves to. In the US there is a presidential inauguration every four
years. The price varies (but rises with inflation) and private
donations cover some of the costs but taxpayers in the US are
​usually on the hook for about $100 million.    

France + Germany

The French in inauguration is a bit of an all day affair. There
is the constitutionally required parts followed by various
events around Paris. The Germans have much more low-key
inaugurations.

What both France and Germany have in common is the
difficulty in finding cost breakdowns. The French example
probably reaches the $100 million threshold while the
German example probably doesn't.

Ireland

Again, a full costing does not seem to be available but they did
spend $110,000 on catering for the 2018 inauguration. Its a
bit iffy if Ireland reaches the $100 million threshold. The
main determiner is staffing costs for security and clean-up
which might push it up a bit. An educated guess would be
$500,000 all told.

Time Between Events

Coronations don't happen at set intervals and can vary
between a few years and many decades. Usually a long reign
means a short interval will follow. If you averaged it out you'd probably come out with something close to one coronation
every 20 years. I'm going to say once every ten years for the
sake of the argument I'm making.

Presidential terms vary but for the examples I've used its; US
four years, France five years, Germany five years, and Ireland
seven years. The result being that the US and France spend
twice as much on inaugurations than the UK spends on
coronations. Ireland probably spends more if a 20 year
average interval is used and Germany might have spent more
on inaugurations during the Queen's reign.

More Bang Per Buck

All of which is to say that the King's coronation is not out of
line with what other countries spend on ceremonial transfers
of power and may be on the less expensive side due to longer
intervals on average compared to republics. There is also the
point to be made that since the coronation covers many
different realms its a bargain for all involved. I don't think a
Canadian republic would long avoid having its own, perhaps
modest, inauguration event. The result being the introduction
of a cost it doesn't currently have. Plus, the coronation was
a far more spectacular event than any inauguration. People
​need to learn to stop being penny wise, pound foolish.
Picture
Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Canadian Emblem for the Coronation of King Charles III

4/12/2023

 
Picture
With less than a month to go before the
coronation there has been an increase 
in government announcements in 
regards to the various aspects of the
celebration.

The Department of Canadian Heritage 
recently released the design for the
King's Coronation Emblem. It is full of
symbolism regarding the outlook of the
King and how he views his role. From
their website:

The Royal Monogram (CIIIR) in the centre of the Emblem and the Royal
Crown at the top are personal symbols of The King.


The ring of triangular shapes evokes the image of a string of pennants
displayed for a celebration. These 13 shapes allude to Canada’s
provinces and territories, and their circular arrangement conveys the
idea of inclusion for all Canadians. The circle is also an important
concept for many Indigenous Peoples, symbolizing not only equity but
also the cycles of the natural world. The green colour of the shapes is
associated with the environment, which has long been an important
cause for His Majesty, and it symbolizes hope and growth.


Inclusion and togetherness are also represented by the white spaces
between the green shapes, which resemble paths leading to a central
meeting place. The entire white space can be seen as a sunburst,
symbolizing innovation and new ideas.
​

The Emblem was designed and painted by Cathy Bursey-Sabourin,
Fraser Herald at the Canadian Heraldic Authority.
There has been some speculation on why King Charles III
opted for the Tudor Crown rather than St. Edward's Crown in
his cypher. Arguments largely fall into four categories:
1. To differentiate his reign from his mother's reign.
2. The Tudor Crown has a strong link with male monarchs.
3. A call-back to King Charles I after whom the King is named.
4. The simpler design fits the King's aesthetics better.

As briefly mentioned in the official description the emblem is
meant to convey people coming together and it is known the
King values his ability to bring people together to discuss
issues of concern.
Cathy Bursey-Sabourin, Fraser Herald at the Canadian
Heraldic Authority, has worked in Canadian heraldry for over
30 years and was the first women to hold a state herald
position in the Commonwealth. She previously designed the
Queen's Platinum Jubilee Emblem. In early 2023 she was
made a member of the Royal Victorian Order, which is a
personal gift of the reigning monarch.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

12/28/2022

 
It has been quite a year. Queen Elizabeth II oversaw a historic 
platinum jubilee. Her death, while saddening, resulted in no 
mad rush for the door at the prospect of King Charles III as 
republicans had long predicted (hoped?). Instead, the new 
king has taken to his role with vigor and the people have been 
largely supportive. The Queen's presence benefitted the
monarchy but she knew more than anyone else that the
institution of monarchy isn't about any one person. Over the
last few years she had been slowly easing the public into the
new reign. Quite the contrast with the republican system in
which preparing a successor is almost never seen as desirable.

The King's Christmas Address

"With all my heart I wish each of you a Christmas of peace,
happiness, and everlasting light.
"

Prince George the Artist

The Prince and Princess of Wales shared a painting by Prince
George a few days ago. It appears he has his grandfather's
talent with the brush.
Picture

New Year's Levee

This year will mark the return of the New Year's Levee for
many of Canada's vice-regal offices. It is sometimes forgotten
that the New Year's Levee is a distinctly Canadian tradition
that has its origins in court protocol of the French monarchy
and was adapted by fur traders and early governors of New France (Quebec) as a time to pay one's respects to the crown,
receive news from Europe, and let loose a little bit. British
authorities continued these traditions and are now celebrated
across the country.

The Year Ahead

While the last few years have demonstrated the foolishness of
trying to predict what will happen in the coming year there 
are a few things to look out for:

​The Coronation
While the exact details have not been worked out, the King
rejected the idea of a 'bargain bin' coronation. One change
likely to be seen is in the title 'Defender of the Faith'. The King
has stated in the past that the monarch, while adhering to
one faith, should seek to protect all faiths and stated a
preference for 'Defender of Faith'.

Fiji
The Fijian parliament is in a minority situation and the
coalition government has stated they wish to restore the Great
Council of Chiefs which was previously parliament's upper
house. The Great Council of Chiefs famously continued to
recognize Queen Elizabeth II as paramount chief long after
Fiji became a republic. While I'm not getting my hopes up for
​a royal restoration in a country that still uses some of its royal symbols it is a step in the right direction.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

How King Charles III Can Keep His Voice During His Reign

10/27/2022

 
Picture
Earlier this month former British 
Prime Minister Liz Truss managed, 
during her very short time in office, 
to advise His Majesty not to attend 
the environmental gathering known 
as COP27. By convention the king has
a duty to follow the advice of his
prime minister even if pretty much
everyone knows he doesn't want to.
Even now, with a brand new prime
minister in place, His Majesty is not
likely to attend. There is still a bit of debate over how much
this was a joint decision but for the sake of this article lets
assume King Charles III would want to attend COP27 to bring
further attention to increasingly worrisome environmental
issues. How could he do so?

The unimaginative might suggest he simply ignore his prime
minister's advice. He is not likely to do this. Not only would it
damage a working relationship that will (presumably) last
more than a couple months, it would feed into the perception
that he intends to 'meddle' in government affairs. Both factors
would reduce the monarch's considerable soft power which is
​worth avoiding.
As it happens there is a way for His Majesty to continue to
carry out most, if not all, of his previous work and it is by
learning from an incident that took place in Canada in 1973.
At the time Canada was hosting a meeting of Commonwealth
leaders. British prime minister Edward Heath, for whatever
reason, advised the Queen not to attend. The Commonwealth
was to the Queen what the environment is to the King. The
Queen was able to attend the meeting because she received an
invitation to attend as the Queen of Canada by Pierre Trudeau
(hey! History is starting to rhyme a little). This works as while
the monarch can be advised not to do something in their
capacity as monarch of that country, they can't be barred from
acting as monarch of another country. With this we have ​a
blue print for King Charles III regaining his voice.
Picture
First meeting between Prime Minister Trudeau and His Majesty
Now, I could suggest that Justin Trudeau invite the King and
this would make a certain amount of sense. Justin Trudeau
has come under criticism for making very little progress on
his climate plan. Having a champion of climate reform
present distracts from this narrative and is the type of
ceremonial action the prime minister is good at. That said,
Trudeau hasn't been overly kind to the monarchy during his
time in office. Are there any other candidates? Well, yes,
actually. Papua New Guinea recently stated they wished to
deepen ties with the Royal Family. And climate change will
hit Papua New Guinea, and other equatorial nations with
particular severity. The King and hi
s Papua New Guinean
realm could make common cause at COP27. And there is no
reason the King couldn't ask around the rest of the
Commonwealth for partners on other issues. King Charles III
is head of 15 countries. Perhaps he should make better use of
this fact.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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    This website is intended to be a resource for those arguing in favour of Canada's monarchy, researching Canada's royal past, or wondering what the various vice-regal representatives of the Canadian Crown are up to currently. As well, articles about other monarchies may appear from time to time. 

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