Category: New Brunswick

The New Brunswick Branch of the Monarchist League of Canada once again has Vice-Regal Patronage

2/27/2021

I mentioned back in October, 2018 that I had been named
chairman of the New Brunswick Branch of the Monarchist
League of Canada. 2019 was a good year with contacts being
reestablished, educational materials distributed to a few
schools in south-east New Brunswick, and a Victoria Day
luncheon in Fredericton for the membership to discuss
priorities going forward. And then the pandemic threw a
wrench into efforts to put those priorities into practice in
2020. The only progress made that year was to double the
number of people liking the Branch's Facebook page as more
people retreated inside and online.

At the back of my mind there was one loose end that needed
to be addressed at some point. Before the departure of Barry
MacKenzie the branch had been granted the honour of having the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick agree to be the
branch patron. However, so much time had gone by that I
felt this relationship should be renewed.

With 2021 looking somewhat easier to predict I went to work
tying up this loose end. I can report that earlier this month
Lieutenant Governor Brenda Murphy graciously agreed to
renew the relationship between the New Brunswick Branch
and Her Honour. An except from the letter delivered to me:

Her Honour, The Honourable Brenda L. Murphy, ONB, Lieutenant
Governor of New Brunswick has asked me to thank you for the request
for Her Honour to grant her patronage to the New Brunswick Branch of
the Monarchist League of Canada.

Her Honour would be most pleased to lend the support of her office to
your very worthwhile organization and looks forward to serving as
your Patron. On Her Honour’s behalf, I always welcome the
opportunity to discuss how the Lieutenant Governor might participate
in your activities.

The Lieutenant Governor appreciates being kept informed about
changes within her various patronage organizations. Thank you for the
information that you included in your email of November 2020. I would
ask that you continue to forward your organization’s annual report, financial statements and any other relevant documents for our files as
they become available. This task can be completed electronically or by
reference to a website, as you have done.

We look forward to our ongoing relationship with the Monarchist
League of Canada, NB Branch.

Her Honour was also kind enough to send along a video with a message of encouragement for the branch membership.

While in-person events are still a no-go the Branch will be
more active in the coming year than the previous one.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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Queen's (and King's) Counsel

12/20/2020

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The New Brunswick government recently announced the
appointment of eleven lawyers as Queen's Counsel. But what
is a 'Queen's Counsel' and what is its history?

Marie-Claude Blais of New Brunswick was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2010

The idea of a special position in law either representing or
advising the monarch began with the Norman Conquest of
England. In the beginning the designation was only held in
addition to the more senior offices of Attorney General,
Solicitor-General, and King's Serjeants. The first Queen's
Counsel appointment made in its own right was to Sir Francis
Bacon in 1597. It would gradually replace the office of the
King's Serjeants (although the last such person appointed
would not die until the early 1900s). Originally the office
came with a number of privileges and restrictions meant to
uphold the high honour of the office. However, these were
abolished one by one until it became solely an honorary
designation, although still one recognized by the courts.

The office of Queen's Counsel would play a minor role in the
delineation of federal power in Canada with a ruling in 1897
by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council upholding the
rights of the provinces to make such appointments.

Today appointments of Queen's Counsels continue in every
province except Ontario and Quebec. The federal government
stopped making appointments in 1993 but resumed in 2013.
However, since 2015 only the Attorney Generals has been
appointed Queen's Counsel.

The postnominals QC are granted to all Queen's Counsel (or
KC in the case of King's Counsel).

While there are slight differences in the requirements to be
appointed Queen's Counsel in general one must be a lawyer
who has demonstrated outstanding practice, shown integrity
and leadership and made contributions to excellence in the
law profession. They also must have at least 15 years'
experience in the practice of law.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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The Canadian Monarchy in the Year Ahead

12/26/2019

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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

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New Brunswick Branch of the Monarchist League of Canada gets a new Chairman... Me?

10/23/2018

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During the recent provincial election
(which I took part in) I was offered the
position of Chairman of the New
Brunswick branch of the Monarchist
League of Canada. The branch had
been sadly inactive since 2015 when
Barry MacKenzie stepped down as
chairman.

Barry left a void and it could not be easily filled. Earlier this
year the League finally put out a call for volunteers to help
rebuild the New Brunswick branch. I volunteered and figured
I could be of use to whoever they decided to put in charge of
rebuilding efforts. Imagine my surprise when that person
turned out to be me.

When I received the offer over the summer I initially sent
back an email refusing the position. My intention to run in
the election and the time investment in various other projects
left me doubting I could give it my 100% best effort. As fate
would have it my email was never delivered and I was
contacted again about leading the rebuilding efforts while I
was campaigning in the election.

This time I gave it a bit more thought and decided I would try
it. There was several other volunteers so things wouldn't fall
all on my shoulders. With that and a few other minor
concerns dealt with I accepted the position.

There is a lot of room to grow League efforts in the province
and my long term goals are as follows:
-Having annual events in all three major cities in NB.
-Increasing membership among Acadians.
-Putting the NB Branch on steady footing for the future.
An ambitious calendar of activities and initiatives is being
drawn up for the coming year. Stay tuned!

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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The Monarchist League on Facebook

5/31/2017

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Ironically, for all the talk of the internet isolating people it
also has great usefulness in bringing people together. The
Monarchist League of Canada has various social media
accounts, of course, but some may not know that the
League's many branches maintain at least a Facebook
presence. I have taken the time to list them below:

New Brunswick
Facebook
Twitter

Halifax - SW Nova Scotia
Facebook

Northumberland and NE Nova Scotia

Quebec
Facebook

Ottawa - Ontario
Facebook

Barrie-Huronia - Ontario
Facebook

University of Toronto - Ontario
Facebook

Waterloo-Wellington - Ontario
Facebook

South Saskatchewan
Facebook
Twitter

Lethbridge and Medicine Hat - Alberta
Facebook

Victoria - British Columbia
Facebook

I find it encouraging that most of these pages have a healthy
number of members and are active. Even better, each page
has avoided that common pitfall of redundancy. They all have
a little bit of individuality to what is posted rather than being carbon copies of the League's main page.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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Celebrating Our Queen

9/8/2015

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Cross-posted from monarchistnb

Tomorrow, September 9th, our Queen will become the
longest-reigning Sovereign in modern Canadian history, and
the longest in all of British history. For nearly 64 years,
Elizabeth II has reigned over a diverse and sometimes
troubled Commonwealth of Nations, and somehow she has
only become more beloved over time.

For her part, Her Majesty seems not likely to mark this
historic milestone in an official way. That said, celebrations
are taking place across the Commonwealth. In Canada, we
have a particularly unique set of celebrations scheduled in
municipalities from coast to coast. Thanks to the tireless
efforts of our Dominion and Branch officers, and with the
cooperation of municipal representatives and employees, well
over 125 towns, cities and villages will be hosting a simple
commemoration tomorrow in their communities. The
municipalities range in size from Flowers Cove, NL, to
Mississauga, ON.

In New Brunswick, at least nine municipalities will be hosting
celebrations, and at Government House in Fredericton several
events, including a stunning exhibit on the province’s
connection with the Crown, will highlight the significance of
the day.

Elizabeth II has given her entire adult life in service to her
people. In her 90th year, she seems well poised to continue, as
long as her excellent health should continue. May she
continue to reign, gloriously, over each and every one of us.

God Save the Queen!

Loyally Yours,
Barry R. MacKenzie

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New Brunswick's Flag, Its Royal Origins, and the Debate it Avoided

3/29/2015

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On February 24th New Brunswick's provincial flag turned 50.
In 1964 it looked like New Brunswick was headed towards a
flag debate that would mirror the national flag debate.

The Liberal government of New Brunswick learned that the
opposition was planning to forego debating the Speech from
the Throne and instead bring forward a motion to give New
Brunswick a provincial flag modeled on the Red Ensign.

In what seems today like a paranoid over-reaction it was felt
the Liberals would have to vote against such a motion (why
has not been adequately explained). This, would result in the
anglophones and francophones of the province becoming
divided.

With a degree of urgency the premier's administrative
assistant, Robert Pichette, set to work on a design for New
Brunswick's new flag. This he accomplished in two weeks
while the Premier was on holidays.

To Mr. Pichette's credit he avoided being overly innovative.
The national flag debate had been a divisive affair precisely
because the prime minister wanted a completely new flag. Mr.
Pichette instead reached back into New Brunswick's past for
inspiration.

In 1868 a coat of arms had been granted to New Brunswick
by a Royal Warrant of Queen Victoria. The coat of arms paid
tribute to the arms of England and the Duchy of Brunswick in
Germany through the inclusion of a gold lion on a red field.

A sailing ship was included which originally spoke to the
coming of the Loyalists and later to New Brunswick's
shipbuilding heritage. The technical term for the heraldic ship
is a 'lymphad' and is primarily used in Scottish heraldry. Best
of all a banner version of the arms had been used previously
to represent the New Brunswick Premier at official events.

When the Premier returned from holidays he learned about
the political problem and its ready-made solution. The flag
was announced in the Speech from the Throne and was
offered with "thanks to Queen Victoria of Happy Memory" as
she had authorized the original grant of arms. There was no
opposition voiced and editorials were positive. The flag was
officially adopted by proclamation on February 24, 1965.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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Mailbox Cleanout

11/29/2014

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I perhaps contact elected representatives with policy questions more than the average Canadian. Sometimes I include a question about Canada's monarchy. Mostly this is out of personal curiosity (I have only been in a position to vote for a couple of the people below).

It is funny (to me at least) how few policy inquiries actually get responded to. Mostly this is due how busy the candidate is although I did talk to one politician who didn't answer any inquires on the principle that they would not be able to answer every person in the riding if they were to send questions in (try and get your head around that one).

Below are the responses I've received to questions relating to the monarchy. Still aren't as facepalm-worthy as their answers about intellectual property though...

2012 NDP Leadership Race

"My own view is that it should be up to Canadians to have their say in the monarchy's role in a 21st Century Canada, and I would be supportive of a plebiscite to see whether people would like reform. Other countries in the Commonwealth are discussing similar questions, in preparation a change in the head of state at the end of the Queen's long reign. This is a question, however, that citizens, not politicians, should decide."
~Nathan Cullen

"Please know that Peggy has not made any statements on the monarchy. Given that the NDP does not have specific party policy on the monarchy, any decision made by Peggy on this matter would involve consultation with caucus and the membership."
~Etana, Peggy Nash Leadership Campaign 2012

2013 Liberal Leadership Race

"In response to the second part of your question, the monarchy is not the unifying symbol it once was, and it does nothing to help us overcome the fundamental unity problems this country faces. Clearly, it is also unable to serve its stated function of defending the institutions of parliamentary democracy. I support eventually establishing a Canadian head of state with democratic legitimacy. However, constitutional change of this magnitude can only be accomplished after a referendum. It also requires a renewed treaty process with First Nations, to ensure that the move is not unilateral and treaty and Aboriginal rights are not affected."
~Deborah Coyne

"With regards to your second question: Mr. Garneau's position is that Canadians support the monarchy and the Liberal Party of Canada voted down a resolution to study the role of the monarchy in 2012. Mr. Garneau does not plan to make an issue of it."
~Jean Proulx, Parliamentary Assistant to Mr. Garneau

"I support the concept of merit, versus blood-lines, and in that regard, I'd be happy to have Canada become completely independent from Britain. But to be honest, it's not one of the most important questions facing Canada right now so I'm not going to push too hard on this one."
~Martha Hall Findlay

"At the 2012 Liberal Party Convention, delegates were invited to introduce, debate, and vote on Liberal policy. Delegates explicitly rejected a motion to include severing Canada's ties with the monarchy as part of Liberal policy. My view is that severing our centuries-old connection to the monarchy is not a decision to be made lightly. The monarchy remains a cornerstone of Canada's foundation, and any debate surrounding changes to this institution must include as many Canadians as possible in the discussion."
~Justin Trudeau, Leader of the Liberal Party

2014 New Brunswick Election

"The monarchy has been a subject of debate in Canada for some time. Personally, I view the monarchy as a heritage & tradition of Canada with little to no real substantive value other than that."
~Kris Austin, Leader of the PANB

"My personal views on the Monarchy are that they are an extremely wealthy and powerful group of elites who own an extreme amount of land and holdings via the crown corporation. People need to be educated about them and our countries foundation, parliamentary system, military, navy, and rcmp so that Canada and it's citizen's could move towards actual sovereignty (and a great many other subjects)."
~Ira Wilbur, Green Party candidate for the riding of Albert

"I am not a fan of paying for royals trips to canada, but that said I believe in tradition and my family has supported the monarchy for a long time. I have a hard time accepting anyone receiveing an all expenses paid lifestyle, however, I like Canada being a part of the Comomonwealth. It's part of who we are and one of a number of things that helps distinguish us from the Americans."
~Bill Brewer, PANB candidate forthe riding of Albert

2014 Yellowhead By-election

"I believe in the Monarchy and its representation to Canada."
~Jim Eglinski, Conservative Party candidate

"I don't see any reason for the monarchy aside from nostalgia."
~Cory Lystang, Libertarian Party candidate

"I used to be nostalgic and liked the Monarchy... I enjoy that we retain a loose commonwealth... However, I see a need for reduction in the pomp.. and a greater respect for the people.. I like that here is an ultimate representative for the commonwealth that if necessary could depose a leader, such as the Gov General is able to do... it allows a whole other international level of consultation.. that looks to all voices.. or at least in theory should. Ultimately I like Democracy, and checks and balances for it... how does this all relate to your question.. I always like o have a higher and more experienced authority.. As I see it, the royals are ther to remind us of higher ideals, they too in our times.. have become conduits, representatives of the people.. instead of dictating, they merely look to pass around the Conch.. or in other words the speaking staff... i hope this all makes sense..."
~Dean Williams, Independent candidate

Others

"I still believe that the Monarchy is un-democratic institution of power because it is not elected. Even the Pope goes through some sort of election process. The sovereigns don't. While I believe that, I thing there are too many divisive issues out there as it is, and I'd rather focus on resolving differences on more pressing matters. This issue can be 'parked' for now and revisited when our democracy is in better shape. Let's enact Proportional Representation first, for example, to prove to ourselves and the rest of the world that Canada is a democracy."
~Michael Nicula, Leader of the Party for Accountability, Competency and Transparency (PACT)

Conclusions

Overall, there isn't much positive in the responses I have received to date. The task of educating Canadians about their monarchy still remains great. The belief that the monarchy serves no practical purpose is perhaps the most prevalent misconception in need of confrontation. Several politicians also expressed a belief that dumping the monarchy is somehow a populous measure that will lead to a improved Canadian Government. This is demonstratively false and again shows just how limited education about our monarchy is.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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The Monarchs of Canada: A Timeline

11/25/2014

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Monarchs have ruled Canada since before Canada was a recognizable entity. This article is an overview of Canada's monarchs which is, as I will explain in a second, by necessity incomplete. Note that below if both the king and the queen are listed it means they ruled as co-sovereigns. Also note that I am defining 'Canada' as the geographic area of the current country. Finally, note that I have used the dates for the reign of each monarch rather than birth-death.

Pre-Contact North America

It is often overlooked that many of the aboriginal tribes that inhabit Canada at one time had hereditary chiefs. In fact some still do on a formal or informal basis. However, with 600+ recognized nations and fragmentary records from pre-contact civilizations it is nearly impossible to include a complete overview of native kingship in the context of this article. In the future I will attempt an article outlining a history of Canada's hereditary chiefs. Sufficed to say at present that hereditary and elected kingship has a long history in Canada.

Our French Monarchs (1534-1763)

The French Crown ruled over the parts of Canada now comprising of the Provinces of Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, & Nova Scotia. Two French dynasties ruled Canada before the colony was ceded to the British in 1763.

Francis I (1534–1547)
House of Valois

Henry II (1547–1559)
House of Valois

Francis II (1559–1560)
House of Valois

Charles IX (1560–1574)
House of Valois

Henry III (1574–1589)
House of Valois

Henry IV (1589–1610)
House of Bourbon

Louis XIII (1610–1643)
House of Bourbon

Louis XIV (1643–1715)
House of Bourbon

Louis XV (1715–1763)
House of Bourbon

Our English/British Monarchs (1497-1931)

The English Crown ruled parts of what would become the provinces of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and northern Ontario. It would gain areas ruled by the French Crown in 1763.

Until 1707 it is correct to refer to the English Crown. After March 6th of that year England and Scotland united into a single kingdom called Great Britain.

Henry VII (1497–1509)
House of Tudor

Henry VIII (1409–1547)
House of Tudor

Edward VI (1547–1553)
House of Tudor

Mary I
(1553–1558)
House of Tudor

Philip II of Spain
(Co-sovereign)
House of Habsburg

Elizabeth I (1558–1603)
House of Tudor

James I (1603–1625)
House of Stuart

Charles I (1625–1649)
House of Stuart

Charles II (1670–1685)
House of Stuart

James II (1685–1688)
House of Stuart

William III
(1650–1702)
House of Orange-Nassau

Mary II of England (Co-sovereign)
House of Stuart

Anne (1702–1714)
House of Stuart

-Kingdom of Great Britain established, 1707

George I (1714–1727)
House of Hanover

George II (1727–1760)
House of Hanover

George III (1760–1820)
House of Hanover

George IV (1820–1830)
House of Hanover

William IV (1830–1837)
House of Hanover

Victoria (1837–1901)
House of Hanover

-Dominion of Canada established, 1867

Edward VII (1901–1910)
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

George V (1910–1931 as British sovereign)
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Our Canadian Monarchs (1931-Present)

The Canadian Crown became separate from the British Crown in 1931 due to the Statute of Westminster. More than 3/4th of the intervening period has been reigned over by a single sovereign.

George V (1931–1936 as Canadian sovereign)
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (until 1917)
House of Windsor (after 1917)

Edward VIII (1936)
House of Windsor

George VI (1936–1952)
House of Windsor

Elizabeth II (1952-Present)
House of Windsor

Well I hope you enjoyed this timeline as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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Albert County's Victory Cannons

11/11/2014

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In honour of Remembrance Day I thought I'd write a little about New Brunswick military and royal history. Specifically I'd like to shine a light on the 1919 Victory Loans Campaign.

The Great War cost a lot of money. Various methods were used to raise the funds to pay for it (income taxes are one such temporary measure). Government-issued war bonds were another method eventually adopted. However, after the war was over there was still a substantial amount of debt to pay off. This led to the Victory Loan Campaign of 1919.

As part of the campaign a special flag featuring the coat of arms of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) could be won by communities that raised a certain amount of money. In addition a number of German howitzers were offered as rewards for significant contributions to the campaign.

Spiffy

The Prince of Wales, who was actually in Canada for his 1919 Royal Tour, presided over a ceremony where the first of 'The Prince's Flags' was unfurled. The campaign had begun.

The theme of this campaign unlike previous ones was rebuilding, cleanup, demobilizing, and a return to relative normalcy.

In New Brunswick each county had a target amount set based on ability to pay. Albert County's target was set at $110,000. By the end of the campaign the community had raised nearly triple that amount with a total of $317,600. Others raised higher total sums but only Albert County managed the feat of raising triple the target amount. In fact every New Brunswick county but one raised more than their target and was awarded a flag.

For raising such a staggering sum the people of Albert County were given one of the cannons captured at Vimy Ridge; a German 10-CM K14. They were given a second cannon for an even more impressive feat: Albert County had the highest number of volunteers per capita from anywheres in Canada. This second cannon was also from Vimy Ridge but was an older 7.7-CMFK96 N.A.model. A smaller weapon more akin to a field gun than the guns that would follow it. It bears the German imperial cypher (or coat of arms, it is somewhat worn away).

The two cannons were set up in the county's shiretown of Hopewell Cape. There they have stood against wind, rain, and picnic tables to the present day. Monuments to Canadian military achievement, the bravery of the men who went off to fight for king & country in the 'war to end all wars', and the hope that a lasting peace could be built.

There is currently a campaign underway to fix the inevitable decay of nearly 100 years. Donations can be made here. You can also learn more about the circumstances of the guns' capture at the same site.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

The 7.7-CMFK96 N.A. gun with wheels removed for repairs

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<<Previous

The New Brunswick Branch of the Monarchist League of Canada once again has Vice-Regal Patronage

Queen's (and King's) Counsel

The Canadian Monarchy in the Year Ahead

Leadership Races

The New Democrats

Polls

Royal Homecomings

Monarchy in New Brunswick

Monarchist League in New Brunswick

New Brunswick Branch of the Monarchist League of Canada gets a new Chairman... Me?

The Monarchist League on Facebook

Celebrating Our Queen

New Brunswick's Flag, Its Royal Origins, and the Debate it Avoided

Mailbox Cleanout

2012 NDP Leadership Race

2013 Liberal Leadership Race

2014 New Brunswick Election

2014 Yellowhead By-election

Others

Conclusions

The Monarchs of Canada: A Timeline

Pre-Contact North America

Our French Monarchs (1534-1763)

Our English/British Monarchs (1497-1931)

Our Canadian Monarchs (1931-Present)

Albert County's Victory Cannons

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