Category: News

The Monarchist Angle to the Lisa LaFlamme Story

8/27/2022

By now most people have heard the
news about CTV News National
anchor Lisa LaFlamme being fired
without cause. I'm not going to re-
hash the opposing claims as I
wanted to highlight one aspect of
the story that sometimes gets
overlooked.

Dispute Over Jubilee Coverage.

At this time I would like to introduce the second player in this
story; Michael Melling. Michael is a vice-president of Bell
Media which owns CTV News. He is currently on leave to
'spend more time with his family'.

Apparently, one of the issues that caused bad blood between
LaFlamme and Melling was the vice-president's initial refusal
to send a news crew to London to cover the Platinum Jubilee
celebrations. A staff member has quoted Melling as saying at
the time, "We’re not going. Cancel. It’s not worth it. Let’s
cover it from Toronto" and that it 'wasn't worth the expense'.
Lisa LaFlamme is reported to have replied, "We have to cover
the Queen! She’s Canada’s Queen too."

After more back and forth a reduced team was allowed to go
but they had to give up a shooting location near the event for
one much further away.

Lloyd Robertson, Lisa LaFlamme's predecessor, was also a
strong supporter of covering the monarchy and became an
honorary member of the Monarchist League of Canada in
1995. With both long-time news anchors out of a job it does
raise questions about future coverage of royal news.

Michael Melling; Republican or Ass?

Upon learning about the events described above I began to
wonder whether Michael Melling's actions were driven by
ideological, cost-benefit, or personal considerations. This is
somewhat hard to gauge as Michael has kept a fairly low
public profile and his coverage of news events in his former
career as a journalist don't touch on the monarchy.

Obviously, journalists with an awareness of the monarchy's
importance are ones I would like to see succeed. Bell Media
has not said that they will rehire Lisa LaFlamme, nor have
they said they will fire Michael Melling. Most likely they are
hoping their turn as 'newsmakers' will be brief.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Albert County Museum Jubilee Event: Speeches and a Surprise Announcement

6/4/2022

The Albert County Museum held a tree planting and reception
to mark Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee. The event was well
attended and, besides a tipsy flag, went off without a hitch.

Speeches by the Dignitaries

There were several invited guests including a representative
from the provincial government (MLA Mike Holland), Village
of Hillsborough (Mayor Robert Rochon), Town of Riverview
(Deputy Mayor Jeremy Thorn), Royal Canadian Legion,
IODE (National President Jane Cushing), and myself as the
Chairman of the New Brunswick Branch of the Monarchist
League of Canada. While each gave a short speech I only have
the text for mine. Sufficed to say they were all lovely tributes.

Seeing you all here I am reminded of the promise offered by the Queen in the year
2020 during the first days of the pandemic; "We should take comfort that while we
may have more still to endure, better days will return: We will be with our friends
again; We will be with our families again; We will meet again.

It is good to see everyone out today as we celebrate a women who has spent 70
years in public service. In the R.B. Bennett display there is a video recounting
another Canadian monarch's feelings about their jubilee and their many years on
the throne. In it they state "I don't know why they are making such a fuss about me
now, I have only done my best." I think the Queen would say something similar. It
is this willingness to do one's best that lies at the heart of citizenship.

During the 1995 Referendum there was an incident that was embarrassing to the
government of the day but that demonstrated the Queen's willingness to serve. A
Quebec radio DJ impersonating then Prime Minister Jean Chretien managed to get
through the palace switchboard and talk to Her Majesty. During their conversation
the fake Chretien asked the Queen if she would give an address urging Quebec to
stay in Canada. She stated she would be willing to help. It should be appreciated
how difficult such an address would be to write but she was willing to do it
anyways. She was willing to do her best for Canada.

A lot has changed in 70 years but in the words of Philip Larkin speaking during the
Silver Jubilee; "In times when nothing stood, But worsened or grew strange, There
was one constant good: She did not change."

Surprise Announcement by MLA Mike
Holland on a Jubilee Medal

During Mike Holland's speech he announced that the New
Brunswick Government has decided to issue its own Platinum
Jubilee Medal. Details on eligibility will be announced in the
near future but it is likely to focus on frontline personnel.

On another front there was a bit of a good news-bad news
story. I had submitted a proposal to the Treasury Department,
with Mike Holland's assistance, for the forgiveness of all, or
most, student debt in the province as part of jubilee
celebrations. Admittedly this was a long shot shot but it never
hurts to ask. As it turns out full debt forgiveness was not on
the table but the Treasury Department did decide that they
could afford foregoing interest payments. This was announced
as a government policy, rather than a tribute to Her Majesty,
which is fine with me. I had noted in my submission that if
debt forgiveness was considered it should be more than a
token amount. Did my efforts contribute to this policy?
Impossible to say, the inner workings of government can be
opaque at times but it should be noted that even advocates for
debt forgiveness were surprised when interest payments were
ended so take that for what you will.

Anyways, that is all the news and gossip from this small
corner of Her Majesty's Canadian realm.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Blog Update: New Contributor

5/17/2022

Earlier today the maiden article was posted by a new
contributor to this site. He has chosen Lord Ludichris as
his pen name and is a UK citizen. As an 'outsider looking in' it
is expected he will bring a unique perspective to articles on
the Canadian monarchy. He will also be supplying articles on
the wider Commonwealth from time to time. He has stated
an interest in possibly getting into journalism in the future
and we hope that the practice here can help him with that.

This is the first new contributor in seven years. On that note,
The Maple Monarchists turns eight this month. We will
have to rustle up some cake at some point.

Loyally Yours,
The Maple Monarchists

Platinum Jubilee in April

4/30/2022

Royal Tour Announced for May

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will be coming
to Canada on May 17th and staying till May 19th. They will
visit the provinces of Newfoundland and Ontario as well as
the Northwest Territories.

Queen's Jubilee Classroom Challenge

Canadian Geographic Education has launched a competition
open to classrooms from kindergarten to grade 12. The
competition aims to highlight Canada's native flora. Rules for
the competition can be found here.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Platinum Jubilee in March

3/31/2022

Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan will issue Platinum Jubilee Medals

The government of Nova Scotia has announced that it will be
issuing its own Platinum Jubilee Medal. More info can be
found here.

Likewise, Saskatchewan has made a similar announcement
here.

The Loyal 96

On the 20th it was learned that a large number of Liberal MPs
has written a group letter to the Minister of Canadian
Heritage asking that a platinum jubilee medal be issued.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Platinum Jubilee in February

2/15/2022

February isn't exactly the best month to have a celebration but
here we are. February 6th marked the day 70 years ago that
Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen's Statement

Jubilee Pin

The government of Canada has produced
a Platinum Jubilee pin which is being
distributed by the Monarchist League of Canada. The pin features the emblem
designed by the Canadian Heraldic
Authority for this jubilee.

Flag Raising at Rideau Hall

Governor General Mary Simon participated in a flag raising at
Rideau Hall on February 6th. Rideau Hall is one of the two
official residences of the Canadian monarch in Canada.

Canada Post's Platinum Jubilee Stamp

New Brunswick Village Marks Jubilee

The Village of Hillsborough had adopted measures in
honour of Her Majesty's Jubilee that henceforth any tree cut
down in the municipality will be replaced by a tree of a species
native to Canada and that a review will be held every two
years to make sure green spaces in the municipality are well
cared for. This initiative has a similar purpose to the UK's
Green Canopy initiative being undertaken for this jubilee.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

The Year Ahead

1/18/2022

2022 is well underway and it is perhaps time to look ahead to
what the year has in store for the Canadian Monarchy.

The Platinum Jubilee

As detailed in my other post today Her Majesty's Platinum
Jubilee will be marked this year in some manner. My
understanding is that official events will start occurring after
February. Partly this is because of a combination of it taking
time for grants to be processed and money for jubilee events
to be distributed, partly its because no one wants to hold
events in the middle of a Canadian winter, and partly its the
lingering uncertainty around the pandemic.

I have my own projects I'm working on as Chairman of the
New Brunswick Branch of the Monarchist League of Canada
but those can be detailed in a separate post.

Vice-Regal Appointments?

2022 might see a number of vice-regal appointments. The
traditional length of a lieutenant governor is five years. There
are currently four of Her Majesty's representatives who have
held office longer than five years or who will reach that
milestone in 2022. The current Lieutenant Governor of
Ontario, Her Honour the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell,
has entered her eighth year in office. I find it doubtful the
premier will replace the lieutenant governor before the
scheduled June election so if it happens this year we might
expect the announcement around September (which is when
the last appointment occurred).

Green Party Leadership Race

As per the Green Party constitution a leadership race must be
called by May 24th of this year (although the end date might
be in 2023). The last race was a decidedly mixed bag for
anyone who supports the monarchy. The candidate with the
best score in the last survey, David Merner, has also stated he
will not be running again. There are already a couple declared
candidates who I will be reaching out to in coming weeks.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Platinum Jubilee News

1/18/2022

We are officially in the 70th year of Her Majesty's reign.
While events won't likely get started till the summer I wanted
to go over what we know so far.

Event Funding

The Department of Canadian Heritage opened applications
for funding in November. I know that the manager of the
Albert County Museum applied for funding. Interestingly,
she stated that the window for applying for a grant was very
short. Whether it was abnormally short is not a question I
can answer.

Monarchist League of Canada Seal

The Monarchist League of Canada
has released its own seal to mark Her
Majesty's Platinum Jubilee. Mitch
Ramsay-Mader's design was chosen
from a number of submissions. Several
submissions had to be rejected as they
used elements such as the royal cypher
which are for the Queen's use alone.
Mitch explaining his design:

"The profile of Her Majesty with seven maple leaves - six in free fall and
one integrated into the 70 emblem - each representing a decade of Her
Majesty's reign. The maple leaf integrated into the 70 represents 70
years of service to Canada by Her Majesty. The emblem is designed in
Canada's national colours (granted by the Queen's grandfather, George
V) - red and white."

Mitch is originally from Nova Scotia but now resides in Her
Majesty's other realm of Australia.

The Platinum Jubilee Medal Saga

Since I last wrote on the efforts to have an official Platinum
Jubilee Medal program there has been some media attention:

It is probably worth noting that the original Platinum Jubilee
Medal article has been this blog's most commented on post
ever.

Efforts in Parliament continue with two tory MPs having
released a statement on January 13th:

Ottawa. January 13 – John Nater, Conservative Shadow Minister for Canadian
Heritage, and Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative Shadow Minister for Public Services
and Procurement, are calling on the Liberal government to commission Queen
Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medals to celebrate the monarch’s 70th year as
Canada’s Head of State.

2022 marks a historic anniversary for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Seventy
years as Head of the Commonwealth and Canada’s Head of State is a remarkable
milestone that should be properly recognized and celebrated by the Government of
Canada. It is unacceptable that 2022 has already begun and the Department of
Canadian Heritage has not made any announcement regarding a Platinum Jubilee
Medal.

Should the Liberal government not proceed with the creation of a Queen Elizabeth
II Platinum Jubilee Medal, it would be the first time Canada failed to issue medals
for a jubilee. In 1977 and 2002, the Liberal governments of the day issued medals
for the sliver and golden jubilees. In 2012, the Conservative government issued the
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

To commemorate each jubilee, the Government of Canada awarded medals to
Canadians who made outstanding and exemplary contributions to their
communities or to Canada as a whole. During these unprecedented times, there is no shortage of Canadians deserving of recognition for their contributions to their communities and our country.

The Platinum Jubilee is not only a historic anniversary, but it is also an opportunity for the Liberal government to recognize Canadians. We believe that our front-line health care workers have shown remarkable courage and resilience throughout the last two years of the pandemic and deserve recognition for their service, courage, and sacrifice.

Canada’s Conservatives are calling on the Liberal government to take immediate action to commission Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medals and award medals to our front-line health workers who have stepped forward and answered the call. We believe their service should be formally acknowledged and the distribution of Platinum Jubilee Medals must go ahead without delay.

While great to see (especially from two MPs that hold critic
roles in their party) it is a bit of an opportunity missed. There
are MPs from many parties that agree with this statement and
such a bi-partisan statement would have had more impact.
Alas, perhaps partisanship in the House of Commons has
made such reasonable ideas impossible.

While efforts continue the usual timeline for these things is
becoming so compressed that I don't hold out much hope.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Platinum Jubilee Medal Update

10/31/2021

A few months back I detailed the efforts that were being
made to ensure a Platinum Jubilee Medal would be issued in
2022. This is a small update on how efforts are going.

The Monarchist League of Canada continues to have talks
with officials and is encouraging its members to reach out to
their MPs. A response from Canadian Heritage was received:

"The decision to create a medal is under the Prime Minister’s purview, and no
direction has been given thus far.
In Canada, commemorative medals are struck from time to time to mark
important anniversaries and are usually managed by the Chancellery of Honours
at Rideau Hall.
Currently, the UK is the only Commonwealth realm that has announced plans to
create a Platinum Jubilee medal.
One of the ways the government of Canada will invite Canadians to participate in
the Platinum Jubilee celebrations will be through funding in support of community-
based projects that will mark this historic milestone and offer Canadians an
opportunity to learn about the role of the Crown in Canada. PCH expects to launch
this funding initiative on November 1, 2021.
Canada looks forward to celebrating Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee throughout
2022 and planning is well underway. A series of initiatives to mark the Queen’s
remarkable 70 years of service to our country will be announced in due course.
Thanks again for reaching out and I hope this helps!"

Interestingly, the League also learned, quite by accident, that
a design for the medal has been completed but is under media
embargo. Why the government would delay the release of the
medal's design for so long is unknown.

MP Cheryl Gallant's petition on this matter closed on August
7th with 1826 signatures.

It is possible that the government is just waiting for the right
time to announce the creation of the jubilee medal but until
we know more the safest course is to continue bringing up the
issue with elected officials.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Will Canada issue a Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2022?

6/30/2021

2002 Gold Jubilee Medal

The year 2022 will mark the Queen's
70th year on the throne of Canada. It
is customary for medals marking a
jubilee to be given out to deserving
Canadians during the jubilee year.
However, it was learned earlier this
year that no such medal is planned
to be issued for the Queen's Platinum
Jubilee. This is made all the more
unfortunate by the pandemic having
produced a long list of people who
are deserving of special recognition
of the type a periodic medal would
be well-suited to provide.

Timeline of Events

April 9th: Before this decision became public knowledge a
petition was already being posted on the House of Commons
website by MP Cheryl Gallant.
April 29th: Chairman Finch of the Monarchist League of
Canada informed the membership that he has learned there
are no plans for a platinum jubilee medal. A call for a letter
writing campaign was made at this time.
May 14th: Chairman Finch posted an update noting he has
had several good conversations with various individuals, in
and out of public life.
May 19th: NDP MP Daniel Blaikie called one League
member stating he was surprised to learn no medal was being
considered and noting, "I've known many that have received
the Diamond Jubilee Medal and it was a wonderful
encouragement to them."
May 29th: The League released a simple infopic for posting
to social media:

June 13th: Two League members shared excepts from their
conversations with their MPs. They were MPs Nelly Shin and
Michael Chong and both expressed support for, at the very
least, a platinum jubilee medal.
June 16th: Chairman Finch provided an update on the fight.
The government was reviewing the costs associated with the
issuing of a jubilee medal. It was also revealed several
premiers had been privately advocating for the medal.
June 19th: Monarchist League details the social media reach
of a single League member. Currie Dixon, the Leader of the
Official Opposition in the Yukon Legislature thanked the
League for its efforts and informed them Motion 77, urging
the federal government to issue a platinum jubilee medal, had
been added to the order paper.
June 28th: A League member in Ontario was thanked for his
letter writing campaign which has seen hundreds of letters go
out.

And this is where the jubilee medal campaign stands today. It
is possible with MPs returning home for the summer and the
pandemic restrictions lifting it will be easier to do the sort of
in-person advocacy that greatly benefits these sorts of
endeavors.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

<<Previous

Forward>>

The Monarchist Angle to the Lisa LaFlamme Story

Dispute Over Jubilee Coverage.

Michael Melling; Republican or Ass?

Albert County Museum Jubilee Event: Speeches and a Surprise Announcement

Speeches by the Dignitaries

Surprise Announcement by MLA Mike
Holland on a Jubilee Medal

Blog Update: New Contributor

Platinum Jubilee in April

Royal Tour Announced for May

Queen's Jubilee Classroom Challenge

Platinum Jubilee in March

Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan will issue Platinum Jubilee Medals

The Loyal 96

Platinum Jubilee in February

Queen's Statement

Jubilee Pin

Flag Raising at Rideau Hall

Canada Post's Platinum Jubilee Stamp

New Brunswick Village Marks Jubilee

The Year Ahead

The Platinum Jubilee

Vice-Regal Appointments?

Green Party Leadership Race

Platinum Jubilee News

Event Funding

Monarchist League of Canada Seal

The Platinum Jubilee Medal Saga

Platinum Jubilee Medal Update

Will Canada issue a Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2022?

Timeline of Events

About

Archives

Categories

Dispute Over Jubilee Coverage.

Michael Melling; Republican or Ass?

Speeches by the Dignitaries

Surprise Announcement by MLA Mike Holland on a Jubilee Medal

Royal Tour Announced for May

Queen's Jubilee Classroom Challenge

Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan will issue Platinum Jubilee Medals

The Loyal 96

Queen's Statement

Jubilee Pin

Flag Raising at Rideau Hall

Canada Post's Platinum Jubilee Stamp

New Brunswick Village Marks Jubilee

The Platinum Jubilee

Vice-Regal Appointments?

Green Party Leadership Race

Event Funding

Monarchist League of Canada Seal

The Platinum Jubilee Medal Saga

Timeline of Events

About

Archives

Categories

Surprise Announcement by MLA Mike
Holland on a Jubilee Medal