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A Letter Shared by the Monarchist League of Canada on Practical Ways to Increase Visibility and Understanding of the Canadian Monarchy

11/30/2024

 
On the 26th, the Monarchist League of Canada shared a letter
from one of its members with practical ways the monarchy
could be better highlighted to Canadians. The text of that
​letter has been reproduced below with commentary following.

​I would very much like to commend you on your important
work and also for your very impressive, and motivational,
website. As a former aide-de-camp to the Lieutenant-
Governor of Nova Scotia, I think of myself as a proud
Canadian monarchist. I thoroughly enjoyed perusing your
website and was happy to learn more about your ardent
advocacy role in our country. I also very much enjoyed the
suggestions we as ordinary citizens can do to advocate for our
monarchy.  With this in mind, I thought I might offer a few
additional suggestions you might wish to consider.  These
ideas are intended to help close the gap in many people’s
thinking that our Royal Family are British and therefore not
Canadian.  Some thoughts follow:

a. Improve Parliamentary and Rideau Hall Tours. As a
resident of Ottawa, I can confirm that Parliamentary tours, of
the House of Commons and Senate, as well as Rideau Hall,
provide little real context for these important institutions. A
substantial portion of the explanation provided during the
visits is focused upon architecture. At most the fact that
Canada is a constitutional monarchy, and that King Charles
III is our sovereign, is mentioned in passing. The expectation
is that visitors will know what this means, which sadly is not
usually the case. These tours should provide a more fulsome,
yet concise, explanation of our form of government, the
difference between the institution of the Crown and the Royal
Family members, the uniqueness of our Canadian system, and
the benefits of such a system compared to other models. Such
an approach would provide context for the institutions being
visited. We need to advocate for our system of government.

b. Explain Why We Take The Loyal Oath. Similar to the
above, there are times and institutions, such as when recruits
join the Canadian Armed Forces, where people are required to
take the loyal oath. Regrettably, there is never an explanation
of why this is required, or why it is important.  Such an
explanation would make the oath more meaningful and
hopefully produce better informed advocates for our system.      
c. Conduct Easily Achievable Royal Visits To Canadian Units
Visiting Or Near The United Kingdom. Propose that HRH
Prince William routinely visit Canadian service personnel as
they train or transit near the UK.  Prince William is ideal for
this role considering the current health challenges of HM
King Charles III; this will establish a longstanding connection
with our future monarch and Canadian service personnel.
Such visits could be accomplished with minimal disruption to
the Prince’s calendar. A visit to one Navy, Army, and Air Force
unit annually, with appropriate media coverage in Canada,
would be ideal and would not be overly intrusive in the
Prince’s annual duties. For example, the Royal Canadian Air
Force (RCAF) currently has an entire Canadian crew posted to
Lossiemouth, Scotland, undergoing training with the Royal
Air Force on the P8 Poseidon aircraft. Imagine the delight of
the crew if HRH Prince William were to conduct a short
notice, unannounced to the outside world, visit and draw
attention to their important work and make some
congratulatory remarks about the 100th anniversary of the
RCAF.  It would be magic if an article appeared in a major
Canadian newspaper and other news. Similarly, His Majesty’s
Canadian Ships routinely participate in both the NATO
Standing Naval Force Atlantic and Standing Naval Force
Mediterranean formations, which regularly brings them to UK
ports. It would be easy to visit one of these ships during a stop
over. Or the ship’s helicopter could fly the Prince onboard.
Under OP UNIFIER, there is a Canadian Army detachment in
the UK to train Ukrainian soldiers. Also, there is a Canadian-
led brigade forming in Latvia with routine re-supply flights
from Canada which transit near/through the UK. It would be
easy for HRH to be flown to the brigade and back. Most of
these examples are short duration visits that could be
accomplished within a day, often less, and if carefully planned
would result in no, or negligible, additional incremental cost
to the Canadian taxpayer. Although it would be ideal if HRH
Prince William performed the first round of visits, he would
not need to conduct all subsequent events. Through these
routine visits, i.e. three a year, Canadians would become
familiar with members of the Royal Family taking a regular
interest in Canadian service personnel.

d. Conduct Mirco-Royal Visits To Canada. We are fortunate
that Canada is relatively close to the UK.  Despite the
proximity, Royal visits to Canada tend to be long in duration
and include many elements; their very nature has become
complicated and as a result are infrequent. Imagine if a
member of the Royal Family, preferably HRH Prince William,
our future King, conducted one or two ‘surgical’ micro-visits a
year. These visits would be short duration, e.g. one day on the
ground, and very limited in scope but would be designed to
form a routine link to the Canadian people. For example,
consider the NHL playoffs last year, the last game played in
Edmonton (the second last game of the entire season where
Edmonton represented the only remaining Canadian team
vying for Lord Stanley’s Cup). There could have been so much
good public relations generated if Prince William were
discovered spectating the game. Such a visit would need to be
carefully choreographed with appropriate media coverage and
security, of course. Given that the UK’s largest training area is
in Alberta and serviced with support flights, a very low-cost
visit could have been designed. This is just one example of
how such routine micro-visits could increase the bond
between our future monarch and the Canadian people.
                                                                                                                  In closing, I hope you find the above ideas useful; they are not
intended to be all encompassing, but rather to provide
examples of what might be possible.  I am sure there are many
other great ideas out there. The proposals above are designed
to improve the knowledge and pride of Canadians in our
unique form of government, establish a routine, visible link
between Canadian service personnel and our Monarchy, and
finally, generate regular contact between our future Monarch
and Canadian society.  Wishing you continued success in your
vital work.

​John in Ottawa

John's first and second suggestion touches on a topic that has
bedeviled Canada for much of the last 50+ years; a lack of
knowledge about Canadian institutions and history combined
with a tendency to focus on the place rather than what goes
on at the place. It really can't be taken for granted anymore
that Canadians would know much of anything about their
country.

John's third suggestion is easily achievable. It is about as
easily achievable as the Royal Family advocating for Canadian
businesses while in other countries in much the same way
they do for British businesses. Which is to say, the only thing
stopping it from happening is the political will of the
government of the day asking the Royal Family to do this.

I'm somewhat in disagreement with the final point. I don't
think current royal tours are long enough. Not to say micro-
tours aren't a useful concept - the Prince of Wales attending
the Stanley Cup playoffs is a good one - its just that I would
hate for them to become the norm. Because once the length is
the norm, cutting down the number of them becomes far too
easy. The problem we face is that the monarchy is seen as
separate from Canadian identity. I want a member of the
Royal Family here so long they become part of the furniture,
so to speak. This is why I have long advocated for a member of
the Royal Family taking on the position of governor general.

That said, these are achievable goals and worth Canadian
monarchists looking into.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour 

Building Institutions: An Update on the State of Academic Research on Monarchy

6/28/2024

 
Picture
In the decade since my first post on 
this topic there has been an explosion 
in interest regarding whether having 
a monarchy has tangible effects on a 
country's development. As it turns out 
a growing body of research says it does
(sometimes to the surprise of the 
researchers themselves). Today I
wanted to highlight two studies I've
recently come across regarding the nurturing of good
economic institutions and results.

Republics and Monarchies: A Differential Analysis of
Economic Growth Link
is a study published in 2019 by 
Professors Collins C. Ngwakwe and Mokoko P. Sebola of the
University of Limpopo, South Africa. The study notes that
economic growth between constitutional monarchies and
republics is not statistically significant. However, it was
found that, even if not statistically significant constitutional
monarchy did still edge out republics slightly in mean GDP. 

The primary finding of the paper was that constitutional
monarchies had a lower variance statistic (a measure of
instability) than republics and seems to indicate they are
more economically stable. Readers might recall that one of
the first studies I looked at (The 2008 study by Christian
Bjørnskov & Peter Kurrild‐Klitgaard) noted that over short
time frames republics handle institutional reforms poorly
before 'bouncing back'. This would account for a higher
instability score at a more zoomed out time frame. The
explanation they provide is also interesting;
"The paper provides practical recommendation that being a republic is not a
sufficient panacea for economic growth if the excesses that retard growth are left
unbridled, these includes inter alia undue interference that obscures economic
certainty for investors."
Readers will also note that my last article I published on this
topic in 2018 had a study by Mauro Guillén that found pretty
much the same thing. The mechanism for encouraging less
messing around in the economy for economic gain are not
fully understood but I will provide one theory of my own.

When traditional monarchies were in the process of turning
into constitutional monarchies, perhaps the aim of parliament
was to prevent the monarchy from interfering in the economy.
But once the politicians were in control, the very same limits
that they had created now limited them in this regard.
Republics have had no such incentives as the presidency is an
institution they hope to one day hold and placing limits on it
may be seen as self-defeating. As such, economic interference
by the executive is allowed to continue unabated.

Disclaimer: This theory is just based on what evidence I
have from these studies and my own knowledge of history, it
could be completely wrong.



The next study was published in 2018 before I had written my
last article but it was published in an off-line economics
journal in Scotland. So it was a bit harder to get ahold of. I've
recently discovered the joys of inter-library loans so don't be
surprised if more studies are highlighted from similar
sources. 'God Save The Queen
, God Save Us All? Monarchies
And Institutional Quality
' by Prof. Sebastian Garmann is a bit
more beefy and had numerous conclusions. Note that due to
this study being a bit harder for people to get ahold of
themselves I've quoted far more of the results than I
otherwise would have. Also note that this researcher didn't
separate constitutional and absolute monarchies and applies
to both.

1. Base line results:
"Most importantly, I find highly significant (at the 1% level)
effects of monarchy on institutional quality for all six
indicators. In most cases, the t-statistic exceeds five. As the
indicators have been normalized to a standard deviation of
one, the coefficients can simply be interpreted in terms of
standard deviations. The maximum effect is found for
“Control of corruption”, for which the estimate suggests that
monarchy is associated with an increase in approximately
one standard deviation. The lowest effect, which is found for
“Voice and accountability”, still suggests an increase in more
than 0.4 standard deviations. The effects are thus of a very
large magnitude."


2. Mediating Factors:
"In the robustness checks, I show that the results still hold
when all control variables are included simultaneously."


3. Geographic Mediators
"While the coefficients of main interest slightly drop in size,
they all stay statistically significant. With the exception of
“Voice and accountability” as the outcome, all monarchy
effects are even significant at the 1% level with large t-
statistics. Thus, geographical factors cannot explain away
the positive association between monarchy and institutional
quality."


4. Historical Mediators
"From the historical variables, the legal origin indicators
show that all legal origins perform better than Socialist legal
origin. However, only Scandinavian and German legal
origin is significant in most specifications. The other control
variables also seldom show any significant effects.
Importantly, the monarchy effects stay highly significant
and of a very large magnitude. Thus, historical factors
cannot explain away the association between monarchy and
institutional quality."


5. Socioeconomic mediators
"From the control variables, GDP per capita has – as
expected – a highly significant positive influence on
institutional quality. The same is true in some cases for
population density, which obviously seems more important
than population size per se. ... Most importantly, monarchy
is still significantly associated with most indicators, and the
magnitude of the coefficients stays roughly the same. The
only exceptions are the outcomes “Political stability and
absence of violence” as well as “Voice and accountability”,
for which the monarchy effect is marginally insignificant (p-
values 0.126 and 0.138). However, the magnitude of these
effects is comparable to the magnitudes seen in Tables 1–3
and the marginal insignificance therefore was likely caused
by the strong decline in the number of observations (and
thus also in the available degrees of freedom). ... It is
interesting to assess the magnitude of the monarchy effect.
For example, consider the outcome “Government
effectiveness”. Going from a republic to a monarchy
increases this indicator by approximately 0.4 standard
deviations. As a comparison, an increase in the Polity2 index
of 1 point increases this indicator by approximately 0.025
standard deviations. Thus, taking these estimates at face
value, a change in the constitutional form from a republic to
a monarchy would have, ceteris paribus, the same effect as
an increase in the polity2 index of 16 points. As the polity2
index ranges from -10 to 10, this would imply that a change
from a republic to a monarchy would have approximately
the same effect on “Government effectiveness” as going from
a (moderate) autocracy (“anocracy” according to Fearon
and Laitin, 2003) to a full democracy.
Thus, the estimated
monarchy effects are extremely large and meaningful."


As always, the new studies have been added to Useful Links.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

The King's Cancer Announcement and Responses

2/9/2024

 
Picture
The announcement that the King 
had cancer was surprising for a 
number of reasons. For starters, 
the fact the Royal Family was even 
forthcoming about the surgery 
that resulted in its discovery is a 
change in policy from how these 
matters are usually handled. That 
the cancer diagnosis was then 
announced even more so. Clearly, 
the King feels he should be more 
open about his health than his 
mother was. There have been several attempts at armchair
diagnoses with people wondering if this means King Charles'
reign will be far shorter than anyone imagined. Such thinking
can go both ways; releasing the information may be a way of
easing the public into the idea he might die soon. On the other
hand, the fact this cancer was discovered seemingly by
accident before it had manifested any symptoms can be seen
as good news (the only thing known about it currently is it is
not prostate cancer). And, of course, given the pernicious
nature of cancer its possible both are equally true.

Responses from Canadians

Governor General Mary Simon released the following
statement of February 5th:
"My husband, Whit, and I join with all Canadians in sending our best wishes to His
Majesty The King as he begins cancer treatment.

His Majesty has always led with passion and he has always endeavoured to inspire
others to create a better world. Today, with this news, he once again is leading by
example. So many Canadians are going through this battle. Two out of every five
Canadians will be diagnosed with a type of cancer in their lifetime. Seeing His
Majesty acknowledge cancer so openly and publicly will hopefully encourage and
motivate those who are struggling with their own treatment. We admire The King’s
strength and determination as he confronts this disease.

To His Majesty and to the entire Royal Family, our thoughts are with you today
and always."
The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario made the following post
​on Facebook: 
A CHAIN OF PRAYER
The Anglican Lord Bishop of Ontario, whose See City is Kingston, composed the
prayer below, which we commend to all Christians to forward to their rector,
minister, or pastor for use in worship, as well as to use in their own supplications. 

As well as a French translation, we have also taken the Liberty of providing a
slightly-amended version which could be used by people of non-Christian faiths.

In our diverse country, over 60% tell pollsters they believe in God, with roughly
another 15% saying they are unsure, and about 25% being non-believers in a Deity. 

In that spirit, would it not be a wonderful thing for the believers reading this
EComm to forward it to family, friends and colleagues throughout the land, as well
as post it on their favorite social media platforms, so forming a chain of prayer,
love and concern.

As in all things outside our remit, we simply repeat the timeless advice: all may,
some should, none must.   


PRAYERS FOR HIS MAJESTY
IN LIGHT OF RECENT ILLNESS
 
CHRISTIAN VERSION
Almighty God, and healer of all our infirmities, from whom all sovereignty takes its
pattern, we pray for the good health and recovery of our gracious Sovereign King
Charles III.  Give him strength of body and spirit to continue in service to his
people.  Grant wisdom and skill to all those who treat him, and patience, peace and
a glad heart to the Queen as she supports The King in his work and recovery. Grant
that, restored to health, he may yet serve all the peoples of this land and the whole
Commonwealth, and follow the way of the Saviour, Jesus Christ our Lord, who
with the Holy Spirit remains ever one God, world without end. AMEN

SUGGESTED FOR ALL FAITHS 
Almighty God, and healer of all our infirmities, from whom all sovereignty takes its
pattern, we pray for the good health and recovery of our gracious Sovereign King
Charles III.  Give him strength of body and spirit to continue in service to his
people.  Grant wisdom and skill to all those who treat him, and patience, peace and
a glad heart to the Queen as she supports The King in his work and recovery. Grant
that, restored to health, he may yet serve all the peoples of this land and the whole
Commonwealth, and so follow the way of the God who lovest us all. AMEN

PRIÈRE : VERSION CHRÉTIENNE
Dieu tout-puissant et guérisseur de toutes nos infirmités, de qui toute souveraineté
tire son modèle, nous prions pour la bonne santé et le rétablissement de notre
gracieux souverain, le roi Charles III.  Donnez-lui la force du corps et de l'esprit
pour continuer à servir son peuple.  Accordez la sagesse et la compétence à tous
ceux qui le soignent, ainsi que la patience, la paix et un cœur joyeux à la Reine qui
soutient le Roi dans son travail et son rétablissement. Faites que, rétabli, il puisse
encore servir tous les peuples de ce pays et du Commonwealth tout entier, et suivre
la voie du Sauveur, Jésus-Christ notre Seigneur, qui, avec le Saint-Esprit, reste
toujours un seul Dieu, dans le monde entier. AMEN

PRIÈRE: SUGGÉRÉE POUR TOUTES LES RELIGIONS
Dieu tout-puissant et guérisseur de toutes nos infirmités, de qui toute souveraineté
tire son modèle, nous prions pour la bonne santé et le rétablissement de notre
gracieux souverain, le roi Charles III.  Donnez-lui la force du corps et de l'esprit
pour continuer à servir son peuple.  Accordez la sagesse et la compétence à tous
ceux qui le soignent, ainsi que la patience, la paix et un cœur joyeux à la Reine qui
soutient le Roi dans son travail et son rétablissement. Faites que, rétabli, il puisse
encore servir tous les peuples de ce pays et du Commonwealth tout entier, et suivre
ainsi le chemin du Dieu qui nous aime tous. AMEN 
The Chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada has also
put out a statement;
"I know that all members of the League, and indeed all Canadians, will be holding
our King, Queen Camilla and the entire Royal Family in our hearts during what
must be a most difficult time for them, and one of anxiety for all, especially us and
our fellow inhabitants of the Realms. That 20% of us will be similarly afflicted in
our life time brings The King even closer to his subjects, and us to him. 

You may mail good wishes to The King at Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA -
it does require postage. And nothing would please His Majesty more than to know
you will be doing a good work his name and honour, such as donating to the
Canadian Cancer Society, visiting the sick or bringing some treats to where
homeless people gather."

A Response from India

On a beach in Odisha, India a sand sculptor named Sudarsan
Pattnaik created an impressive tribute to the King; 
Picture
The King has temporarily stepped away from his duties while
he undergoes treatment. This has impacted one major
engagement thus far with him sending congratulations to
Grenada on its 50th year of independence and expressing
regret he could not be there to celebrate the occasion in
person.

With the King getting treatment there is the question of how
his various engagements will be divided up among the other
'working royals'. Princess Anne, indefatigable though she may
be, can't reasonably take on more duties. Prince William may
step up but there is also a possibility Lady Louise Windsor
(the King's niece) will take on duties as has been speculated
since 2023.

To finish off, I would like to wish His Majesty a speedy
recovery.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

A Collection of Loyal Quotes: Part Six

2/28/2023

 
Picture
"I do not consider myself to be a rabid 
monarchist. I am pretty laissez-faire about
our relationship with the monarchy. It does
not bother me in my day-to-day workings,
not only as a citizen of our country but also
as a member of Parliament. In my humble
opinion, monarchs can truly be above
politics. They do not have any political
affiliations. In fact, if the King were to
meddle in domestic politics, that would be
seen as highly inappropriate and would probably result in a
constitutional crisis.
​

It is important to realize that our oath to the King, to the
heirs and successors of the King, is not to an individual
person; it is rather to that person as an embodiment of the
Crown as an institution. It is a symbol of the Canadian state,
a ship that continues to sail on despite the occasional
changing of its captains. The monarch's continual rule
provides legislative and policy consistency over long periods
of time. Governments come and go but the Crown remains.


Canada is not alone in this. Constitutional monarchies in
western Europe include the United Kingdom, Denmark,
Spain, Norway, the Netherlands, Monaco, Belgium,
Luxembourg and Sweden, countries we would all uphold as
successful, with strong social foundations, strong democratic
participation and, in many cases, serving as models for what
Canada could aspire to be. Asia, Japan and Thailand are
also constitutional monarchies as well.


When we are talking about the institution of Parliament, and
this is what I like to talk to my students in my riding about,
because we often talk about Parliament and the House of
Commons interchangeability, Parliament means the House,
the Senate and the Crown, which is represented by our
Governor General, all three constituent parts that are
required to pass a bill into law. No bill could become a law
without any of those bodies playing an important role.


I also want to address the need for the monarchy to address
past injustices. I may be saying that the monarchy is okay to
stay in Canada, but that does not mean it cannot and must
not change with the times in which we find ourselves. Many
people around the world have a very troubled history and
relationship with the British Crown. It has to confront and
deal with legacies of colonialism, of slavery and, particularly
in Canada, the treatment of indigenous people and
residential schools.


His Majesty King Charles III has an unparalleled
opportunity to move the monarchy forward in a way that is
acceptable and more relevant to today's generation. As a
king, he has the opportunity to go further than his
predecessors, to truly understand the 21st century in which
we find ourselves. It is my sincere hope that in his first visit
to Canada, he takes the time to meet with indigenous elders
to truly understand the Crown's role in the residential school
system and in colonialism. He owes that to Canada's
indigenous peoples, he owes that to the wider public here to
fully address those past wrongs and to set a path forward.


I will not be supporting this motion today. I will continue to
stand in the House and represent my constituents and their
far more pressing needs."


~Alistair MacGregor, Politician and Tree Planter

​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

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

Picture

Jubilee Pin

Picture
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.
Picture

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

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

Picture
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

Queen & Governor General's Statements on the First National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

9/30/2021

 
Picture
"I join with all Canadians on this first 
National Day for Truth and 
Reconciliation to reflect on the painful 
history that Indigenous peoples endured 
in residential schools in Canada, and on 
the work that remains to heal and to 
continue to build an inclusive society
" 

~Her Majesty the Queen

Picture
"As we mark the first National Day for
Truth and Reconciliation, I think back to
how my childhood shaped me. How so
many in our community, and thousands
more Indigenous children across Canada,
were ripped away from their homes,
separated from their families and sent to
residential schools, where they were not
allowed to speak their languages or
honour their cultures, and were punished if they did.

As the child of a white father and an Inuk mother, I was not
allowed to attend. I stayed behind, home-schooled, and
visited families where there was a palpable void. I was a
stand-in, a well-loved substitute, for mothers and fathers
who desperately missed their children.

We all felt it. The sorrow of missing a part of our
community.

Since the launch of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
of Canada and the publication of Calls to Action—and more
recently, with the discoveries of unmarked graves of
residential school children—Canada’s real history has been
laid bare. The legacy of colonization has had devastating
repercussions for Indigenous peoples, including the loss of
language, culture and heritage. This pain has been felt from
generation to generation, and it continues today.

These are uncomfortable truths, and often hard to accept.
But the truth also unites us as a nation, brings us together to
dispel anger and despair, and embrace justice, harmony and
trust instead.

Reconciliation is a way of life, continuous, with no end date.
It is learning from our lived experiences and understanding
one another. It is creating the necessary space for us to heal.
It is planting seeds of hope and respect so that our garden
blooms for our children.

As we strive to acknowledge the horrors of the past, the
suffering inflicted on Indigenous peoples, let us all stand
side-by-side with grace and humility, and work together to
build a better future for all.
"
​
~Her Excellency Mary Simon


Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Fundy Royal 2021 Candidate Profiles

9/7/2021

 
Picture
The following is a survey of the party 
candidates running in the riding of 
Fundy Royal on the topic of the 
monarchy. It is mostly for my own 
use as a voter but the questions may 
be of use to other monarchists who
want to ask their own candidates 
​what their views are. 

The Candidates

Rob Moore, Conservative Party (Incumbent, 5th run)
Whitney Dykeman, Liberal Party (1st run)
Tim Thompson, Green Party (2nd run)
Josh Floyd, New Democratic Party (1st run)
Wayne Wheeler, People's Party (1st run)

Questions & Replies

1. What are your views on the monarchy?

Moore: I think it’s important for Canadians to understand
and be proud of our history within the Commonwealth and
the role of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. 

Dykeman: Canada and the United Kingdom share a long-
standing and valuable history, which we respect and
acknowledge. As a constitutional monarchy with a Parliament
comprised of the Sovereign, the Senate, and the House of
Commons, Canada’s form of government is among the most
stable and enduring in the world. We were proud that, on the
Prime Minister’s recommendation, Her Majesty Queen
Elizabeth II has approved the appointment of Mary Simon as
our Governor General.

Thompson: I believe that a constitutional monarch plays an
important role in Canada and support maintaining our place
as a commonwealth nation with the Queen being the Head of
State. I also recognize the challenges surrounded by
colonialism and believe we need to follow through with the
Calls of Action for Truth and Reconciliation.

Floyd: [The] Monarchy generally is less relevant to
Canadians today, but any kind of constitutional change isn’t a
priority for us or for Canadians during the pandemic.

Wheeler: My view on the monarchy is this - it’s part of our
history and therefore should be taught in schools; but I think
we should be our own country.

2. As MP would you push to make the Advisory
Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments that was
active between 2010 and 2015 a permanent part of
the process for choosing governor generals and
lieutenant governors?


Moore: Conservatives created the Vice-Regal Appointments
Committee as a non-partisan appointment process to
nominate Canada’s Governor General - and it works. We’ve
seen, and will pay for, the consequence of the Liberals
snubbing this proven process.

Thompson: Choosing a GG, LG and/or territorial
commissioner is a very important process.  I support the
Advisory Committee but would ensure to have First Nations /
Indigenous representation on the committee, which has not
been done before. 

Floyd: We would like to see a more transparent and multi-
partisan approach to selecting the Governor General.

Wheeler: As for the Advisory Committee, it could still be
useful to find qualified people for the position  but I think
they should be voted on by Canadians other then appointed.

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?


Moore: When the Liberals ended the service of sending
portraits of The Queen to Canadians, they said that a digital
copy would be universally accessible. That would only be true
if all Canadians have access to a computer and reliable
internet - they should know better than anyone that this isn’t
the case. Government agencies send hard copy
correspondence to Canadians regularly. I would be interested
to know why this particular service was ended, and how it
could be salvaged under a Conservative government.

Thompson: Canadians and NGOs that wish to have a copy
of the Queen's official portrait should be able to visit their
constituency office and a copy be provided. In an effort to
reduce the amount of copies printed that are not sent out and
to promote engagement with MPs I think offering this service
locally across Canada would benefit all Canadians.

Floyd: It is not currently a focus of the NDP to restore the
portrait program.

Wheeler: The program to supply portraits not a problem
with that whatsoever...it’s part of our history.

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?


Moore: When the Liberal’s removed The Queen’s portrait
from the lobby of 
Foreign Affairs shortly after their election in
2015, they 
signaled to Canadians that it was okay to ignore
that history. 
The Conservative Party of Canada takes a very
different 
approach to acknowledging and respecting our ties
to the monarchy.


Thompson: With the Queen being the constitutional 
monarch in Canada the official portrait should be displayed
by Canadian Departments. With this I would also wish to have
Indigenous Art displayed to recognize Canada's diversity. 

Wheeler: ...the portrait should be on the walls of parliament!

5. There are currently no plans for a Platinum
Jubilee Medal to mark Her Majesty's reign in 2022.
Given the large number of health workers (among
others) deserving of special recognition will you
work towards making sure a medal is issued?

(Note: This question was added after replies from the NDP,
Liberals, Conservatives, and People's Party had already been
received. I will contact the other parties again and add their
responses if given.) 

Thompson: As a veteran that has served Canada and the
Monarch for over 14 years I believe it is important to mark
this special occasion. Covid_19 has demonstrated that
essential workers are the true heroes in Canada. Utilizing the
Queens Platinum Jubilee with the creation of a medal would
be a very respectful way of saying Thank you to those front
line workers.   I would work towards marking this milestone
with a medal.

Thank you to all the candidates who took the time to
get back to me and good luck with your campaigns.


Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Statement by Chairman Finch of the Monarchist League of Canada

7/6/2021

 
REPUBLICANISM WILL NOT HELP WITH RECONCILIATION 
 
In the aftermath of the horrific discoveries of the bodies of Indigenous children at 
former residential schools across the country, Indigenous and non-Indigenous 
Canadians have rightly been asking themselves what more can be done to help 
achieve reconciliation. 

Recently, a school in Creston, BC removed its royal connection and renamed the 
Prince Charles Secondary School. Statues of Queen Victoria have been toppled and 
vandalized with barely a whimper of disapproval. On Twitter, so-called allies of 
Indigenous peoples without a shred of sober second thought equate anyone who 
supports the Crown with condoning and enabling genocide. All, of course, in the 
name of reconciliation. 

Unfortunately, there is a belief among some that erasing symbols of the monarchy
and the Royal Family will somehow help bridge the divide between us. Some want
to go as far as abolishing the monarchy altogether, replacing the Queen and the
Crown with a President and republican system of government. They argue that
republicanism is the way forward towards reconciliation. However, they could not
be more wrong in that assertion.

Just as in the broader population, Indigenous opinion on the monarchy is far from
being universal. Some support it, some do not, and some don’t care.  However,
reconciliation does not mean republicanism. Nowhere in the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission is there a call for ending the monarchy in Canada. In
fact, a general theme found throughout its ninety-four calls to action is how the
Indigenous-Crown relationship can be fostered and strengthened. The final call to
action called upon the government to amend the Oath of Citizenship to include a
reference to treaties all while keeping references to The Queen and her successors.
Hardly a republican manifesto.

It is surely worth asking what exactly a republic would even achieve in the first
place for Canada’s First Nations, Inuit, and Metis. Would the lives of Indigenous
peoples be improved? Would they be better off? Well, have the Indigenous
populations prospered in our republican neighbours to the south, the United States
and Mexico? Surely not.

Today, there exists great public support for Indigenous people, concern for their
causes, and regret for past wrongs. But tearing down other institutions that are
important to many – including Indigenous people - is not the way to go tactically
or strategically to achieve reconciliation. Ditto for any widespread charges of
colonialism and the like applied to today’s Royal Family who, quite frankly, have
done more to champion Indigenous issues than many of our politicians,
bureaucrats, academics, pundits, and so-called activists.

Blaming The Queen or other members of the Royal Family for the misdeeds and
mistakes of the past is undeserved and ultimately unhelpful to the reconciliation
cause and the country. We have an exciting opportunity to come together and
rebuild the nation-to-nation relationship between the Crown and Indigenous
peoples. Perhaps the Queen herself has a special role to play in this rebuilding. Let’s
seize the moment. Let’s not squander it with ill-conceived actions that will only
further divide us. 
Release July 3rd.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour
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