Monarchist Profile: Elizabeth May

Elizabeth May was born in Hartford,
Connecticut to Stephanie and John May in
1954. While both parents were born in New
York, her father was raised in England. Her
father's influence on his daughter's turn to
monarchism can only be guessed at. He 
served in both the British Home Guard and
US Army Air Corps. Later in life he took to
immersing himself in the culture of his
Highland Scottish ancestors and creating
miniature armies from the Napoleonic
Wars. Elizabeth May is a practicing Anglican has even said
her long term goals include being ordained as an Anglican
Priest.

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First elected as a Member of Parliament in 2011 Elizabeth
May has been both vocal and eager about her support for
Canada's monarchy. Her tribute to Her Majesty on the
occasion of her Diamond Jubilee remains one of the most
detailed defences of the Canadian Crown ever given in the
​House of Commons.

Of particular concern to Ms. May has been the slow move
towards a more 'presidential' prime minister. In May of 2015
she noted that the government of the day had tried to find a
new place to greet foreign dignitaries and heads of state other
than Rideau Hall (the Governor General's residence). This
concern about presidentialism seems to be a key part of Ms.
May's monarchism. In her book Losing Confidence: Power,
Politics and the Crisis in Canadian Democracy published in
​2010 May wrote:

Elizabeth May has also spoken favourably about the Royal
Family of Jordan (even if in the context of questioning having
closer economic ties with the kingdom):

"​Jordan has many things to recommend it but democracy is not among them. It is a
monarchy. However, the late King Hussein of Jordan was always seen as someone
of enormous wisdom. I must say that I was always impressed by his sense of
wisdom and by his wife, Queen Noor, who was a strong advocate for the
environment. I had the great honour of serving on the earth charter commission,
which was co-chaired by Mikhail Gorbachev and Maurice Strong. I had the good
fortune to get to know Princess Basma of Jordan, who was King Hussein's sister.
As I approach this, I have a sense of Jordan's place in the world and a sense of,
albeit small, personal connection."

Indeed her remarks in Parliament have been peppered with
references to the monarchy to an extent few others compare
to. But just because Elizabeth May has been eager has not
meant she has always been effective.

Recently she tweeted (and using Twitter to express herself
was probably the first mistake) a congratulatory message to
Jagmeet Singh, the new leader of the NDP, in which she
reminded him that Canada does not elect prime ministers and
that the presidentalization of the office was a worrying trend.
Mr. Singh had commented that "I'm officially launching my
campaign to be the next Prime Minister of Canada". While
Ms. May was correct the response was panned by nearly
everyone as condescending. This is unfortunate as Mr. Singh
has not been supportive of the monarchy. One would
hope as a fellow parliamentarian Elizabeth May could help
Mr. Singh see the monarchy in a new light. Her tweet did not
​do this.

Last year I had the chance to meet her in person and express
my appreciation for her support for Canada's monarchy. 
Small missteps aside she remains one of the few federal
politicians who I believe would give a full-throated defence of
​the monarchy if it were ever to be seriously threatened.   

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour