Category: Kisaragi

2026 New Democratic Party Leadership Race: Views on the Monarchy

12/13/2025

As has become my custom I have once again surveyed another
batch of leadership candidates running to lead a party. This
time its the NDP. The last time they were surveyed was 2017.
The response rate from the last two leadership surveys was
horrible so I was worried the trend would continue. I was
pleasantly surprised that so far the response rate has been
much higher.

The Emailed Question & Responses

When I last surveyed the NDP I only asked for their views on
the monarchy. This time the list was a bit more extensive
(although if you follow this blog the longer survey has been in
place for a while now with some variation in the questions
asked year-to-year):

1. What are your personal views on the monarchy?
2. As prime minister would you make use of the Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments that was active between 2010 and 2015?
3. How important is it to you that the symbols of the monarchy be fully displayed?
4. How often should Royal Tours occur?
5. How else would you keep the monarchy relevant to Canadians?

Below are links to each candidate's reply and a short look at
any previous comments they have made in regards to the
monarchy. Names are in order of when they entered the race.

Tony McQuail
Yves Engler (Candidacy Rejected)
Avi Lewis
Heather McPherson
Rob Ashton
Tanille Johnston

Crown & Cap Scoreboard

Here I have ranked the candidates support for, or opposition
to, the monarchy. Keep in mind this is only my assessment
and your mileage may vary. Also, note that changes may occur
as the campaign goes on.

The crown score is out of five crowns with each candidate
receiving one crown for stating support for the monarchy
in their reply, one crown for having defended the monarchy
in Parliament, two crowns for outlining how they would
improve the monarchy's role in the future, and one crown for
having spoken in support of the monarchy outside of
Parliament.

The cap score is likewise out of five caps with one cap given to
a candidate for being opposed to the monarchy in their reply,
one cap for desiring a referendum on the monarchy, one cap
for opposing the monarchy in Parliament and two caps for
making the establishment of a Canadian republic a part of
their policy platform.

Tony McQuail

While Tony's response to my inquiry wasn't
negative, he stopped short of saying he
supported the monarchy. As such I can't
give him more than a 1/2 Crown.

Score:

Yves Engler

The highest scoring republican to date. The
only thing keeping him from getting 5/5
caps is that he has never spoken in favour of
a republic on the floor of Parliament (and
won't be in the foreseeable future).

Score:

Rob Ashton

Rob's reply suffered from the same problem
as Tony; he recognized it as important, and
was positive about it, but stopped short of
saying he supported it.

Score:

Conclusions

Not going to make any conclusions yet as I am still waiting for responses. I will update this section at a later date.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

1 Comment

NDP Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Rob Ashton

11/21/2025

1 Comment

Source: candidate website

The third leadership candidate has
now gotten back to me. Rob Ashton
represents the labour wing of the
NDP. I was particularly interested in
hearing from Ashton as most of the
leadership candidates for the party
over the last little while have come
from the party's activist wing. So, as a
refresher here are the questions sent
to Mr. Ashton and his replies:

What are your personal views on the monarchy?

Ashton: "While the monarchy is not a central focus for me
personally, I recognize it as a part of Canada’s history and
one of the ways we are distinct from our neighbors to the
south. My main priority is ensuring that our political system
works effectively for Canadians today— empowering people
and strengthening democracy."

As prime minister would you make use of the
Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments
that was active between 2010 and 2015?

Ashton: "If I were Prime Minister, appointments should be
transparent, merit-based, and reflect Canada’s diversity."

How important is it to you that the symbols of the
monarchy be fully displayed?

Ashton: "While these are meaningful to some Canadians, my
focus is on building a modern, inclusive democracy in which
everyone feels represented."

How often should Royal Tours occur?

Ashton: "These should be occasional and meaningful,
highlighting Canadian culture, history, and charitable
initiatives rather than purely ceremonial."

How else would you keep the monarchy relevant to
Canadians?

Ashton: "Relevance comes from ensuring the system serves Canadians’ interests and reflects Canadian values and diversity— not from pageantry."

Comments

Overall, Rob's response was good. Remarking that the
monarchy sets us apart from the Americans (rather relevant
these days) is a common argument in favour of the monarchy
- even if I don't personally ascribe to it. The second question is
almost a non-answer because it doesn't get to the root of the
issue; should a prime minister be able to recommend
governor general nominees on their own or should it be an
independent process? The answer to the royal tour question is
pretty much the status quo.

A common through point is that if the system works for all
Canadians then support for the monarchy will follow. This is
an argument I agree with as I have personally seen some
opposition to the monarchy coming from a person's
resentment at their own lot in life.

I was unable to find any other comments on the monarchy
from this candidate.

We are now at the halfway point in collecting replies. I will
most likely post the main page for the leadership survey in a
week or so.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

1 Comment

NDP Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Tony McQuail

10/18/2025

Source: Tony McQuail's campaign page

The second NDP leadership
candidate to get back to me is
Tony McQuail. Tony is advocating
for a merger between the NDP
and the Green Party. He describes
himself on his campaign page as a
"farmer, educator, and lifelong
advocate for a fairer and more
sustainable Canada." Tony notes
in his email that he thought he
had gotten back to me. Whether
the problem was on my end or his
it is good to hear back from him. As with everyone else I asked five questions:

1. What are your personal views on the monarchy?
2. As prime minister would you make use of the Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments that was active between 2010 and 2015?
3. How important is it to you that the symbols of the monarchy be fully displayed?
4. How often should Royal Tours occur?
5. How else would you keep the monarchy relevant to Canadians?

In reply Tony stated:

"The older I get the more I realize I don't know. What I do
know (personal view) about King Charles is that I was very
impressed when I heard him, as Prince Charles, at the Slow
Food Conference in Torino, Italy many years ago. And also
when I saw him in the documentary "The Farmer and His
Prince". His understanding of the importance of an
ecological/regenerative approach to agriculture was quite
hopeful. You can see the video at.

https://docfilm42.com/film/the-farmer-and-his-prince/

or if you google movie the farmer and his prince you can find
the trailer.

I haven't given the question of the monarchy much thought -
you obviously have. I am a farmer who, for the past 45
years, has also been involved politically pushing for a fairer
and environmentally regenerative society. My sense is we
are not making progress."

Its a more positive response vis-à-vis the monarchy than Yves
Engler gave so I'll take it. It has been interesting watching the
King's views on the environment, agriculture, and
architecture move from being fringe positions worthy of
mockery to mainstream ideas politicians fall over each other
to advocate. At the same time Tony acknowledges that he
doesn't think about the monarchy all that much which is
unfortunately common in Canada. Not surprisingly I didn't
find any comments online regarding the monarchy made by
Mr. McQuail.

While this blog is pretty much agnostic about politics outside
of the monarchy, in a hypothetical world where Tony wins the
leadership and the NDP and Greens do merge it would be
good to see someone not opposed to the monarchy at the
helm of the combined party. Elizabeth May has been a vocal
champion of the monarchy for many years but its also been
clear for a while she wants out. At the same time its unclear
how monarchist the Green base is.

A big thanks to Tony for getting back to me.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

The King's Architectural Vision Wins Out

9/29/2025

A few days ago the BBC published an article on the British
government's upcoming announcement of new towns to be
built to alleviate Britain's housing crisis. A large proportion
of the article goes into how the King's architectural vision has
greatly influenced how these new towns will be designed.

This is certainly a change from when the King was still just a
prince. His famous comment describing a proposed addition
to the National Gallery as a "monstrous carbuncle" was not
well received by the architectural community. His initiative
to build a town to showcase his ideas regarding community
planning was derided as a 'toy town', 'doomed experiment',
and a 'kitsch Disneyland'. However, Poundbury has been a
great success and this is largely due to the then-Prince
insisting on his vision despite opposition from within his own
team.

The civic planning of the 60s, 70s, and 80s was defined by car
centrism, brutalist architecture, a lack of community spaces,
and radical separation of how space was used. These ideas
destroyed many areas of Britain and other communities
around the world. One commenter recently quipped that
car infrastructure destroyed more of Halifax than the Halifax
Explosion ever did.

In taking on the thankless task of showing that communities
built to the human scale (walkable, mixed use, and nice to
look at) were not only possible but what people want, the
King has done a great service to the people of the UK.

Now, if only the planners in Canada's major cities could get a
similar wake-up call.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Historical Influences in Gaming: Emperor of the Fading Suns

8/31/2025

I've been meaning to do an article
on games that have a tendency to
lead people to monarchism (which
will end up being a list of Paradox
Studio games) but in the meantime
I wanted to write a bit about a game
I have played to absolute death;
Emperor of the Fading Suns.

I came across this game almost completely by accident. In the
90s my brother's friend gave me a bunch of demo disks that
came along with issues of the PC Gamer magazine. This game
(and Heroes of Might and Magic II) were included and would
provide countless hours of entertainment. It helps that
Emperor of the Fading Suns is a turn-based game and the
demo gave the player 50 turns to play it which was more than
enough to beat the game.

At the time I mostly appreciated that it was very different
from other games that I'd played (I hadn't found the
Civilization series yet) but as I've gotten older I've grown to
appreciate the historical inspiration behind the game. The
game wears its Dune and Warhammer 40K inspiration on its
sleeve but its much more grounded in European Medieval
history than either of those two settings.

Setting

The game is set in the far future. Humanity has spread across
the galaxy by means of an alien gateway network. While a
united republican government was created and humanity
enjoyed a golden age for a time, it eventually fell into ruin
under the weight of multiple crisises including barbarian
invasion, societal collapse, internal coups, and ecological
breakdown.

The inspiration taken from the Roman Empire is clear.
Although it helps to make the comparison more clear if you
remember that legally Rome called itself a republic to the very
end. The role climate change played in the fall of Rome has
also attracted more attention in recent years and how it made
a bad situation worse. The game's equivalent is the 'Fading
Suns' phenomena where galaxy-wide all stars are dimming at
a considerable rate.

In the midst of a general breakdown a man named Vladimir
managed to stabilize the situation and was proclaimed
Emperor by the Patriarch of the Universal Church (space
Pope of the space Catholic Church). Vladimir is sort of a
Charlemagne figure but not really because Emperor Vladimir
dies at his coronation which has no historical equivalent. The
lack of agreement on who should succeed him results in war
until it was agreed a temporary successor would be elected
from the ranks of the nobility. And when the game starts they
are still electing 'temporary' successors termed regents.

If you squint a little it does look like the historical situation.
After Charlemagne's death there were several wars and the
title bounced around a bit until the East Frankians, not
wanted to reunite with West Frankia made their throne
elective. However, Otto the Great, an early King of the East
Frankia, conquered Italy and was crowned Emperor of what we now call the Holy Roman Empire. In a way the game kind
of merges a long stretch of history, and several people, into a
compact narrative.

Gameplay

Emperor of the Fading Suns plays much like Civilization
except the large number of maps give it a bigger scope. Some
games and spin-offs in that series would make use of a 'world
congress' or 'United Nations' mechanic. Emperor of the
Fading Suns did it first. Every ten years all factions cast votes
for who will be regent in the coming years. The regent
meanwhile can assign various ministries of government to
their supporters.

The fact that the easiest way to get elected is by bribing the
various electors to vote for you is an issue the Holy Roman
Emperors knew well. The 1519 imperial election had the kings
of Spain and France out-bidding each other for the throne.
But even in more normal times it was not always easy for a
dynasty to keep the throne. Having to give government offices
to supporters in exchange for their support was an issue
across Europe.

Even the relative powerlessness of the regent mirrors the Holy
Roman Empire where the Emperor could really only rely on
their own lands for money and soldiers. This became
especially true after the Peace of Westphalia which
guaranteed non-interference in each state's internal affairs.

The League & The Church

In the game the Merchant League is a union of guilds that
primarily sell things to players and give out loans. In medieval
Europe this is the role the various Italian republics played in
the Empire. They didn't really have any great love of being a
part of the Empire and were eventually able to leave it as a
bloc. Likewise, the Merchant League will declare was on all
other factions once it amasses enough money (although their
aim is to restore the republic).

The Church is heavily modelled on the Catholic Church. It
even has an Inquisition it sends out if some noble decides to
research technology that goes against Church doctrine. The
Church is divided into several sects in a manner not to
dissimilar to how the Catholic Church has different orders.

Its Been A Long Road

Emperor of the Fading Suns has had a troubled history.
Rushed to release and saddled with the worst advertising
campaign I've ever seen, it seemed set to become a footnote in
the history of gaming. However, the game has heart and it
earned a loyal fan base. Through years (and no small amount
of piracy) the game kept being played until earlier this year
the game got its first patch in over a decade and a Steam
release. And there in the credits...

...you'll find a Maple Monarchist.

Loyally Yours
A Kisaragi Colour

NDP Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Yves Engler

7/31/2025

Source: Yves Engler's Campaign Page

The NDP leadership race is going to be a long one with it not set to
conclude until 2026. Even so there
are two candidates already
declared. As with previous
leadership races a questionnaire
will be sent to each candidate. I
received Yves Engler's response a
few days ago. Mr. Engler has the
support of the NDP Socialist
Caucus so perhaps I shouldn't have
held out hope he would have a
well-thought out and nuanced position. Still his response to
the questionnaire was disappointing, if straight-forward:

"I'm opposed to monarchy"

On his personal blog he has called for the monarchy to be
abandoned (which also ran in several socialist publications).

Perhaps with the NDP's crushing result in the last election the
republicans feel they finally have an opportunity. It is up to
the supporters of the Crown within the NDP to prove them
wrong.

EDIT: Yves has made abolishing the monarchy a part of his campaign platform.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Overview of Pro-Monarchy Voices in Canada

6/20/2025

Last month's opening of Parliament by the King was about
sending a message. Well, sending a couple messages. It was
about sending a message to Trump that Canada had a head of
state and they aren't in the market for a new one. It was also
about showing the king had the backs of Canadians.

In both of these areas there has been success. Trump, despite
his murmuring on the issue, has toned down the more
inflammatory rhetoric on the issue. Meanwhile, the monarchy
and His Majesty are enjoying a bit of a polling bump.

So with this event fading into the past I wanted to take a
second to assess the health of the wider monarchist
movement in Canada.

Monarchist Organizations

The Monarchist League of Canada is
the oldest organization focused solely on
defending the Canadian Crown having been
founded in 1970. The League has three key
mandates; education, advocacy, and
research. The League tends to be highly
engaged and might be termed as the most
approachable of the organizations listed
here. It is strictly non-partisan which has allowed it to
advocate for the monarchy freely regardless of who is in
power. It has been instrumental in protecting symbols of the
Canadian Monarchy from removal.

The Institute for the Study of the Canadian Crown
(ISCC) is a much younger organization which only came
together in 2014, although an informal network had existed
since 2005. Founded at Massey College, the first president of
the Institute was John Fraser who was the head of the College
at the time. Their mandate is a bit more focused on research
and its not really an organization the general public can join.
In this regard it can be thought of as a sort of think tank.

The Société de la Couronne du Canada
(Crown Society of Canada) is interesting in
that it is primarily focused on the Crown in
Quebec. It was founded in 2021 in response
to what was perceived as an unwillingness
by other organizations to defend the
monarchy in the province. Like the
Monarchist League of Canada it is an organization based
around mass membership. It was formerly known as the
'Monarchist Society of Canada'.

Blogs

While few and far between there are Canadians blogging on
the monarchy. Carolyn Harris, self-described royal
historian, maintains a blog and has published several books
on the Canadian Monarchy. She is a member of the ISCC and
has spoken on their behalf before.

And that, as far as I can tell, is it - three organizations and two
bloggers. Its not a lot but it may be enough. Especially in the
case of the Monarchist League and the ISCC its good that
there is a back-up in case one organization runs into trouble. While the Crown Society of Canada has picked a hard fight
that will take a substantial amount of grit.

On the blogging front it would be nice to have more voices if
only because the mere presence of more voices helps dispel
the notion that monarchism isn't a fashionable opinion to
have. Blogging is in the middle of a bit of a resurgence in
Canada so it will be interesting if others take to blogging
about the monarchy.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

EDIT: Added information on the Crown Society of Canada.

Happy Victoria Day & a Few Odds and Ends

5/19/2025

Happy Victoria Day!

The health of the Canadian Monarchy has had its ups and
downs since this blog began. On this blog's 11th anniversary it
is nice to see the monarchy's popularity on a bit of an
upswing with two recent polls showing a turn-around of
declining support for the institution and its members. You
love to see it. The rallying around the monarchy in light of
Trump's threats has been a delightful surprise amidst a rather
stressful situation. It has also led to King Charles being
scheduled to give the Speech from the Throne later this
month. This will be only the third time a monarch has done
this with the last instance being in 1977.

The Progressive Bloggers are
currently celebrating 20 years as a blog
aggregator. This blog has been a
member for quite a few years now. I wrote a whole article at
the time going over why I wanted a pro-monarchy blog to join
an aggregator for progressive blogs but to summarize; the
institution of monarchy has benefits for both conservative and
progressive movements. Further, unlike Australia, where the
monarchy has become highly politicized, in Canada the
monarchy has support across the political spectrum (if recent
polls are to be believed, higher support from the left). So I
would like to congratulate Progressive Bloggers on the
milestone and wish them continuing success.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Liberal Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Frank Baylis

5/6/2025

I received a rather unexpected email the
other day from former Liberal leadership
candidate, Frank Baylis. He is apparently
working his way through all of his
campaign correspondence. While outside
of the focus of these surveys it is always
nice to see politicians taking
communication seriously, especially when
they have nothing to gain from it. Here is
what Mr. Baylis had to say in response to
my questions:

"I have not reflected in detail about the institution of the monarchy.
Having said that, I do believe that we should respect the fact the
monarch is still our head of state."

Short and to the point. This is also his most substantial
statement on the monarchy to date (ie. the only one). His
Crown & Cap score has been adjusted on the page dealing
with the Liberal Leadership Election.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

2025 Federal Election Leaves NDP with a Mixed Bag of Survivors

4/29/2025

To say the recently concluded federal election was bad for the
New Democratic Party is like saying the Hindenburg had a
minor accident. The NDP has suffered their single worst
result ever. The ups and downs of partisan politics isn't really
relevant to this blog but any potential effects on the monarchy
certainly are. So to that effect I will give a brief overview of
where the NDP's seven survivors stand.

Also note that, as I predicted in my last article, Jagmeet
Singh did not win re-election. Although unexpectedly Nicki
Ashton joined Singh and Angus in retirement. All three were
openly republican and their passing from the political scene
will not be missed.

So, with that out of the way, here are the survivors:

Gord Johns - We'll start on a high note. Mr. Johns wrote a
lovely tribute to the Queen after her passing. It does not
appear he was present to vote on the Bloc's motion to abolish
the monarchy for whatever reason.

Lori Idlout - Voted in favour of the Bloc's abolition motion.
In terms of public statements she has said the coronation of
King Charles III was a good opportunity to reset the
relationship with Canada's First Nations.

Heather McPherson - It has been hard to find anything
regarding Ms. McPherson's stance on the monarchy. She does
not appear to have been present for the Bloc's motion.

Jenny Kwan - Another party member who voted in favour of
the Bloc's motion. She did however post a tribute to the late
Queen when she passed.

Don Davies - Voted in favour of the Bloc motion but has
made no other substantial statements on the topic.

Leah Gazan - Voted in favour of the Bloc motion and has
made negative statements regarding the monarchy.

Alexandre Boulerice - Voted in favour of the Bloc motion
and has made numerous calls to end the monarchy. Probably
the most vocal republican left in the NDP caucus.

Its unclear who will end up as the next NDP leader (or even if
it will be someone from caucus). Alexandre Boulerice is by far
the most concerning choice they could make but overall the
monarchist contingent within the NDP caucus has been
decimated along with the party. It is unclear whether this will
lead to republican voices becoming predominate but members
should be vigilant.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

<<Previous

2026 New Democratic Party Leadership Race: Views on the Monarchy

The Emailed Question & Responses

Crown & Cap Scoreboard

Conclusions

NDP Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Rob Ashton

Comments

NDP Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Tony McQuail

The King's Architectural Vision Wins Out

Historical Influences in Gaming: Emperor of the Fading Suns

Setting

Gameplay

The League & The Church

Its Been A Long Road

NDP Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Yves Engler

Overview of Pro-Monarchy Voices in Canada

Monarchist Organizations

Blogs

Happy Victoria Day & a Few Odds and Ends

Liberal Leadership Candidates and the Monarchy: Frank Baylis

2025 Federal Election Leaves NDP with a Mixed Bag of Survivors

About

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​The Emailed Question & Responses

​Crown & Cap Scoreboard

Conclusions

Comments

Setting

Gameplay

The League & The Church

Its Been A Long Road

Monarchist Organizations

Blogs

About

Archives

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The Emailed Question & Responses

Crown & Cap Scoreboard