Why don’t you people get involved with something important like making suggestions for the economy, supporting pipelines and getting rid of Justin Trudeau which would be incredibly useful for all Canadians. Our economy is tanking and here you are with some nonsense that the majority of Canadians would never support of a vote was held on it. What a bunch of arseholes. Jim Orr, FCIP
Why don’t you guys focus on a more important issue? The constitutional monarchy is a system of government that has served this country well for over a hundred years. Good luck trying to amend the Constitution because your cause is nothing more than a pipe dream, not to mention a waste of time. Long may Her Majesty reign over Canada.
@Ken Wong I can’t think of any more patriotic endeavor than giving Canada a head of state of its own. We created our citizenship, made our court supreme over anything overseas, ended British tinkering with the Constitution, and replaced a colonial ensign with a proud and independent flag. The final step is to give ourselves a head of state. That will complete our nationhood and eventually Canadianize symbols (e.g., coat of arms, Great Seal, et al.) which have employed Britain’s crown jewels and emblems for far too long. I can’t think of a better 150th birthday present than doing this.
Hello Ryan – I disagree. The child doesn’t need to change their surname to show they have complete independence from the parent. The Queen has no power in Canada and merely fulfills the role as head of state. The cost of change would be enormous and the benefits minimal to none. This desire to remove the monarchy is more a sign of Canadian insecurity in our own identity than anything else.
@Chris The only ones that are insecure are the british—I mean they aren’t relevant USA Hegemony Rules the world so why would anyone want want britain . Canadians already have different culture, identity, flag , national anthem, nationalism what’s wrong with having our own head of state? Canada done raised their flag above britain long ago.
It’s ridiculous that Canada still has to be associated with England. We are our own country, why do we have to have some other nations leader on our money rather than our own? Why does my Ontario license plate have a crown? Why does the Ontario flag have Englands flag in it? Let’s get patriotic about a country which has it’s own identity, one that we create, not one that is forced on us. Not to mention, let’s stop funding the commonwealth….
Jim, a great nation can walk and chew gum at the same time. The Dominion can address multiple priorities, and an important one has to do with the symbols by which we know our nation. We’ve borrowed from Buckingham Palace long enough, and it’s time, at age 150, that we finally had a head of state who is Canadian, lives here, and is chosen in a democratic way. As for public support, I’ve seen several polls indicating a slight majority in favor of patriating the head of state, and would guess that a proper public discourse would only increase that number.
Hello Ryan – Could you provide a source for those polls? The last ones I heard of (I admit I only got the results second-hand) indicated that most Canadian were in favour of the status quo. On the subject of a democratically chosen head of state, I utterly oppose that – just look where that got the USA and who their head of state is right now!
Ignoratio elenchi / Red Herring fallacy. Also known as: beside the point, misdirection [form of], changing the subject, false emphasis, the Chewbacca defense, irrelevant conclusion, irrelevant thesis, smokescreen, clouding the issue.
Attempting to redirect the argument to another issue that to which the person doing the redirecting can better respond. While it is similar to the avoiding the issue fallacy, the red herring is a deliberate diversion of attention with the intention of trying to abandon the original argument.
Time for both you & your idea of Canada to grow up. (O and btw getting rid of Justin Trudeau isn’t something all that many Canadians want to do either. And he’s already supported two pipelines.) Cheers.
You Do realize useless positions like the Governor General, dismissing Parliament, stoping elections are all as a result of our weak constitutional monarchy. Give your head a shake !
Republic Now,
Your goal is ambitious in a country that has rested for too long in ambiguity and has preferred to grow under the wing of UK’s monarchy rather than brave the future alone in a grown up, mature way. Independence and autonomy are overdue in this country. Kudos for spearheading a cause that so many Canadians would support but that unfortunately is stopped by dusty, rusty people that still hold power to abort it.
It is vox populi that everyone in this country nobody cares about the Queen and Vegas buttocks-showing successors. Every time a royal visits the only ones lining up are either veterans of war (regardless of the respect they deserve), people associated to military or war times, as well as pre-baby boomers. Newcomers, as much as they value the opportunity this country gives them, do not understand why they have to give an oath to a rancid monarchy that has only served to entertain people with salacious scandals. It’s inexplicable, and most importantly, unacceptable.
Keep up the good work. don’t give up. Some day will come when there will be a republic in our beloved country.
I’m tired of Kowtowing to people who have immigrated to Canada just to force their beliefs on others. I’m all for hard working Canadian loving immigrants, but you should be coming to our country with the advance knowledge of our laws and customs……to get rid of the monarchy as it might offend some people is not only ludicrous, it’s a disgrace.
I whole heartily agree with ending in monarchy, but I also believe that we need to end the political party system form of government, fot it is outdated, bought off and divisive. Time we also talk about bring in The Council Of The People – a concensous democracy by the people. Decision Making by the people….
And their is a model for this, if we putour racism to the side, and look at Spiritual Democracy called the Great Law of Peace – the Iroquois Constitution!
Anytime you have a government over the people you do not have a true democracy, you just have a political machine, pulling the wool over your eyes by saying you have a vote!
But maybe this is pass all your heads to understand….. But it is time to talk about it!
Hitler called her, ‘the most dangerous woman in the world’; who was he referring to? The Queen Elizabeth, the current Queen’s mother. He realized the stability, strength, vitality and resolve of the monarchy would be a huge road block to his determination to dominate the world is his diabolical world view.
For you well meaning folks to be tinkering with such an institution for what??
Perhaps well meaning at best, but a foolish and maybe a dangerous path you’d be leading us down at it’s worst.
The freedom and enjoyment that I have in Canada would not be enhanced by ridding our country of the Queen.
Scott : Godwin’s law (or Godwin’s rule of Nazi analogies) is an Internet adage asserting that “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazism or Hitler approaches 1.
Ha- point well taken; I had no intention to go down that road. Good luck on your initiative, just not too much luck. Having Canadians engaged and open to discussion is a good thing.
Do you imbeciles even know what the monarchy stands for and what it brings to Canada? The Monarchy ensures stability in the sense that no one government or Prime Minister can refuse the rule of law and not hold free elections… the office of the queen, through the Governor General (who but the way was university professor of mine at the university of Waterloo). Essentially it guarantees that a dictator along the lines of a Canadian version of Donald Trump who may have seized the power of reckless and unrestrained populism, becomes an unelected dictator. Further since the office of the queen is entrenched within the central political institutions, it would need the unanimous consent of The house of Commons, The Senate and all 10 provincial legislatures… so if you are old enough of smart enough (which I seriously doubt) to remember The Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords, you should know that such an initiative is virtually impossible. Further, Canada is an independent state and the the queen has no official power… that’s what we have the Governor General for… you people should seriously try reading the constitution… it would likely prevent you from further embarrassments.
Canada is a great country. We were first settled by the French and then the British. A war and then: The subsequent Canadian Acts brought Canada to be more independent. But Canada has not fully shaken off the British presence. Our democracy is not complete with a Head of State that is not elected but assigned from social status. We must write our laws in British language and we have to drop our flag if any Royal comes to visit. The British abhor being a colony. They fought the preChristian occupation with extreme violence. And even more when France and England fought the 100 Year War. Canada must do everything under the name of a European power house. By definition we are a colony. Most of us want a fully independent country.
Hello Ed – the Statute of Westminster, which was passed on 11 December 1931, gave Canada full autonomy from Britain. We are no more a colony of the UK than the United States is (we just didn’t have to fight a war with the UK for our independence). Having a hereditary head of state does not diminish our democracy at all, since all the power rests in the two houses, and none of it with the head of state – the Governor General is appointed by the Canadian government and not the British, anyway. By definition, Canada is a fully independent state; having a queen just makes us a little bit more interesting, not to mention helping the economy with all those US tourist dollars…
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” As if there aren’t more important issues facing this nation and the world (eg climate change, the economy, Trump!) than whether the Windsors remain as the head of state of Canada. The de facto head of state is the Governor General anyway, who IS selected by the Canadian government. As if this country is bland and dull enough without taking away one of the few interesting things about Canada. I think you’ll find most Canadians couldn’t care less, one way of the other.
I foresee a day when Canada’s Head of State will be a Canadian. The Queen is not Canadian but there is still a great deal of affection and respect for her. She exemplifies the strongest quality of a Monarch, namely, continuity. Her reign goes all the way back to the time of Churchill. The Prince of Wales will inevitably succeed her in about 10 years, but this break will be an opportunity to bring about change. I object strongly to republican status being seen as the automatic default position for our nation. For more than 50 years our Governor General has been a Canadian, and most have served well. My personal favourites are Roland Michener and Michaelle Jean. The latter GG ruffled many monarchist feathers when she declared that the GG is Canada’s Head of State. She was right because the GG is the de facto Head of State because the Queen is rarely in Canada. It would be so simple to just carry on as we are with the Monarch as the Head of the Commonwealth. I do not believe in a democratically elected GG or Senate.
Similarly, I believe that the political head of the nation, the PM, and the Head of State, the GG, should be separate. We must avoid the US model where the President is both. This nation was founded, in part, on the idea that we represent an alternative form on the North American continent.
Hi
Are you receiving this Email? I want to send you copies of letters I sent to P m Trudeau requesting a referendum on becoming a republic. How can I do this?
Since the pope has apologized for what he has said is a cultural genocide of the first nations in canada, shouldn’t the crown apologize as well for its role in the genocide?
Why don’t you people get involved with something important like making suggestions for the economy, supporting pipelines and getting rid of Justin Trudeau which would be incredibly useful for all Canadians. Our economy is tanking and here you are with some nonsense that the majority of Canadians would never support of a vote was held on it. What a bunch of arseholes. Jim Orr, FCIP
Why don’t you guys focus on a more important issue? The constitutional monarchy is a system of government that has served this country well for over a hundred years. Good luck trying to amend the Constitution because your cause is nothing more than a pipe dream, not to mention a waste of time. Long may Her Majesty reign over Canada.
@Ken Wong I can’t think of any more patriotic endeavor than giving Canada a head of state of its own. We created our citizenship, made our court supreme over anything overseas, ended British tinkering with the Constitution, and replaced a colonial ensign with a proud and independent flag. The final step is to give ourselves a head of state. That will complete our nationhood and eventually Canadianize symbols (e.g., coat of arms, Great Seal, et al.) which have employed Britain’s crown jewels and emblems for far too long. I can’t think of a better 150th birthday present than doing this.
Hello Ryan – I disagree. The child doesn’t need to change their surname to show they have complete independence from the parent. The Queen has no power in Canada and merely fulfills the role as head of state. The cost of change would be enormous and the benefits minimal to none. This desire to remove the monarchy is more a sign of Canadian insecurity in our own identity than anything else.
@Chris The only ones that are insecure are the british—I mean they aren’t relevant USA Hegemony Rules the world so why would anyone want want britain . Canadians already have different culture, identity, flag , national anthem, nationalism what’s wrong with having our own head of state? Canada done raised their flag above britain long ago.
It’s ridiculous that Canada still has to be associated with England. We are our own country, why do we have to have some other nations leader on our money rather than our own? Why does my Ontario license plate have a crown? Why does the Ontario flag have Englands flag in it? Let’s get patriotic about a country which has it’s own identity, one that we create, not one that is forced on us. Not to mention, let’s stop funding the commonwealth….
are You from Hong Kong originally, Ken Wong ? England used to OWN Hong Kong DUH
Jim, a great nation can walk and chew gum at the same time. The Dominion can address multiple priorities, and an important one has to do with the symbols by which we know our nation. We’ve borrowed from Buckingham Palace long enough, and it’s time, at age 150, that we finally had a head of state who is Canadian, lives here, and is chosen in a democratic way. As for public support, I’ve seen several polls indicating a slight majority in favor of patriating the head of state, and would guess that a proper public discourse would only increase that number.
Hello Ryan – Could you provide a source for those polls? The last ones I heard of (I admit I only got the results second-hand) indicated that most Canadian were in favour of the status quo. On the subject of a democratically chosen head of state, I utterly oppose that – just look where that got the USA and who their head of state is right now!
At least the people voted for him – did you ever vote for the Queen of England?
Ignoratio elenchi / Red Herring fallacy. Also known as: beside the point, misdirection [form of], changing the subject, false emphasis, the Chewbacca defense, irrelevant conclusion, irrelevant thesis, smokescreen, clouding the issue.
Attempting to redirect the argument to another issue that to which the person doing the redirecting can better respond. While it is similar to the avoiding the issue fallacy, the red herring is a deliberate diversion of attention with the intention of trying to abandon the original argument.
Times are changing Jim Orr, FCIP. See, eg : “Majority of Canadians say ties to monarchy should be cut when Queen dies: poll”
http://globalnews.ca/news/3145545/majority-of-canadians-say-ties-to-monarchy-should-be-cut-when-queen-dies-poll/
Time for both you & your idea of Canada to grow up. (O and btw getting rid of Justin Trudeau isn’t something all that many Canadians want to do either. And he’s already supported two pipelines.) Cheers.
You Do realize useless positions like the Governor General, dismissing Parliament, stoping elections are all as a result of our weak constitutional monarchy. Give your head a shake !
Republic Now,
Your goal is ambitious in a country that has rested for too long in ambiguity and has preferred to grow under the wing of UK’s monarchy rather than brave the future alone in a grown up, mature way. Independence and autonomy are overdue in this country. Kudos for spearheading a cause that so many Canadians would support but that unfortunately is stopped by dusty, rusty people that still hold power to abort it.
It is vox populi that everyone in this country nobody cares about the Queen and Vegas buttocks-showing successors. Every time a royal visits the only ones lining up are either veterans of war (regardless of the respect they deserve), people associated to military or war times, as well as pre-baby boomers. Newcomers, as much as they value the opportunity this country gives them, do not understand why they have to give an oath to a rancid monarchy that has only served to entertain people with salacious scandals. It’s inexplicable, and most importantly, unacceptable.
Keep up the good work. don’t give up. Some day will come when there will be a republic in our beloved country.
How many Canadian members do you have?
I’m tired of Kowtowing to people who have immigrated to Canada just to force their beliefs on others. I’m all for hard working Canadian loving immigrants, but you should be coming to our country with the advance knowledge of our laws and customs……to get rid of the monarchy as it might offend some people is not only ludicrous, it’s a disgrace.
I whole heartily agree with ending in monarchy, but I also believe that we need to end the political party system form of government, fot it is outdated, bought off and divisive. Time we also talk about bring in The Council Of The People – a concensous democracy by the people. Decision Making by the people….
And their is a model for this, if we putour racism to the side, and look at Spiritual Democracy called the Great Law of Peace – the Iroquois Constitution!
Anytime you have a government over the people you do not have a true democracy, you just have a political machine, pulling the wool over your eyes by saying you have a vote!
But maybe this is pass all your heads to understand….. But it is time to talk about it!
you have taken my comment off, so you don’t believe in honest discussion. You have lost my support! I will let others know of your attitude….
Your comment had not been approved yet, that’s why you couldn’t see it until now.
Hitler called her, ‘the most dangerous woman in the world’; who was he referring to? The Queen Elizabeth, the current Queen’s mother. He realized the stability, strength, vitality and resolve of the monarchy would be a huge road block to his determination to dominate the world is his diabolical world view.
For you well meaning folks to be tinkering with such an institution for what??
Perhaps well meaning at best, but a foolish and maybe a dangerous path you’d be leading us down at it’s worst.
The freedom and enjoyment that I have in Canada would not be enhanced by ridding our country of the Queen.
Scott : Godwin’s law (or Godwin’s rule of Nazi analogies) is an Internet adage asserting that “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazism or Hitler approaches 1.
Ha- point well taken; I had no intention to go down that road. Good luck on your initiative, just not too much luck. Having Canadians engaged and open to discussion is a good thing.
Do you imbeciles even know what the monarchy stands for and what it brings to Canada? The Monarchy ensures stability in the sense that no one government or Prime Minister can refuse the rule of law and not hold free elections… the office of the queen, through the Governor General (who but the way was university professor of mine at the university of Waterloo). Essentially it guarantees that a dictator along the lines of a Canadian version of Donald Trump who may have seized the power of reckless and unrestrained populism, becomes an unelected dictator. Further since the office of the queen is entrenched within the central political institutions, it would need the unanimous consent of The house of Commons, The Senate and all 10 provincial legislatures… so if you are old enough of smart enough (which I seriously doubt) to remember The Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords, you should know that such an initiative is virtually impossible. Further, Canada is an independent state and the the queen has no official power… that’s what we have the Governor General for… you people should seriously try reading the constitution… it would likely prevent you from further embarrassments.
Canada is a great country. We were first settled by the French and then the British. A war and then: The subsequent Canadian Acts brought Canada to be more independent. But Canada has not fully shaken off the British presence. Our democracy is not complete with a Head of State that is not elected but assigned from social status. We must write our laws in British language and we have to drop our flag if any Royal comes to visit. The British abhor being a colony. They fought the preChristian occupation with extreme violence. And even more when France and England fought the 100 Year War. Canada must do everything under the name of a European power house. By definition we are a colony. Most of us want a fully independent country.
Hello Ed – the Statute of Westminster, which was passed on 11 December 1931, gave Canada full autonomy from Britain. We are no more a colony of the UK than the United States is (we just didn’t have to fight a war with the UK for our independence). Having a hereditary head of state does not diminish our democracy at all, since all the power rests in the two houses, and none of it with the head of state – the Governor General is appointed by the Canadian government and not the British, anyway. By definition, Canada is a fully independent state; having a queen just makes us a little bit more interesting, not to mention helping the economy with all those US tourist dollars…
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” As if there aren’t more important issues facing this nation and the world (eg climate change, the economy, Trump!) than whether the Windsors remain as the head of state of Canada. The de facto head of state is the Governor General anyway, who IS selected by the Canadian government. As if this country is bland and dull enough without taking away one of the few interesting things about Canada. I think you’ll find most Canadians couldn’t care less, one way of the other.
I foresee a day when Canada’s Head of State will be a Canadian. The Queen is not Canadian but there is still a great deal of affection and respect for her. She exemplifies the strongest quality of a Monarch, namely, continuity. Her reign goes all the way back to the time of Churchill. The Prince of Wales will inevitably succeed her in about 10 years, but this break will be an opportunity to bring about change. I object strongly to republican status being seen as the automatic default position for our nation. For more than 50 years our Governor General has been a Canadian, and most have served well. My personal favourites are Roland Michener and Michaelle Jean. The latter GG ruffled many monarchist feathers when she declared that the GG is Canada’s Head of State. She was right because the GG is the de facto Head of State because the Queen is rarely in Canada. It would be so simple to just carry on as we are with the Monarch as the Head of the Commonwealth. I do not believe in a democratically elected GG or Senate.
Similarly, I believe that the political head of the nation, the PM, and the Head of State, the GG, should be separate. We must avoid the US model where the President is both. This nation was founded, in part, on the idea that we represent an alternative form on the North American continent.
Done
After Brexit Can[we]exit ?
Hi
Are you receiving this Email? I want to send you copies of letters I sent to P m Trudeau requesting a referendum on becoming a republic. How can I do this?
Visit
https://www.change.org/p/canadian-republic-r%C3%A9publique-du-canada
and sign the petition for the transition of Canada to the status of a Republic!
Since the pope has apologized for what he has said is a cultural genocide of the first nations in canada, shouldn’t the crown apologize as well for its role in the genocide?