Sunday, February 15, 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of today’s independent Canadian maple leaf flag. The ultimately successful birth of the flag in the 1960s had some precedents in the 1940s and even the 1920s. And in his excellent Canadian flag history the meteorology professor emeritus from beautiful BC, Alistair B. Fraser, notes that “the…
Will a Passion for Royalty Ruin a Prime Minister’s Career?
It has been a long time since a prince toppled a prime minister. But this is what could happen in Australia. When the adamantly monarchist prime minister, Tony Abbott, announced that he was going to make the heavily titled, gaffe-prone Prince Philip a knight, the nation laughed — then groaned. And now, as a direct…
Tony O’Donohue on the coming 50th birthday of our Canadian flag
We’re honoured to have former long-term Toronto City Councillor (and sometime mayoral candidate) Tony O’Donohue on our RN/RC Board of Directors. Tony has been a staunch and active Canadian republican for many years. He was the applicant in O’Donohue v. Canada (aka O’Donohue v. the Queen) — a legal challenge to the exclusion of Roman…
It’s Time For Canada To Cut Off The Queen
by Michael Bolen That’s the decree in a new report from a U.K. House of Commons committee tasked with overseeing the royal finances. You see, Queen Liz’s reserve fund is down to its last million pounds. The palaces are crumbling. The advisors are making an awful mess of the budget. And no matter how hard…
Choosing a Governor General
By Bruce Hicks August 1, 2014 The prime minister recommends to the Queen who should become governor general in Canada and, in the modern era, the Queen accepts that name without question. Upon appointment, the governor general is delegated all of the Queen’s powers, including the ‘reserve powers’ which he or she may, in certain…