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Should Canada keep the Monarchy?

Should Canada keep the Monarchy?

  • Yes, Canada should remain a constitutional monarchy.

    Votes: 85 53.8%

  • No, it's time to ditch the Queen and become a republic.

    Votes: 73 46.2%
  • Total voters
    158
Nice to hear that they can be one big happy family.


I bet Harry is a laugh when hammered.
 
This poll is traveling a different route than the National polls I've seen. But that doesn't surprise me.
 
But in any event, polls are irrelevant to the question. The way the constitution works, so long as one province wants to keep the monarchy, we all do. And people out East love our Queen God saves. It's not likely to go anywhere anytime soon.
 
Citizens for a Canadian Republic

Citizens for a Canadian Republic’s general objective is to promote discussion and help raise awareness of the clear advantages of amending The Constitution to allow for a democratically chosen Canadian to serve as head of state.

Specifically however, the following represents our core beliefs and objectives:

  • A Canadianized head of state would be the embodiment of Canadian sovereignty, diversity and pride - a position to which all Canadians could aspire.

  • Our head of state should be a true representative of the People of Canada. Presently, our current head of state, the Queen, does not represent Canada when she travels abroad and we think that’s not in our best interest.

  • The act of attaining full-fledged status as a democratic republic within the Commonwealth would be the completion of a process of independence that began over a century ago.

  • Canada’s head of state should be a Canadian citizen and not be above our laws. Presently, the Act of Settlement of 1701 constitutionally binds Canada to only heads of state who are not Roman Catholics. They must also be required to hold the position of Supreme Governor of The Church of England, thereby also preventing, Jews, Hindus, Muslims or anyone not a member of that Protestant denomination from becoming Canada’s head of state. Section 15(1) of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms expressly forbids discrimination on the basis of "race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability".

  • Canadians increasingly want to address the so-called "democratic deficit" that’s prevalent in Canada’s political system. In every good democracy, there’s a solid framework of checks and balances to ensure against the proliferation of abuses. One way to address that would be to have an elected head of state (either by the public, parliament or other such body), not an appointed Governor General who is simply the deputy of a distant monarch, chosen personally by the Prime Minister.

  • Monarchy and inherited rights in government, symbolic or otherwise, is a concept incompatible with Canadian values of egalitarianism. In fact, in poll results taken during the height of the Golden Jubilee and Royal Visit, 58 per cent of Canadians saw the Queen and the Royal Family simply as celebrity figures who should not have any formal role in Canadian society¹ and 52 percent saw the monarchy as an outmoded and regressive institution that has no real relevance to most Canadians today².

  • New Canadians should not be subjected to swearing an oath to a monarch who not only isn’t a Canadian citizen herself, but also, in some cases, represents many aspects of what prospective citizens are trying to leave behind. They’re coming to Canada to embrace a way of life that emphasizes equality and the rights of the individual, not peerage, royalty and classism. Citizens for a Canadian Republic will work tirelessly toward Canada revising the Citizenship Act to allow new Canadians to swear allegiance to Canada and its laws and not the Queen.

  • Presently, we have an unequal and unfair constitutional amending formula on matters related to the head of state. While most constitutional amendments fall under the 7/50 amending procedure, requiring resolutions of the Senate, House of Commons and at least seven provincial legislatures representing at least fifty percent of the Canadian population, replacing the Queen with a democratically-selected Canadian citizen as our head of state requires no less than the unanimous consent of all federal and provincial legislatures. Not only is this formula outrageously unfair, but we believe that by effectively putting a padlock on our constitution and throwing away the key, it unnecessarily inhibits Canada's natural evolution as a nation. Therefore, Citizens for a Canadian Republic believes the top priority for any future discussion on the head of state must include addressing this imbalance.
 
That's completely beside the point...if we were to replace QEII with a Canadian, there's an excellent chance it'd be someone like Stephen Harper's brother. Or Anne Rohmer...
 
Zephyr said:
[*]Our head of state should be a true representative of the People of Canada. Presently, our current head of state, the Queen, does not represent Canada when she travels abroad and we think that’s not in our best interest.
Click to expand...


She can, and has. HM paid a State Visit to the United States in 1959 as Queen of Canada. No goverment has asked her to make a state visit since. That's the government's fault, not that of the monarchy as an institution or HM personally.
 
Originally posted by scarberiankhatru >
That's completely beside the point...if we were to replace QEII with a Canadian, there's an excellent chance it'd be someone like Stephen Harper's brother. Or Anne Rohmer.
Click to expand...
.
Right or wrong in your predictions, the need of a Queen is not shared by all. And in the long run it is not something to fear but rather embrace. Those other Commonwealth countries are leaning in the republic direction already, and Canada has made it more difficult to do so than any of those former colonies. (In the UK itself, the Royal institution is getting its share of questioning everyday, but that will be left for another discussion, on another day.)
 
"Canadian monarchy" as in the one we already have or as in something like Harper becomes king with his son next in line (and his brother after that)?
 
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