By: Daniel Nardini
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the reign of British monarch Queen Elizabeth II. Since being crowned in 1952 on the death of her father King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II has been one of the longest reigning monarchs in world history. Despite everything, the British monarchy remains popular both in Great Britain and other parts of the British Commonwealth. Strangely enough this year, the island of Jamaica will be moving towards becoming a republic. Current Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller announced that Jamaica, which gained independence from Great Britain in 1962, will become a republic. As part of its 50th anniversary of independence from Great Britain, Jamaica will renounce its ties to the British monarchy and become a republic with a president and a congress or national assembly. I should point out that Jamaica is the third largest English speaking country in population in the Americas after the United States and Canada. This change means that within the Americas the British monarchy is the acknowledged sovereign in Anguilla, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Then of course there is Canada. Canada, the largest country in the Americas in terms of land, remains a constitutional monarchy. Its head of state is British monarch Queen Elizabeth II. For generations, the British monarchy has been an integral part not just of Canada’s government, politics and judiciary but its cultural heritage and within many private institutions and way of life. For many Canadians their country being without the monarchy would be unthinkable. And yet, there are many Canadians who do not want the monarchy at all. A Forum Research survey found that as many as 43 percent of all Canadians would like to see Canada become a republic. However, the survey shows that support for Canada pulling out of the monarchy is not uniform throughout the country. The strongest support for Canada pulling out of the monarchy is strongest in Quebec province—the country’s French speaking area. Those favoring pulling out of the monarchy in Quebec is 67 percent. In neighboring Ontario province the number is 30 percent. This comes as no shock since Ontario is the place with Canada’s capital and national government. All other provinces are between 30 to 39 percent—a not so high figure for those wanting an end to the monarchy.
It is not very likely that Canada will renounce its allegiance to the monarchy. The Canadian government is certainly dead set against breaking from the British monarchy, and breaking with the monarchy would mean too many changes in the country’s very infrastructure. Worse, many of the provincial governments might ask themselves why they should owe loyalty to Canada’s national government in Ottawa if they must dissolve their allegiance to the Queen? I should explain that a number of countries in the Americas, which were part of the British Empire, had moved towards total independence. Two good examples are Dominica and Guyana. They felt that being republics were in their best interests. I do not see that for Canada, and neither do most Canadians. Despite everything, the British monarchy is just as popular for most Canadians as it is for most people in Great Britain.
Hail the Canadian Republic?
By: Daniel Nardini
Then of course there is Canada. Canada, the largest country in the Americas in terms of land, remains a constitutional monarchy. Its head of state is British monarch Queen Elizabeth II. For generations, the British monarchy has been an integral part not just of Canada’s government, politics and judiciary but its cultural heritage and within many private institutions and way of life. For many Canadians their country being without the monarchy would be unthinkable. And yet, there are many Canadians who do not want the monarchy at all. A Forum Research survey found that as many as 43 percent of all Canadians would like to see Canada become a republic. However, the survey shows that support for Canada pulling out of the monarchy is not uniform throughout the country. The strongest support for Canada pulling out of the monarchy is strongest in Quebec province—the country’s French speaking area. Those favoring pulling out of the monarchy in Quebec is 67 percent. In neighboring Ontario province the number is 30 percent. This comes as no shock since Ontario is the place with Canada’s capital and national government. All other provinces are between 30 to 39 percent—a not so high figure for those wanting an end to the monarchy.
It is not very likely that Canada will renounce its allegiance to the monarchy. The Canadian government is certainly dead set against breaking from the British monarchy, and breaking with the monarchy would mean too many changes in the country’s very infrastructure. Worse, many of the provincial governments might ask themselves why they should owe loyalty to Canada’s national government in Ottawa if they must dissolve their allegiance to the Queen? I should explain that a number of countries in the Americas, which were part of the British Empire, had moved towards total independence. Two good examples are Dominica and Guyana. They felt that being republics were in their best interests. I do not see that for Canada, and neither do most Canadians. Despite everything, the British monarchy is just as popular for most Canadians as it is for most people in Great Britain.