Republicanism in Canada
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Canadian republicanism is a movement for the replacement of the monarchy of Canada and a monarch as head of state with a parliamentary republic and a democratically-selected Canadian as head of state. Republicans are driven by various factors, such as a perception of inequality in the concept of excluding all but members of the royal family from the position or the argument that Canadian independence will not be achieved until Canadians can choose their own head of state independently and democratically.[1]
As with
National identity
Monarchy and inherited rights in government, symbolic or otherwise, is a concept incompatible with Canadian values of egalitarianism.
Republicans in Canada assert that because of its
This questioning of the monarchy's role in
However, though it was later thought the Quiet Revolution and the period beyond should have inspired more republicanism amongst Canadians, they did not.[n 1] Reg Whitaker blamed this on a combination of Quebec nationalists having no interest in the monarchy (as full sovereignty and their own form of government was their ultimate goal) with the remainder of the population simultaneously struggling with "bilingualism, dualism, special status, distinct society, asymmetrical federalism, sovereignty-association, partnership, and so on." Even the rise in multi-ethnic immigration to Canada in the 1970s did not inspire any desires to alter or remove the role of the Crown in Canada, the ethno-cultural groups not wanting to push constitutional change over a matter they had little concern for.[24]
Instead, until the appointment of
Democratic principles and governmental role
Canadian republicans view their country's monarchy as "outdated and irrelevant"[14] and an undemocratic institution because the incumbent sovereign is neither elected, nor a citizen once on the throne; republicans will phrase this argument as "no Canadian citizen can become head of state."
In contrast to monarchist arguments, those against the Crown assert that it is possible to have an elected head of state be an apolitical individual and there would be no possibility of a clash with the prime minister over differences in political persuasion, though some republicans do desire an empowered chief executive who could hold the Cabinet in check for political reasons. Others feel an appointed Canadian president would be more democratic than the Crown.[4] The range of often contradictory proposals highlights the fact that Canadian republicans are not fully united on what sort of republican form of government they believe the nation should adopt. The Westminster-style parliamentary republican model, which is advocated by other Commonwealth republican movements, has been embraced by Citizens for a Canadian Republic as the preferred model for Canada.
The truth is that the monarchy stands for much that has held Canada back. It embodies the triumph of inheritance over merit, of blood over brains, of mindless ritual over innovation. The monarchy reminds us to defer to authority and remember our place. In Quebec, the Royals are regarded as an insult.[30]
Margaret Wente, 2001
Towards that end, Citizens for a Canadian Republic proposed in March 2004 that the federal viceroy be made an elected position as a first step towards some form of republic. As the normal channels of appointment would follow after the election, no constitutional reform would be necessary. However, as monarchists point out, the scheme does not take into consideration any provincial input, especially concerning the relationship between the provincial and federal crowns and thus the lieutenant governors; an issue that would weigh heavily in any constitutional debate on the Crown, regardless of the selection process of the governor general. Further, a 2013 ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada disallowed similar consultative elections for senators, stating that such would be a change to how senators are selected and would thus require a constitutional amendment.[31]
History of issue
Colonial era and Confederation
Reformists began to emerge in the Canadian colonies during the early 19th century and by two decades into that century had begun to cohere into organized groups, such as the Upper Canada Central Political Union. The idea of political party was viewed by a number of British North Americans as an innovation of the United States, being "anti-British and of a republican tendency." Colonists were warned about "a few individuals, who unfortunately, are led by those, whose hostility to the British constitution is such, that they would sacrifice any and every thing to pull it down, in order that they might build up a Republic on its ruins."[32] It was believed that the persons agitating for republican change and their supporters were of American origin and had been taught to admire republican government as the best in the world and ridicule monarchism.[33]
The first open uprisings in Canada against the monarchical system came in 1837, with the
After living in the US in order to avoid arrest in Canada, Mackenzie eventually became dissatisfied with the American republican system and gave up plans for revolution in the
Some decades later, in 1869, a
Post-Quebec sovereignty movement
The
Continuing talks of constitutional reform led to the role of the monarchy in Canada coming under scrutiny in the lead up to the patriation of the Canadian constitution in 1982.[42][43][full citation needed] However, proposals for change were thwarted by the provinces, including Quebec.[17][43][44]
The notion of a republic was raised publicly in the early 1990s, when
In 2002, the group Citizens for a Canadian Republic was established to promote the abolition of the Canadian monarchy in favour of a republic, at approximately the same time The Globe and Mail newspaper began a campaign against the monarchy,[54] with three republican journalists on staff – Margaret Wente, Jeffrey Simpson,[55] and Lawrence Martin[56] – though the editorial board argued Canada could dispose of its monarchy without becoming a republic. Tom Freda, chairman and co-founder of Citizens for a Canadian Republic, called for simply replacing the monarchy with the governor general, saying that he's not in favour of destroying Canada's identity or cultural institutions: "All we're advocating is that the link to the monarchy, in our Constitution, be severed. Our governor general for the past 60 years has performed all the duties of a head of state, and there's no reason we shouldn't make our governor general our official head of state."[57] Freda also, however, called the governor general and lieutenant governors "redundant".[58]
At approximately the same time, the editors of The Globe and Mail began calling for the governor general to be made head of state under the guise of "patriating the monarchy", and arguing that Canada could rid itself of its Crown without becoming a republic,[54] and backing their journalist Jeffrey Simpson's preference for the Companions of the Order of Canada to choose the head of state in a Canadian republic.[55]
Lawrence Martin called for Canada to become a republic in order to re-brand the nation and better its standings in the international market, he cited Sweden – a constitutional monarchy – as an example to be followed.[56]
In 2007, Quebec sovereignty again collided with the monarchy, when Quebec separatists threatened to mount demonstrations should the Queen be in attendance at the ceremonies for the 400th anniversary of Quebec City; Mario Beaulieu, then Vice-President of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society announced that the Queen's presence would be a catalyst for action, saying: "You can be sure that people will demonstrate in protest... We are celebrating the foundation of New France, not its conquest. The monarchy remains a symbol of imperialism and colonialism. Her presence will not be welcomed", and Gérald Larose, president of the Quebec Sovereignty Council, stated that the monarchy was "the most despicable, appalling, anti-democratic, imperial, colonial symbol against which all social and individuals rights were obtained through the course of history."[59]
At the Liberal Party of Canada convention in January 2012, its members debated on a motion to include severing ties with the monarchy as a party platform.[60] The proposed motion was rejected by 67 per cent.[61]
On October 26, 2022, Bloc Québécois (BQ) Leader Yves-François Blanchet moved a motion calling for the severing of "ties between the Canadian State and the British monarchy" in the Federal House of Commons, It was rejected 44 to 266.[62]
Activities
As abolition of the monarchy would require a constitutional amendment made only after the achievement of unanimous consent amongst the
Up until 2010, most republican action had taken the form of protests on Victoria Day – the Canadian sovereign's official birthday – in Toronto, lobbying of the federal and provincial governments to eliminate Canadian royal symbols,[66] and legal action against the Crown, specifically in relation to the Oath of Citizenship and the Act of Settlement 1701.[67][68]
Today, most of Citizens for a Canadian Republic's activities are educational, providing commentators to the media and networking with supporters in all political parties.[69]
In 2013, several former members of Citizens for a Canadian Republic formed Republic Now, led by Ashok Charles, which has a more activist approach in advocating for a republic.[70][71]
Ted McWhinney has argued that Canada can become a republic upon the demise of the current monarch by not proclaiming a successor; according to McWhinney, this would be a way for the constitution to evolve "more subtly and by indirection, through creating new glosses on the Law of the Constitution as written, without formally amending it."[72] However, Ian Holloway, Dean of Law at the University of Western Ontario, criticized this proposal for its ignorance of provincial input, and opined that its implementation "would be contrary to the plain purpose of those who framed our system of government."[73]
Opinion polling
Polls conducted on the subject of abolition of the Canadian Crown in 2022 and 2023, following the accession of Charles III, stated that 58% of Canadians think there should be a referendum on the future of the monarchy and between 40% and 54% of Canadians favour becoming a republic.[74][75][76] However, pollster Michael Ashcroft cautioned that "for change to happen in Canada, the issue would have to find its way to the top of the political agenda. It’s hard to see what could be the catalyst for that to happen.”[75]
See also
- Debate on the monarchy in Canada
- Monarchism in Canada
- Republicanism in Australia
- Republicanism in New Zealand
- Republicanism in Barbados
- Republicanism in Jamaica
- Republicanism in the Bahamas
- Republicanism in Antigua and Barbuda
- Scottish republicanism
- Welsh republicanism
- Constitutional monarchy
- Republicanism
Notes
- ^ Even prominent calls for a republic, such as those issued by the Toronto Star editorial board in the centennial year of Confederation, did not inspire action amongst the wider populace. As put by Reg Whitaker: "In the 1960s, in the first fine, careless rapture of bilingualism and biculturalism, an end to the monarchy might have become a shared program between Quebec nationalists and Canadian dualists. It never happened."[24]
- ^ Donolo wrote in Maclean's that "it's the institution of the monarchy that is incompatible with the values of a modern, democratic, pluralistic state."[48][49]
- ^ Negative commentary came from John Fraser and Christie Blachford in the National Post, Rosie DiManno in the Toronto Star, Hartley Steward in The Sunday Sun, Michael Valpy in The Globe and Mail,[48][49] Rex Murphy on the CBC,[52] and Andrew Coyne in the National Post.[53]
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Further reading
- Ajzenstat, Janet and Peter J. Smith. Canada's Origins: Liberal, Tory, Or Republican? Montreal: McGill-Queen's Press – MQUP, 1995. ISBN 0-88629-274-3
- Caccia, Fulvio, Daniel Sloate and Domenico Cusmano. Republic Denied: The Loss of Canada. Translated by Daniel Sloate and Domenico Cusmano Toronto: Guernica Editions, 2002. ISBN 1-55071-144-X
- Smith, David E. The Republican Option in Canada, Past and Present. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8020-4469-7
- Vaughan, Frederick. The Canadian Federalist Experiment: From Defiant Monarchy to Reluctant Republic.Montreal: McGill-Queen's Press – MQUP, 2003. ISBN 0-7735-2537-8