WE ARE NOT AMUSED

"The monarchy is a non-issue among Canadians. There is almost no agitation to rid Canada of its traditional political system. If anything, there is a fairly widespread feeling that the nation's origins and traditions have for several decades been obscured for ideological purposes and without democratic support... Canadians seem to be pleased both with the current arrangements and with the Prince of Wales himself. It is decidedly odd for Mr Manley and Mr Tobin, high profile Cabinet ministers, to propose aggressively and without public support that we open the trap door under our future head of state." Editorial, National Post, May 19, 2001

 

MONARCHY SAFE FOR A THOUSAND YEARS

"Former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau once quipped that the constitutional arrangements he and the premiers had negotiated in 1981 were set to last for a thousand years... A genuine national debate about ditching the Queen ­ genuine in the sense of possibly leading to a decision one way or the other ­ just won't happen... the Australian debacle put paid to any hope that those wishing a change in Canada could point to success in a country so similar in many ways... So Canada is stuck with the Royals. Mr Manley suggested that perhaps in 20, 30 or 50 years Canadians might be willing to ditch them. Knowing about the unanimous-consent straightjacket [whereby the federal parliament and all 10 provincial legislatures must consent to any change in "the office of Queen"] Pierre Trudeau was probably closer to the mark ­ we'll have them for a thousand years." Jeffrey Simpson, writing in The Globe and Mail, May 26, 2001.

 

HISTORICAL TOUCHSTONE

"To cast off historical touchstones like the monarchy ultimately works counter to what we want to achieve, a strong sense of our own identity. It would be change for change's sake. Why are we so insecure that we have to cut off our roots and redefine ourselves?" Rudyard Griffiths, Executive Director, the Dominion Institute, quoted by Lynda Hurst in The Toronto Star, May 26, 2001.

 

HURT FEELINGS

"Manley's opinions are in direct contradiction to the prevailing Canadian sentiment on the monarchy. Not that Canadians love the monarchy. They may or they may not. No, the prevailing Canadian sentiment about the monarchy is that Canadians would rather not discuss the matter. Canadians have lived with the monarchy all their lives and they have learned a thing or two. The main thing they have learned is that people's feelings get hurt when the monarchy is discussed...Why get it started, is the way we have always looked at it. Why get into a family fight? So we have avoided fights most of the time and our most astute politicians have recognized the need to do so. If pressed, they usually come down on the side of the monarchy, but they are rarely pressed." Charles Gordon, writing in the Vancouver Sun, May 22, 2001.

 

NOT AMUSED, NOR IMPRESSED

"...Mr Manley has no business staying in cabinet while publicly contradicting a fundamental policy... The same goes for Industry Minister Brian Tobin. Captain Canada was quick to grab attention for his leadership aspirations by calling for a national debate on the future of the monarchy. It's disheartening to see two senior ministers trivialize an important constitutional principle and risk dividing the country for no good reason... The existing monarchy has functionality, stability, respect and public affection going for it. Leave it alone." Editorial, Halifax Chronicle-Herald, May 23, 2001.

 

NOT BUYING

"Canadians recognize instinctively that if we lose the Royal Family we could gain something truly horrifying, some party bagman, backroom operative or longtime cabinet hack appointed president of Canada by a dictatorial prime minister on the grounds that he or she has done yeoman service for the party and therefore the country... The last thing we need in this sprawling country struggling to remain united and resist the immense gravitational pull of the behemoth next door is a proposal to obliterate one of the historic traditions that makes Canada unique." Gord Henderson, writing in The Windsor Star, May 24, 2001

 

EASIER TO SHOW WHAT IS RIGHT WITH MONARCHY

"Aside from showing that Canada has a foreign minister who disapproves of his own country's Constitution... [John Manley] brought no new element to the discussion. It is easy to show that there is something wrong with the monarchy... Kingship has declined around the world as democratic principles have advanced. Canada remains part of the dwindling minority of monarchies. It is easier still, however, to show what is right with the monarchy and what is wrong with other forms of government... Heads of state in the republics are tied to one party or another and are therefore not able, in the way that Canada's Queen is, to speak for the entire nation. A long career at the heart of great events has given the Queen vast knowledge and experience with which to warn and advise a prime minister... By leaving the company of monarchies and lining up with the republics, Canada would not be joining a more democratic group of countries." Editorial, The Winnipeg Free Press, May 23, 2001.

 

COLONIAL INSECURITY

"Most people... are... relaxed about symbols from the past, which they may even find charming and educational. Canada obviously has the power to cut the royal link should our more ambitious governors, who so clearly chafe under it, eventually persuade us that this is what we want... But true maturity lies in declining to exercise powers you have. A compulsion to obliterate the shells of past demons is an unmistakable symptom of colonial insecurity." William Watson, writing in National Post, June 26, 2001.

 

LET SLEEPING ROYALS LIE

"It's easy to find fault with our current system, but it's much harder to agree on a suitable alternative or two show it will be better than what we have now. Some complains are just canards, such as that Canada's head of state is The Queen of England. She isn't. She's the Queen of Canada (among her many other jobs.) And while it's eccentric to leave ultimate power in the hands of the heirs of Egbert of Wessex, it works in practice, while most systems that sound good in theory don't." Editorial, The Ottawa Citizen, May 23, 2001  .

 

"I am shocked and appalled that a Minister of the Crown would make unwelcome and unsolicited comments about the monarchy on the eve of Victoria Day... The Minister has made some very serious accusations about the performance of the Queen as our head of state, but I would question the manner in which he himself is representing Canada when his views are so wildly at odds with the majority of Canadians."
ELSIE WAYNE, MP (PC-Saint John, NB)

 

"Mr Manley is a damn republican, and he's out to sink the monarchy. That he chose this weekend to float his anarchist balloon is no surprise... As for Her Majesty, long may she reign over us."
REX MURPHY, COMMENTING ON CBC-TV NATIONAL NEWS, MAY 21, 2001