Most Canadians think we live in a democracy. They delude themselves. We are, at best, a constitutional monarchy and, at worst, a colony. The good news is that our country has been undergoing change in a sporadic fashion for the past 143 years.
But incremental change is no longer satisfactory. We need a new consensus on how we are governed and how we will look to the future. We really need to say to Queen Elizabeth II something like: “Maw, the kids are gittin pretty grown up now and they ain’t as happy with the quaint idea of princes and princesses and other fairy tales.”
Canada is no longer dominated by British subjects. We are ethnically from the entire world. We have built a strong country that is respected by that world. If we are a colony, we are more a colony of the United States of America than Great Britain. We are long weaned from the Mother Country.
Michael Ignatieff had some bad advice the other day when he suggested that Michaëlle Jean have her term as Governor General extended. An appointed representative of the Queen, who stands in as the head of our armed forces, is an anachronism—nothing more than a silly piece of fiction. It means that we cannot respect the role. Michael Ignatieff needed to step beyond the partisan comments he made and reach behind the scenes. He has to realize that the dialogue needs to be on how we can democratically choose a head of state to meet our country’s unique needs.
Canadians have to stop acting as ostriches and putting off the hard decisions. Some people say you are an anti-monarchist for saying it. That is a funny thing to call a realist. The truth is, having met some of Europe’s royals, I can say the English ones are not only nicer but more human. That is not an adequate reason to keep them around. Their ‘use before’ dates expired a long time ago.
Others think a proper review will give succour to Quebec’s separatists. What it will really do is give courage and hope to French-speaking Canadians that this is a country that recognizes their rights, their wishes and their ambitions within a bilingual country. This is their country.
There is no question that Canadians were burned by the foolish outcome of the Charlottetown Accord but that was an example of what will happen when you have politicians with a vested interest involved in the process. A properly chosen and elected constitutional assembly would be a first for this country but it really needs to happen.
It would probably not be a good idea for Michael Ignatieff to lead Canadians towards that solution but there is nothing wrong with him endorsing it. If Harper came out for it, the talking heads would be wondering forever what he has up his sleeve. It has to be a grass roots movement. It will take time.
In proposing and counter proposing, in arguing and questioning, we will gradually build a consensus that will give a constitutional assembly some ideas to consider and develop. Give it time and our future as a country will unfold. It will be wonderful.
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