Victoria Day – My Thoughts On The Monarchy

Victoria Day is a Canadian statutory holiday in every province and territory with the exception of the Province of Quebec where it’s celebrated as National Patriot’s Day. Victoria Day is named in honor of Queen Victoria’s Birthday while National Patriot’s Day in Quebec is named to honor the rebellion against the British in 1837.  That is quite a difference, eh?

Fleur de Lis – The Provincial Flag of Quebec – first Provincial Flag in Canada
Looking at these glaring differences I think professional counselors might ask something like “do I sense some conflict here”?; For sure the conflict between Quebec and Britain has endured ever since 1534 when Jacques Cartier planted a cross in the Gaspé Peninsula and claimed the land for France.  I’ll leave that topic for another day and instead offer my views on Canada and the monarchy.

Now all Provinces and Territories have their own flags since Quebec in 1948.

I’m not, nor have I ever been, a supporter of the idea that Canada needs a British monarch – or any monarch for that matter. So, in short, I side with Quebec on this Statutory Holiday weekend and would prefer something like a Patriot’s Day instead of Victoria Day. I’ve never liked the idea of a modern, multicultural, vibrant country like Canada having a foreign king or queen as its head of state even if it’s only a ceremonial duty as is the case now.

This isn’t a new position for me.  I can still remember not wanting to sing “God Save the Queen” when I was in elementary school. This feeling persisted as I grew older. At 18, I got a job with the Province of BC and was required to take an ‘Oath of Allegiance to the Queen’.  I hated the idea and still remember standing in the back row, raising my right hand and remaining silent. I must have received a subliminal message from my grandfather, dad and uncles who were of Irish descent.

Is my view of the monarchy just a minority one in Canada? I don’t think so. Most polls, including one by Angus Reid last year put support for Canada continuing with the tradition of a monarchy at 33%. Half of those polled agreed that the monarchy was just a “relic of our colonial past that has no place in Canada today.” I agree 100% with that assessment.

1982 – Patriation and adoption of the Canadian Constitution from Britain

A huge step towards complete and total separation from Britain became a reality when PM Pierre Elliot Trudeau moved to patriate the Canadian Constitution. The signing of the proclamation on April 17, 1982, was accompanied by The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and an amending formula with no role for the monarchy or Great Britain. Well, that only took a little over 100 years!

The Environics Institute has tracked Canadian attitudes on many topics for over 30 years. Last year, asked to identify Canada’s most important symbol, respondents chose a long list with our Universal Health Care System at the top and the monarchy at the bottom!  That order hasn’t changed in the last decade. Yes, it’s true, our Universal Health Care System outranks our flag as the most important symbol of Canada.

Given the apathy about the monarchy, why do we still have it?  It seems to be most Canadians simply can’t be bothered to get into a long, drawn out fight over abolishing the monarchy when we have much more serious problems to solve. I’m betting that only 10% of Canadians care passionately about it one way or the other. As for me, I’d like to see the monarchy abolished but I’m not about to go the barricades over it. To me, the British royals are simply the 1% of the 1% and no more, no less.

The monarchy in today’s Canada has been pretty much reduced to little more than a modern day soap opera or in today’s narrative “a reality TV show”. The current crop of royals, for the most part, seem ok and I do like Prince Harry as he seems to be quite normal and a fun guy. The same can’t be said for his overly dour Grandmother, the Queen, or her stodgy prodigy Charles.

If we Canadians could ever get enthused enough to abolish all ties to the Monarchy it could be done in about 2 years.  There would have to be a national referendum on the question as the first step. There’s nothing Britain could do about it.  We are a free, sovereign nation and all it takes is the will to do it.  The trouble is I, for one, just can’t be bothered!

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