King Charles III is, at the moment of this writing, in Ottawa, Canada meeting and greeting people young and old, of high office and commoner alike.
It’s a nice event. The spontaneous crowd in the gardens at Rideau Hall are singing Oh Canada and God Save the King. I can’t help but wonder if at this moment, when Canada is rightly and importantly reminding the world — particularly the United States of America — of its sovereignty, if this is a different kind of coming of age moment.
The last time the Monarch opened a Canadian Parliament was in 1977, just months before I was born. Canada was an independent nation, but still ultimately governed by the British North America Act. It wasn’t until 5 years later, on April 17, 1982 when our Constitution was patriated and we took another step out from under our colonial past and into the light as a self-governing nation.
Fast forward to today, and it feels a little like the Prime Minister called Dad to come over for the special party because the bully next door was making fun of him again…
We’re still a relatively new country, less than 200 years young, but do we not have enough of a historical foundation and are responsible enough to be able to assert, one hundred percent, our own sovereignty?
I certainly mean no ill will personally toward King Charles or the Royal Family.
Canada and the Crown have a history, particularly with Indigenous groups that we continue to try to grasp, heal, and grow from. Don’t mistake the moving from a constitutional monarchy to a republic as being any kind of rapprochement toward the USA or rejection of our British past. This is evolution, not revolution.
We would have a slight change in titles and need to make a decision on succession of our Head of State but to be clear, my preference is as we have seen in most other former realms of the British Crown. Our parliamentary democracy and system of government based on our Constitution and the laws as they have evolved should remain the same, standing strong and free.
I do not doubt the King’s commitment, solidarity, and respect for our independence. I also believe he would, in his heart — because it would be inappropriate and he would not dare to say out loud — love to see Canada reach its fullest position and stature in the world.
So let us spread our wings, Canada. Let us inspire love, admiration and respect across the globe as a fully sovereign, diverse, and Canadian nation with its own Head of State exclusively here in Canada.