Grab the scissors, Canada! It’s time to cut ties with the Monarchy

BY JANIECE CAMPBELL

Many are calling on Canadian government officials to rethink its relationship with the monarch of Britain after a recent explosive interview between Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Oprah Winfrey.

In a damning exposé, Meghan revealed how living amongst the royal family led to a lack of support and suicidal thoughts. She described them as cold, distant and indifferent to her mental health as she struggled with tabloids slandering her character. This prompted her and her husband’s regal departure in January 2020, where they formally stepped back from their roles as senior members of the royal family. The couple also indicated that there were racist undertones within Buckingham Palace, where there were multiple discussions over how dark the colour of their son’s skin would be.

Disappointed but far from surprised were many viewers’ reactions. When thinking of Britain, it’s hard not to think about its racist gory history as one of the largest slave trading nations. The thriving reign of the royal family serves as a reminder that much of their prosperity was built off of the robbery of black and brown peoples’ humanity and possessions, and many underdeveloped countries are left with the effects of this until this day.

Canada, as one of the 54 sovereign nations apart of the Commonwealth, still continues to attach itself to the monarchy. The Queen is on our money. The first page of our passports essentially say that she allows us to move freely. All Canadian Naval ships have the prefix HMCS before their names, meaning “Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship.” Not to mention the ROYAL Canadian Mounted Police, or the ROYAL Canadian Navy or the ROYAL Canadian Mint. In this emerging era of racial awareness, how can Canada promise to fight against injustice but continue to give its full-fledged support to an institution that’s completely rooted in colonialism, discrimination and systemic racism?

“I think it’s clear. I’ve said it in the past: I don’t see the benefit of the monarchy in Canadians’ lives,” says NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. “There’s no benefit to them and now even more so with concerns about racism in the institution that were raised, and pressures that were placed on Meghan Markle.”

And he’s absolutely right. The Statute of Westminster, an act of the British Parliament was established in 1931 and affirmed Canada’s right to self-governance and ability to control its own domestic and foreign affairs. So, what’s the point of upholding a monarch when they have very little jurisdiction on Canadian legislature?

Frankly, many Canadians also don’t have an attachment to the monarchy anymore. In a survey taken by YouGov in January 2020, more than two in five Canadians supported cutting ties with the Queen. The data shows 44% of Canadians strongly or somewhat agreed with abolishing the monarchy in Canada, with Canadians between the ages of 35-44 being more likely than any other age group to support the idea.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said earlier this month that his government will not be engaging in conversations about scrapping the monarchy while the pandemic is still at large and the country faces unprecedented economic disruption.

“Obviously, I wish all members of the Royal Family the very best. But my focus, as we’ve said, is getting through this pandemic,” Trudeau said when asked if Canada should rethink its ties to the House of Windsor. “If people want to later talk about constitutional change and shifting our system of government, that’s fine. They can have those conversations. But right now, I’m not having those conversations.”

However, Trudeau blatantly admits that many of Canada’s institutions, including Parliament itself are built on a legacy of systemic racism. He claims that the solution is not to dismantle the monarchy, but to somehow reform what’s already broken.

“The answer is not to suddenly toss out all the institutions and start over. The answer is to look very carefully at those systems and listen to Canadians who face discrimination every single day and whenever they interact with those institutions to understand the barriers, inequities, and inequalities that exist within our institutions that need to be addressed that many of us don’t see because we don’t live them.”

Well, plenty of Canadians have spoken and it seems that the government isn’t listening. The monarch today exists in our country to be nothing more than an outdated historical symbol. For many, this is not simply a positive symbol of how Canada came to be. There is a loaded history of pain and bloodshed that comes from the throne, especially for Indigenous communities. Is this really a tradition that deserves to be maintained?

There should be no more swearing allegiance to the “Queen of Canada” upon taking the Oath of Citizenship or becoming a public servant. There should be no more spending millions of taxpayer money just to host the royal family for a few days when there have been communities across the country that have been suffering for decades. Just as easy as it was to replace John A. Macdonald on the $10 note with Viola Desmond, in due time, we can equally find another prominent Canadian figure to take over the $20 note. It’s not an easy change, nor is it a cheap one, but it is a necessary one. The time is near for Canada to finally release the shackles that the monarchy holds against her.