But a president?………No!
Two of my greatest friends (one unhappily no longer with us) have had deep philosophical views of Canada as a constitutional monarchy.
A future king of Canada?
The reigning monarch, they believed, had ultimate authority as ruler of a nation — a system shared by other countries such as The Netherlands and Norway. True this power was only exercised ceremonially but it remained in the case of urgent need to settle more profound issues.
Now, a recent survey by Angus Reid Strategies indicated that 53 percent of Canadians wanted Canada to drop the monarchy.
Support for severing ties was highest among men, and among French speakers, while women, and those earning more than C$50,000 a year, were most likely to support the current system, the survey of 1,032 adults found.
To my mind there’s no doubt that in the not so far off future we’re going to see a showdown on the continuance of Canada as a constitutional monarchy. What, I ask, is the alternative for a head of state?
Certainly not a president which could lead ultimately to a complete usurpation of power.
But a governor? Yes.
The current office of a governor general, with a dedicated residence and other trappings of authority could readily be transformed into an elected office without a general and costly upheaval. Or is this too simple a solution for bureaucrats to grasp?
The combined cost to Canadian taxpayers of the Camilla-Charles tour in 2009 and the Queen’s forthcoming visit is estimated to be close to $6 million.
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