Key Takeaways:
- Should Canada get rid of the Royal Family?
- Like the 95-year-old Queen herself, it’s a debate that keeps going.
- Now, after the tiny country of Barbados deposed the monarchy, Canadians are debating whether we should do the same.
According to a recent Angus Reid poll, more than half of us believe our status as a constitutional monarchy must change at some point. While 25% are content with remaining tied to British royalty.
That’s a 15-point drop from 2016, which isn’t surprising given how the royals have performed recently. Never mind the damage done to their reputation by Netflix’s The Crown or the renewed interest in Princess Diana and her mistreatment by the House of Windsor.
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There’s also the racism that drove Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to abandon their royal duties and relocate to California, not to mention the scandalous revelations about Prince Andrew and his friendship with the world’s most notorious sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
At this point, the royals’ only proper function is to serve as a visible reminder of what a dysfunctional family looks like. When Queen Elizabeth II’s reign ends, that dysfunction will only become more evident and manifest. Her enduring personal popularity has helped distract from the Royal Family’s insignificance in modern Canadian life, but that distraction will not last forever.
Aside from the small and dwindling band of monarchists in Canada who still pine for the red ensign nearly 60 years after the maple leaf replaced it. There won’t be many people left who are loyal to the institution or willing to fight for its survival.
Replacing our constitutional monarchy and Royal Family with a republic is fraught with danger, as the increasingly dysfunctional republic to our south reminds us daily.
Every political system has strengths and weaknesses, and we must be careful not to trade one drawback we can live with embarrassment; for example, we can’t.
However, given the monarchy’s declining popularity and relevance. It’s probably time to embark on a more serious search for something new. One of Canada’s best assets has always been its ability to adapt and evolve, and we may need to do so again.
Source: nationalobserver
