Rule Canadiana

Hats, handwaves, symbols of worldwide oppression, etc.

So, the Royal Couple are wrapping up their honeymoon of sorts here in the colonies, and have probably quelled any talk of republicanism for a few years. The Toronto Star concludes Canada “contains considerably more monarchists today than when Prince William and Kate began their royal tour one week ago.” We'd be hard-pressed to disagree, as evidenced by the 300,000 or so that showed up in Ottawa to greet them, or similar such crowds almost everywhere else they go. Granted, as the Star points out, “an undeniable part of their attraction is raw celebrity status — the same magnetic force that draws crowds to see Brad Pitt and Lady Gaga,” and this doesn't necessarily equate newfound love for the monarchy. There'll be much more of a test once the far less popular, charming, and good-looking Prince Charles ascends to the throne.

Dan Gardner, writing for the Ottawa Citizen, sees the trip as the culmination of a recent rebranding of the governor generalship as explicitly subservient to the Queen, and not, as it had increasingly become under consecutive Liberal governments, a Canadian replacement for her. For decades, our political leaders chose to “sweep the symbols of Canada's Crown under a Rideau Hall rug,” which, regardless of your feelings about the monarchy, “promotes ignorance of our history, heritage, and constitution." Gardner suggests those in power who want to ditch the monarchy to openly make their case for doing so instead of let apathy and institutional creep do the job for them.

Republicans have apparently decided to keep their mouths shut during the visit, and maybe because, as Michael Valpy puts it for CBC, “the monarchy's grumpiest critics are coming around to accepting the fact that getting rid of it would tie the country in knots.” The public love-in for Wills and Kate will surely dissipate over time, but with the “most overtly monarchist prime minister ... that Canada has had since John Diefenbaker half a century ago” in office for the foreseeable, Quebecois anti-monarchy protesters coming across as little more than rabble rousers, and much bigger issues to worry about, there's little chance of any serious debate about the Crown arising anytime soon.