willbillyblog

A Canadian's perspective on domestic and international issues. Independent coverage of Canadian federal, provincial and municipal elections and anything of interest in Canada.

Saturday, December 06, 2008

Time to Reaccess the Role of the Monarchy in Canada

Perhaps now it the time to finally discuss the role of the Governor General in our governance. We have a non-elected official protecting a Prime Minister from facing a confidence motion. It amounts to the Queen interfering with the legislative process in this country.
Unelected officials should have no say in how parliament does its job. Now is the time to ask if we really want a government that can be directed by unelected officials. I say no.
If there ever was an argument for finally abolishing the monarchy and moving towards a republican style of democracy, it is now.

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1 Comments:

At 2:25 AM, Blogger radical royalist said...

I think Mr. Harper did a bit of blackmail to get Parliament sent into a long winter holiday. This conservative is no friend of the Monarchy. I can only hope the coalition parties will stay together and send Mr. Harper to the opposition benches, when parliamentary sessions will re-start at the end of January.
He is useless and uses undemocratic methods. Just imagine he were president, what else he could do to stay in power? At least the GG prevents him from assuming the highest position in the country. He is "only" Her Majesty's prime mnister.

The Queen of Canada - and so Her representative in Canada, the Governor General - acts on the advice of the prime minister. That's how it works in a Constitutional Monarchy. And usually that is working quite well. The present situation in Canada is different. The GG acted on the advice of the prime minister, however, it is doubtful that he still has a majority in the parliament. Therefore the GG should have asked him to show that he still has the support of the elected members of parliament before she acted on his advice.

That would have been the proper way. But Mr. Harper knew that he does no longer enjoy the support of the majority and therefore he avoided the vote of confidence.

The Governor General did nothing wrong, it was Mr. Harper who asked for the wrong action. He is a typical politician. Do you want to give politicians all saying by abolishing the Canadian Monarchy?

What happens, when a Monarch acts against the wish of a prime minister can been seen in Luxembourg, where the prime minister announced five days ago, that the Grand Duke of Luxembourg should be stripped of his right to sign and en-act laws. Luxembourg has a conservative prime minister as well. What's wrong with today's conservatives that they want to get rid of good old practices that keep the balance of power? Are they so powerhungry? Another reason to keep the Monarchy and remind them, that there is something else than their great ego.

 

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