Philippe Lagassé: Is Canadian republicanism a hopeless cause?
Philippe Lagassé: Is Canadian republicanism a hopeless cause?
Canadians might be growing steadily more indifferent to the monarchy, but republicans need to come up with a plan for what could replace it.
By: Philippe Lagassé
King Charles III’s coronation isn’t getting much attention in Canada. Canadians are largely indifferent and the government is putting minimal effort into celebrating the event. This is how Canada will approach the King’s reign overall. We’ll have some royal tours and His Majesty might attend a couple of Canada Days. Our coins should feature his effigy, but it’s not obvious his face will be on the $20 bill. A monarchist government could try to promote the institution, as the Conservatives did the last time they were in power, though this didn’t have a noticeable impact on the public.
Canadian apathy toward the monarchy leads to musings about our becoming a republic. Barbados recently did and Jamaica is planning to do so. Australia may have another referendum on the issue, too. Why shouldn’t Canada to do the same?
As constitutional killjoys are quick to point out, we’ve made it nearly impossible to remove the King and replace the Crown. Doing so require all provinces and houses of the federal Parliament to agree under the unanimous amending formula. Also, even if there was a general consensus about becoming a republic, the negotiations would get hijacked by every other provincial demand and grievance. Since the talks would get nowhere and sow division, it’s not surprising that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants nothing to do with the idea. His successors will probably come to the same conclusion.
Canadian republicanism, then, looks like a hopeless cause. Still, it’s worth asking what republicans could do to lay the groundwork for a future transition. While it seems that we’ll never engage in major constitutional reform again, memories of our past failures at Meech Lake and Charlottetown will eventually fade. There are also a number of outstanding constitutional questions that we should probably get around to seriously debating, such as the Senate, the federal division of powers, the status of municipalities, Indigenous self-government, or the notwithstanding clause. If a bold government decides to hold constitutional negotiations at some point, republicans won’t want to miss the opportunity.
To that end, here’s some unsolicited advice to Canadian republicans from a “not broken, don’t fix it” constitutional monarchist on what they should be doing to advance their cause.
Right now, Canadian republicanism is a vague aspiration floated by a few pundits, a couple of retired politicians, and a handful of advocates. If republicans want to effect change, they need to be bettered organized. They need to get funding, build momentum, and put together a well-thought out series of proposals and ideas. It’s not enough to assume Canadians’ lack of interest in the monarchy will lead to change on its own. Republicanism needs to go from being a notion to being a veritable movement.
Monarchists figured this out a while ago. Although they often appeal to tradition and sentiment to defend the Crown, monarchists have also maintained leagues and institutes, sponsored academic conferences and publications, and cultivated wealthy patrons. Republicans haven’t done anything comparable, and it shows.
Republicans rely too much on tired tropes and easy jabs. Stating that the monarchy is a colonial vestige, a symbol of inequality and privilege, and out of touch with contemporary Canada isn’t enough. These arguments may chip away at public support for the institution, but the status quo will prevail in the absence of positive proposals for change.
Above all, republicans need to articulate a considered, practical alternative to the monarchy. The Crown plays many different roles in the Canadian constitution. It serves as our concept of the state and the executive, and it’s part of Parliament and the provincial legislatures. The King appoints the Governor General, and the Governor General and Lieutenant Governors exercise the Crown’s powers to summon, dissolve, and prorogue the legislature, grant royal assent, appoint first ministers, and so forth. It wouldn’t be difficult to simply retain some of these features and functions, but others would require a re-conception or be ripe for change.
For example, having the Governor General and Lieutenant Governors continue to exercise head of state functions would be easy enough. But the exercise of certain powers, notably dissolution and prorogation, have been controversial and might be worth reconsidering.
Replacing the Crown as our concept of the state wouldn’t just involve rejigging how Canada contracts and owns property, but could force us to rethink how we govern ourselves if sovereignty resided with the people. Popular sovereignty, for instance, could allow for a number of democratic reforms that the Crown’s powers prevented, including binding referenda and term limits for first ministers.
If republicans do start organizing and coming up with alternative institutional arrangements, they’ll need to be particularly mindful of the Crown’s relationship with Indigenous peoples. The Crown’s duty to act honourably toward Indigenous people might be transferred to whatever replaces the Crown as the executive power in the constitution. Similarly, treaties could be reconceived as being with the Canadian state — however we end up defining and understanding it. None of this can be taken for granted, though. A Canadian republican movement would need to ensure that its goals and proposals are accepted by Indigenous nations, and treaty peoples, in particular. Failing to address Crown-Indigenous relations, and to secure the support of treaty peoples, would doom any republican alternative from the start.
Finally, republicans have to answer two very basic questions: Who cares? And why bother? Critiquing the monarch and royal family doesn’t take much effort or imagination. Convincing Canadians that they should do something about it, when the royals cost them nothing and they have much bigger problems, is much harder. Republicans need a message that resonates with the public, one that transforms indifference toward the monarchy into enthusiasm for a new set of Canadian institutions.
Philippe Lagassé is associate professor and Barton Chair, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University.
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