Guest column: Canada’s relationship with monarchy probably best left untouched

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I am not in any inclination a Royalist. Yet, I am not without a full appreciation of the historic role both of British monarchy and its relationship to Canada.

Queen Elizabeth’s husband Prince Phillip passed away in his 100th year. I’d had only two marginal encounters both with Prince Phillip and his Queen in my entire life — once in Scotland and a second in Ottawa.

Yet, his passing left me with a modest sense of loss. Both he and Queen Elizabeth have been fixtures in the background of my life and she on my postage stamps and dollar bills and coins almost forever.

It could not have been easy following the Queen by a few paces. It could not have been easy shadowing the Queen as she played her significant role as Head of State in Britain and for many countries in what remains of the Commonwealth.

One had to admire a man so prominently placed who could still snarl at a photographer and tell him to “take the fuddle-duddle picture.”

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It cannot be easy being a Royal especially at the Queen and Consort level. The antics of family members and especially those who seem to vision Royalty as a ticket to fame and possibly even private wealth by taking respectability to backyards of popular television.

Many marriage partners who lose their closest friend struggle to survive. Often, and within measurable spaces of time, the second partner succumbs.

I rather imagine that Queen Elizabeth will struggle emotionally with her loss. And perhaps in some short order she too may follow the lead of her husband.

I do not welcome this outcome, but do realize the inevitability of losing Queen Elizabeth.

For Canadians, that loss opens a window for a serious assessment of what if any future relationship this country needs or wants with the British monarchy and its surrogates.

Years ago, I arranged for a two-question survey of Canadian military personnel at Camp Borden. I did not receive many responses before being bluntly informed that Canadian military personnel were not permitted to express opinions on political issues. The survey ended abruptly.

Yet there was a lingering insight.

Thus, when asked “if the Prime Minister ordered you to arrest the Governor General would you do so? Yes or No?” And if the Governor General asked you to arrest the Prime Minister would you do so? Yes or No?”

Within the few answers received it was absolutely clear that the Governor General could more effectively command the military whereas the Prime Minister could not.

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Politics is about Prime Ministers; formal dignity of Canada is about the office of the Governor General as our Head of State.

Most democratic countries worldwide separate Head of Government from Head of State. That permits Heads of Government to wallow in the swill of everyday politics, while Heads of State open schools and swimming pools or hand out awards and host lovely garden parties.

America is among the very few countries where both Head of State and Head of Government are combined in one person. And as the most recent White House ex-occupant demonstrated this can lead to chaos and diminution or credibility of the office of President.

I acknowledge that Canadians recently experienced a dysfunctional Governor General (GG). That was as much a political blunder of choice as it was a failure of the incumbent GG to understand her role and prominence.

Hopefully, neither Canadians nor Americans will make similar blunders a second time.

I am not sure about our need to discuss cabbages, but I am absolutely certain we will need a discussion about how Canadians wish to identify and enshrine their Head of State.

My vote goes for retaining the current attachment to the British monarchy.

It is a relatively inexpensive option and it works well as long as the person hosting the office understands that they too live in a translucent fish-bowl.

Bluntly, our current relatively passive and benign GG Office is of constitutional character and submerges almost any alternative.

Lloyd Brown-John is a University of Windsor professor emeritus of political science. He can be reached at lbj@uwindsor.ca.