Ilike the Queen. I like the Canadian coat of arms. I like that we call things "Crown" land and "Crown" prosecutors, the "Queen's" Printer and the "Royal Canadian" this and that.
I like royal visits, when we crowd around and wave and the royals say how great Canadians are and that they are Canadians, too - such heart-warming hyperbole.
I like the queen's steadfastness. She has given 60 years to pomp, parade and ceremony, unfailingly sincere in projecting the importance of each occasion. She remains in character at all times, her regality and dignity her currency. Queen Elizabeth is a trooper of the first order.
This alone is worth the $1.53 each Canadian pays per year to maintain various royal residences and heritage buildings in Canada - a steal at twice the price.
Unlike others, we Canadians have always accepted our past vanquished. The French, our Aboriginal people and the British, none did we petulantly repudiate. We don't need to cleanse ourselves of the monarchy. None of us is waking up sweating, worried about Britain usurping us politically.
That we can respect the legacy of the monarchy without feeling threatened makes us a more mature country.
I hold little loyalty towards England or the Commonwealth. Indeed, my support for the monarchy is somewhat tenuous, based mainly on the exemplary performance of this queen and how deeply the Crown's symbols and traditions are steeped into our culture.
I may not feel as strongly about an imminent King Charles; perhaps we'll all change our minds, but we can all cross that prig when we come to it.
I must confess to unease about being on the same side of an issue as Stephen Harper. But this is the one issue I've found in which Prime Minister Harper doesn't propose aping U.S. strategy and political structure. In fact, my alignment with Mr. Harper on this issue is reinforced by how much the monarchy helps differentiate us from our southern friends.
We're giving millions to corporations and tax cuts to the rich. We're buying F35 bombers at $175 million a pop. We can scrape up $1.53 to keep this part of our Canadian heritage alive and to express our respect for Queen Elizabeth's 60 years of unfailing devotion to Canada.
