As I write this, on April 30, the sky is blue. The sun is shining. Grass is greening. The trees are leafing out and I’m told flowers are showing up here and there. Too bad we can’t say all’s right with the world but we have wildfires already, warnings of floods, and it’s mostly bad /sad news in the media. Oh well.
King Charles III’s coronation this weekend is good or bad news, depending on how you feel about the monarchy. Canadians mostly don’t care, according to pollsters who are testing to see 1) how Canadians feel about the new king and 2) if we want to continue being in a Constitutional monarchy. What is a Constitutional monarchy? It means we have a king or queen with power limited to constitutional, ceremonial and representational duties. King Charles is our “Head of State” but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau heads our government. The monarch is represented in Canada by the Governor General (Mary Simon), in the provinces by Lieutenant Governors (Janet Austen for B.C.).
Canada is an independent state, but we belong to the British Commonwealth, an association of 56 countries and home to over 2.4 billion citizens over five continents. King Charles is head of Commonwealth.
I’ve always felt sympathetic for Charles. As heir to the throne he’s been in the spotlight almost all his life and the media aren’t always kind. Charles always seemed a bit stodgy, not a dashing, handsome Prince Charming. And, Queen Elizabeth cast a very long shadow for a very long time.
Cutting ties with the royals isn’t on my present priority list, we have too may other things to worry about. According to reports, supporting them costs Canadians $1.55 per person annually. That won’t break us. Let’s give Charles his day in the sun.
READ MORE: Showtime! UK readies pomp for King Charles III’s coronation
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