The issue of Canada’s monarchy is very controversial: the population of the country cannot come to the same conclusion whether it is fair and justified that the Queen of England remains to be the head of state. Current paper helps to comprehend the reasons of why it is necessary for the Queen of England to stay Canada’s head of state and define the points according to which it is time to for the Canadians to deprive Elizabeth II of this opportunity.
The role of Queen Elizabeth II for Canada is crucial indeed: she, as a great politician, is able to establish high-quality relations with the representatives of different spheres of life, she performs a number of functions in the country, like its Sovereign, Colonel-in-Chief, and the patron of different organizations, that cannot be replaced, and remains to be a symbol of unity and power for the Canadian citizens and the whole world; however, for a long period of time, her duties are performed by a governor general, and it seems that the Canadians do not want to bother themselves with changing their priorities and become an independent from England political body.
On the one hand, there are many reasons to support the leading positions of the Queen due to her abilities to gain control over any situation, demonstrate extreme success when political or economic instability destroys the whole countries, and become an example for millions of people around the whole world. On the other hand, Canada is an independent country with a number of provinces with its own history, culture, and traditions; and it is high time for Canada to forget that it used to be one of the English colonies and demonstrate its true autonomy and readiness to exist separately from the English influence.
When the Canadians are posed the question if the Queen of England should not be Canada’s head of state, they face a number of challenges and try to find out as many counterarguments as possible. Many political experts and ordinary philosophers admit that such uncertainty or unwillingness to deprive Elizabeth II of her duties as the Sovereign of Canada may be based on the Canadians inabilities to change the complicated constitutional system that is implemented or the personal treatment of the citizens to this woman.
People explain that “Queen Elizabeth II personifies the state, which means that she is the human face of our complex form of government. More than just a Head of State, the Queen represents the thousands of rules, regulations, and centuries of traditions” (Tidridge 71). In addition to such positive personal attitude of the Canadian citizens to the Queen of England, there are many other counterarguments that can be used in the statement that “Elizabeth II should not be Canada’s head of state”.
For example, she is able to retain special relations with different representatives of the Canadian Armed Forces for a long period of time (The British Monarchy para. 10). She performs the functions of Colonel-in-Chief at different regiments, this is why it seems to be impossible to replace or neglect her position and her role for the country.
At the same time, each country should demonstrate its unique abilities and improvements all the time. Nowadays, Canada can hardly be called as an English colony that has to be governed by the English Queen. Elizabeth II is a person, who runs seven independent countries like Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, etc. Is it possible to believe that one person can have enough power and opportunities to be a true good leader of a full value? Hardly! Of course, she tries to pay enough attention to the problems of each country and follow their development. However, it is clear that she has to divide all her duties among a number of different people with different cultural backgrounds.
For example, she appoints a governor general, who has to run the country, when the Queen is busy with the affairs of other countries under her leadership. In addition, each Canadian province has its own lieutenant governor, who represents the monarch. In other words, people do not observe the rule of the Queen physically. All they have is a kind of emotional support and a general awareness that Elizabeth II has a certain power over them.
This is why, when people start discussing the question whether Queen Elizabeth should or should not be Canada’s head of state, they have to evaluate the conditions under which she actually rules. What does the Queen actually do? Is it really crucial to deprive her of the name of the head of state in Canada? Can it change something? The answers to such questions should be given at first to comprehend a true essence of the Canadian monarchy and the role of the Queen for Canada and its citizens.
The experience of the country shows that the Queen may personify the state, become its symbol, its source of inspiration, its hope for a better future. All politicians, ministers, military representatives, and other services swear allegiance to the Queen (The British Monarchy para.3). Still, the above-mentioned bodies develop independent decisions, evaluate their own programs, and implement their own ideas in order to promote the success of the country. The Queen has to approve or disprove their actions only on paper.
However, it seems that she does not want to spend much time on such kind of paperwork and is ready to trust her leadership in the hands of different people. On the one hand, it sounds irrational and inappropriate for a country with such great potential. On the other hand, there is nothing more to expect from a person, who has to take responsibility for six more countries. This is why there are a solid number of grounds to believe that the Queen of England should not be Canada’s head of state. Canada should think about its independent future and start making some changes in its governmental system.
In general, the role of Queen Elizabeth II for Canada remains to be a crucial issue for consideration. The citizens of the country demonstrate their dual attitude to her ruling and her position. Some people cannot understand why she continues to be its Sovereign and represented by another person. Some people (as a rule, there are the representatives of the separatists) truly oppose the power of monarchy in Canada.
Still, many people believe that there is no need to impose some changes and try to improve the already perfect system. Being a symbol of trust, loyalty, and power, the Queen of England has been performing the functions of Canada’s head of state for a long period of time. There is no need to argue whether she should stay or leave, because, when people do not want to lose such a leader, a single change can be offered.
Works Cited
Tidridge, Nathan. Canada’s Constitutional Monarchy, Toronto, Ontario: Dundurn, 2011. Print.
The British Monarchy. n.d. The Queen’s Role in Canada. n.d. Web.