A Case For Elimination of the Monarchy

Okay, so I will now count myself fully as a member of the Barack Obama bandwagon. Here is a classic case of what happens when an charismatic speaker, a powerful message and a desire for change combine into a glorious clusterfuck of inspirational oratory.

Obama's Victory Speech

As a person who is undeniably happy with Canadian politics, this is one area which I think we can improve upon. When was the last time you heard a stirring speech from a Canadian politician? I can hypothesize a few reasons why this is such:

1. Canadians have less reason for a greater hope because we already enjoy a considerable high quality of life.


2. America, as a much more powerful nation, can support aspirations of a larger scope which hold a much more powerful grip on the heartstrings of the citizenry


3. Our current political structure disables patriotic musings and makes us skeptics of promises

Number one, I think, does an incredible disservice to the many Canadians who struggle daily to make lives for themselves and their children. As for number two, this could be partially true, but I don't believe that hope as a concept is confined to realistic expectations. Evidently, that leaves us with item 3.

As part of the Westminister style of government that Canada inherited from our British ancestors, we have a Prime Minister who is head of government and a Governor General who serves as the proxy for our head of state, the Queen. Since the Queen's representative, by custom, cannot really interfere with our rule, the Prime Minister has become a de facto figurehead for the country. But could the separation of these duties be beneficial to Canada?

A chief complaint of Canadian culture is, well, that we don't have any. There is very little Canadian identity partly due to the high percentage of immigration here and to our conservative nature internationally. The Prime Minister doesn't serve well as a rallying figurehead because he (or she for all the feminists) is closely tied to the political process. As the public, we are jaded because we sense an ulterior motive for his(her) posturing in the media or abroad.

Imagine if we had a President (or we could call it Premier to remove the negative connotations it brings). Think of a Canadian version of Obama. Smart, stately, and preaching an agenda of uniquely Canadian values: Peace, order and good government. Might we be a little less apathetic to selecting our leaders?

In an age where the ideological differences of the major Canadian parties differs little, I think an empowered Canadian President would reinvigorate Canadian politics. Elected political officials would need to serve as counterbalances to a strong Canadian head of state instead of just catering to popular issues of the day. Moreover, this could inspire the undiscovered shockwave this country needs: Canadian patriotism.

If you need to understand why I think we need a Canadian President, just think of Harper, Martin, Chretien, et al. doing Obama's speech in that video and laugh with me.