Just recently during a speech in Paris Michaelle Jean, Canada’s Governor General, referred to herself as Canada’s “head of state,” immediately sparking controversy throughout the Canadian government. For those of you who are unaware, Queen Elizabeth II is actually Canada’s head of state – not our Prime Minister. Without going into the gritty details on what the Governor General actual does, because to be honest that sometimes escapes me, she is more or less a representative of the Queen for Canada and carries out mostly ceremonial and constitutional duties.
At a first glance, this doesn’t seem like such a big deal. But as Paul Dewar stated in the Ottawa Citizen soon after the speech, “It should be cleared up real quick that the Queen is the head of state... When I taught Civics in my class, that’s who is the head of state.”
No wonder Canadians are confused, not only about their own history, but about how their government works: the people who are supposed to be running it don’t even understand the basic fundamentals and principals of our political system. Furthermore, the Ottawa Citizen also went on to state that according to the Dominion Institute of Canada 92 percent of Canadians were unaware that the Queen was Canada’s head of state.
Shocking? Not really given the apathetic nature of most Canadian people to think twice about their own political system.
Some say we’re an independent nation defined by Vimy Ridge or the Statute of Westminster, but this recent hiccup makes me wonder are we always going to be a nation held on a invisible leash free to wander only when mother says it’s okay to go out and play?
- Ty
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