Share this Story: Rupa Subramanya: Abolish the monarchy in CanadaRupa Subramanya: Abolish the monarchy in Canada The Royal Family crisis and Julie Payette's resignation is the perfect opportunity to remove unnecessary colonial institution Photo by CARL COURT / AFP via Getty ImagesArticle content After the ignominious departure of scandal-ridden Julie Payette as governor general, Canadians had already begun to ask questions about the country’s antiquated and colonial constitutional setup. More generally, Canada has had remarkably little constitutional evolution since its creation as a British Dominion in 1867. It took until 1982, with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s repatriation of the constitution, for the country to be fully sovereign in a legal sense. There’s a peculiar cognitive dissonance in Canada, where progressive social issues whether regarding race, gender, or indigenous people are increasingly important to the current narratives, but with relatively little serious discussion of the continuing centrality of the British monarchy to political life in Canada. Even the British prime minister is forced to deal with whomever happens to live at Buckingham Palace, whereas the Canadian prime minister conveniently appoints the individual who sits at Rideau Hall.

Source: National Post March 09, 2021 15:56 UTC