Canada’s abstract, distant and remarkably successful monarchy GlobeDebate
Russian President Vladimir Putin played hockey last week. Tottering around on his ankles, cheered on by his subjects and assisted by a fearful opposing team, the Russian head of state scored eight goals., in which the eponymous autocrat hosts his own personal Olympics and wins gold in 14 events, including the 100-metre run, in which he claims victory by shooting the other competitors and, when he gets tired halfway through the race, by ordering the finish line moved toward him.
Largely by accident, Canada has ended up with a constitutional monarchy that may not be of much value to 21st-century celebrity journalism, but is perfectly suited to a 21st-century political system. And it’s nicely summed up by Victoria Day – a day when we pretend that the current Queen has the same birthday as one who died more than a century ago.
Long before Uber popularized ride-sharing, Canada invented monarch-sharing. Long before Airbnb created virtual hotels, Canada invented virtual monarchy. But even if the Queen is almost never here, the Crown always is. The Crown isn’t a gold circlet on someone’s head, and it isn’t a person. It’s the idea of the state – our state. Without the Crown, you can’t have a Parliament. Without the Crown, bills can’t become law. Canadian governments rule in its name, and in court, prosecutors called Crowns bring cases on its behalf.To act for a permanently absent Queen, we have a governor-general and provincial lieutenant-governors.
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