Why the Queen Matters.

My friend Matt, stated on his Facebook Status "We're not bees. Why then do we need a Queen?

The republicans show up after the Queen makes her annual Christmas speech; and they'll be out again in force when HM comes to Canada in 2010.

I myself am a Monarchist, and I believe strongly in the role of the Crown in our country.

However I understand and respect the viewpoints that most republicans in this country have. Most people arguing in favour of a republic are smart, intelligent people that I disagree with.

Allow me to share a few quotations with you, to help you all understand my view of the Crown:

"[The Queen] symbolizes for many the merits of a constitutional monarchy in which the head of state...is separate and apart from the ongoing political struggles of the day." - Bill Blaikie, NDP MP, 2002

""Provinces agree that the system of democratic parliamentary government requires an ultimate authority to ensure its responsible nature and to safeguard against abuses of power. That ultimate power must not be an instrument of the federal Cabinet." - Joint Statement by the 10 Provincial Premiers at 19th Annual Conference, Regina, Aug 9-10, 1978

"...our ability to love inclines most naturally to persons, and in the person of The Queen we can invest all those many fractured loves that make up patriotic love: love of country, love of nation, love of culture, love of land, all combined and channeled through one person, one family..." Andrew Coyne, Columnist, 2002.

"I have a considerable regard for The Queen and the monarchy although I'm a New Democrat and a socialist. I think that the monarchy has validity at a time when everything else is flying off in all directions... I admire her stubborn refusal to break down and take the easy way, to conform with the constantly changing public image of how our leaders should act." - Farley Mowat, Author, 2002

The Crown symbolizes all that is good in Canada: Justice, Fairness, and Liberty. I know some would disagree regarding Liberty, but the Crown is there to protect our liberty from those who might use government to remove it.

The Crown remains as the ultimate safeguard against tyranny. The Canadian Crown exists to unify us through one person, into a single nation. The Crown remains, as always, or Guarentor of Freedom.

The Crown does not belong to the Queen or her heirs; it belongs to us. We are not her servants; she is our servant. The Crown belongs to Canada.

HM Queen Elizabeth has been a steady leader for over 50 years. She continues to serve her people and leads by example, I've already written on how HM showed a good example by taking a standard train for a trip, in solidarity with her people who are suffering in the recession.

During World War Two, her father, George VI, again led by example. Buckingham Palace undertook rationing like any other British Family, and the family never evacuated to safety, as can be summed up in this quotation from the Queen Mother on the subject of evacuation:

"The children won't leave without me. I won't leave without the King - and the King will never leave"

The Queen and her family have given us a lifetime of service, they work for us, they give up their privacy, their right to lead a normal life, all in of duty and service to us.

To close, I'll let the words of HM herself, show why the Crown is relevant and is a powerful force for leadership in this country:

"I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service"

"It is my privilege to serve you as Queen of Canada to the best of my ability, to play my part in the Canadian identity, to uphold Canadian traditions and heritage, to recognize Canadian excellence and achievement and to seek to give a sense of continuity in these exciting, ever-changing times in which we are fortunate enough to live. "

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