The Queen

I am always amazed by the American news reports when they talked about the Queen of England. In many cases, they always use the term “The Queen” to refer to this aging woman. However, there are many queens in the world; Japan has one, Netherland has one, and so and so forth. “The Queen” is a politically ambiguous way to refer to Elizabeth II because the US nowadays has nothing to do with England politically. Unlike Canada, “The Queen” here is a politically and grammatically correct usage because she, Elizabeth II, is the head of state in Canada. Thus, whenever the American used the term this way, it just made me wonder if they subconsciously wanted to be back to their colonial days.

Back to Canada, the head of state is around the town these days. Recent poll says that over half of the Canadians feel against the idea of monarchy. I am always against the idea because the head of state is only a symbolic figure in this country. She has no real political power here. Unlike many other countries in which head of state can be a symbol of unity, the head of state here represent a symbol of division. This is because this country is basically split into anglophones and francophones, and both camps have deep and rich cultural background. Having the Queen of England to be the head of state certainly won’t get any traction among the francophones. No wonder the acceptance of monarchy is very low in Quebec. Monarchy is just another excuse for those separatists in Quebec. On top of that, our Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s prorogation of parliament really have the Canadians think twice about monarchy. It is simply undemocratic! Finally, what will happen when Elizabeth II dies? Well, I do not like calling Camilla “The Queen”!

News: Canadians lukewarm on monarchy: poll