My Under the Crown piece found support in places I hadn’t expected (from some older Canadians) and ruffled the feathers of some in a way that surprised me (younger Canadians and new Irish-Canadians).
I’ve made this page to add my notes/thoughts, as they relate to the goal of Citizens for a Canadian, specifically, “advocating the full Canadianization of the head of state.”
For Irish-Canadians, I recommend checking out:
O’Connor, G. (1995). Recognising and healing malignant shame. [Unpublished but available on the internet].
- Dr. O’Connor was a renowned physician and psychiatrist whose work in the field of addiction treatment involved a consideration of the impact of centuries of colonisation have impacted the Irish psyche which, along with the influence of the church and alcohol, has resulted in a culture that struggles to deal with “malignant shame”.
- While not every Irish person may be able to relate to this, I know many who do and I recognise it as something I have largely managed to exorcise from myself through many years of self-work.
- For those who might prefer to listen to Dr. O’Connor discuss this, see the Michael Littleton Memorial Lecture 2010 for an exposition on the same theme.
Regarding the Oath of Allegiance that new Canadians must take (the one I took in December 2023), I refer to the 2014 Ontario Superior Court ruling that specified: “In that oath [of allegiance], the reference to the Queen is symbolic of our form of government and the unwritten constitutional principle of democracy.” McAteer v Canada 2014
(March 20, 2024) Almost Half of Canadians Would Prefer an Elected Head of State
https://researchco.ca/2024/03/20/monarchy-canada-2024/
- ⬆ Results are based on an online survey conducted from March 8 to March 10, 2024, among 1,002 adults in Canada.
Funny-not funny
Skip to 22:21 for the section on Canada