The Queen as Symbol

I was recently reading some arguments for the crown. As a Canadian republican, I believe that Canadian values would best be reflected in making Canada a democratic republic, rather than what it is, a democratic monarchy. Reading over the document I noticed a very interesting thing.

Monarchists generally believe that the Queen has several important roles in our country. One of them is an embodiment of the country itself. And they believe that this is better then many of the alternatives. Consider the US Pledge of Allegiance. You pledge “to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands.” The monarchist critic of this position is, I think, dead on:

[Thus] for Canada, the Constitutional Monarchy is of particular import… Its focus of loyalty and allegiance to a respected monarch rather than to a politician, an ideology or a symbol underlies the notably tolerant, mature society[.]

The Queen, they argue, makes more sense as the recipient of an oath. Why swear to someone who has been recently elected and will eventually step down or loose a future election, why swear to a set way of thinking or a particular vision, or to some symbol or inanimate thing like a flag. Swearing to a person that is the embodiment of Canada and all Canadians makes more sense.

They say that the monarchy is better than a symbol, such as a flag. And I could agree with this to a point: it does make more sense to swear to all Canadians and Canada. However, while continuing to read through the document, I noticed something that seems to go against this very idea. And it really does come back to the idea of the Queen being just the embodiment of Canada:

The Sovereign, however, is a force of unity who embodies all Canada and all Canadians as Head of State.

And,

Oaths taken… are all oaths to The Queen.

By making this promise to the Sovereign rather than a politician… [they] show their ultimate loyalty is not to the elected figures… but to all Canadians and to the laws which make up the fabric of any civilized society.

I have to say, I really appreciate the sentiment. That is exactly what should be happening. New citizens and public officials should be swearing to all Canadians. I think that this is exactly what makes up a tolerant, mature, and civilized society.

But do you see what they just did? They are using the Queen (or even, the crown) as a symbol of Canada and all Canadians. In fact, I have many times seen monarchists say that the Queen is Canada. The Queen is a symbol, or an embodiment of Canada. I understand why they think the way they do. I don’t want people swearing to a flag or any symbol any more than a monarchist. I want people to swear to the people of Canada. Just like the monarchists. The difference is that I don’t believe that Queen Elizabeth is Canada, or is all Canadians.

By making a promise to all Canadians and to Canada rather than to a monarch, they show their loyalty is not to one born to a particular family, but to all Canadians and to the laws of Canada. It is not the same things as swearing to a particular monarch who can have a very different idea of what they want for Canada than Canadians do.

As far as being an argument to keep the crown, this falls flat. If swearing to the Canadian monarch is the same as swearing to all Canadians, why not simply affirm your intent to all Canadians and to Canada, rather than the Queen. The Queen is not needed to accomplish they very same thing. This is not a good argument to keep a monarchy.

We need no symbol. Canada (which is the geography and laws of our society) and Canadians (the people who live there in common cause) actually do exist, and those four words “all Canadians and Canada” literally embodies exactly what we are talking about. It’s not a convincing reason to remove the monarchy. At best, it makes the entire thing a non-issue.

Although, I’d certainly prefer public officials and new citizens to swear to all Canadians. That is the mature country I want to live in. A country where we swear to each other, not a symbol. A monarch is at best just another symbol. I want a country where we affirm to each other.