Posted by Ian McKechnie on September 13, 2009, 5:03 pm
Message modified by board administrator September 13, 2009, 5:05 pm
Why are Canadians so insistent on the idea of swearing allegiance to "the country" or to the flag? Canada is so ambiguous as a nation; I would never swear allegiance to a jumble of ideas or ethnic groups or rivers or mountain ranges. The Queen embodies the state and appoints men and women to fulfill that purpose in Canada on a day to day basis.
The flag is just that, a flag; a symbol of this particular piece of geography we call Canada. It isn't a person, it has no political opinions, it doesn't bestow nonpartisan honours, it doesn't encourage or warn the Prime Minister.
From the CBC article about the anthem controversy out in the Maritimes a comment read as follows:
"Congratulations the NDP Provincial government in Nova Scotia. Honouring our country and flag is a virtue that should be taught at a very early age.One would have hoped that had Mr Ignatieff had this opportunity as a child. we might not have been subjected to his horrific dissing of our beloved Canada and it's flag. Now if we can only get the federal government to require new immigrants and members of parliament to swear allegiance to our country and flag rather than the Queen of England..This is long long overdue.Can you image Mr Duceippe standing in his place and swearing alliegence to CANADA and it's flag before being allowed to take his seat in parliament. and perhaps singing a few bars of Oh Canada as well."
I worry that when the current reign is over, a coup carried out by republicans will storm Parliament Hill, speak of being "liberated from the Queen of England" and bow down to worship the ground under their feet because it's "CANADIAN," before getting up to venerate the flag, after which they would elect their favourite hockey player as head of state, toss any royal portraits/honours/symbols into the Ottawa River, replace the mace with a "large double-double" because its more "CANADIAN," etc.
That's all hypothetical, of course. Our Monarch was brought up in the English culture, but nevertheless manages to head a state that combines so many people into one. Our Governor General is of Hatian ancestry. Unles, and her predecessors were largely of French and British heritage. Unless they can conjour up some mythical, "perfect, ideal 'Canadian'," I am afraid they are going to be disappointed.
If I'm not mistaken, citizenship is determined by law, not culture. Canadian republicans are dreaming of a state where there is only one culture- CANADIANS, which I take to mean citizens of a certain country, and not as members of one vague ethnic identidy, while they seem to think that being Canadian means denying every French, British, German, American, Chinese, Greek, etc. aspect of the country in order to further the glorification of Canada as a random bunch of ideas, the falg, and the anthem.
Unless we have all been misled into some conspiracy that claims we are a constitutional monarchy but really are not, I am happy to put my ideological faith into the Crown and not a piece of geography or a piece of cloth, or a group of people.
Does anyone else share my views?
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