Geoff Russ: The dreary impotence of Canadian republicans. Long live the King
It is not a coincidence that some of our most radical republicans, like William Lyon Mackenzie, have been traitors willing to spill blood in the pursuit of their goal.
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Thankfully, today's republicans are reduced to the status of being frustrated, challenged hobbyists.The lack of inspiration and vigour in their movement is why it continues to fail. It has its vocal advocates, but they are a politically and culturally impotent rabble when taken as a whole.
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Some among them have even attempted to cite the Bible as a reason for removing the monarch, proclaiming that its text goes against the elevation of any one man. They should read further into that same book and find the words 'Fear God, Honour the King.'
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If republicans are bewildered by the affinity that Canadians retain for the monarchy, it is because their vision of the country is dull, unremarkable, and grey. A republican Canada is one stripped of elegance and tradition, rendered into a purely managerial and bureaucratic state where obscure public servants occupy the position of head of state.
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People desire something beyond crass political contests in their leaders. In 2025, this world of ours is incredibly flat, digital, and racked with presentism, where genuine beauty, transcendent majesty, and time-tested refinement are in short supply.
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There is something deeply uplifting about the Crown, and all of its pageantry and resonance help to swell national pride, which Canada sorely needs. These intangible qualities enliven society and renew or create a sense of wonder for millions, a gift not easily found and impossible to recover if lost.
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For those that do care about preserving a distinct Canada, the Crown is a point of connection that links us with long-buried generations through rituals and continuity. Critics call it irrational, but so is love, friendship, and the other parts of life that motivate and drive human beings more fiercely than anything material.
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A Canada with a Crown is the country that it was intended to be in 1867, and fidelity to that is an act of patriotism. This past federal election saw a renewed sense of Canadian nationalism, albeit expressed in strange and lowbrow ways like the worship of ketchup chips and nostalgia for Molson Canadian beer commercials from the 1990s.
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Nonetheless, it displayed that the Canadian people still have a desire to be distinct. The celebrations and parades marking King Charles III's visit to Canada this week are the healthiest expressions of that seen in years.
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The monarchy's popularity in Canada tends to grow whenever it makes itself present here, and it ought to do that more often and remind people why it exists.
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When the late Prince Philip visited Canada in 1969, he perfectly summed up why we still continue to have a sovereign.
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