Canadian Monarchist News Les Nouvelles Monarchiques Du Canada Winter/Hiver 2017 — No
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Canadian Monarchist News Les Nouvelles Monarchiques du Canada Winter/Hiver 2017 — No. 39 An occasional Newsletter for members and friends of The Monarchist League of Canada The Monarchist League of Canada / La Ligue Monarchiste du Canada, PO Box 1057, Lakeshore West PO, Oakville, Ontario, Canada L6K 0B2 905-855-7262 (800) 465-6925 www.monarchist.ca THE MONARCHIST LEAGUE OF CANADA – 47th ANNIVERSARY 1970-2017 FEDS AND CROWN: WHITHER THE CANADIAN SECRETARY TO THE QUEEN? WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON VICE -REGAL APPOINTMENTS? Report and Analysis has not organized in recent decades. by Robert Finch, Dominion It is clearly understood in Ottawa Chairman, the Monarchist that no successor is to be appointed. League of Canada True, MacLeod had had at times A week after CMN sent two ques - a rocky relationship with PMO and tions to a media spokesman in the PCO officials even before the elec - Department of Canadian Heritage, tion of the Trudeau government. on matters of interest and concern Within days of its coming to power, to Canadian monarchists, February the position of Canadian Secretary 17th brought replies that can be best was moved from its prime real estate characterized as unhelpful – in fact, – physical and metaphorical – to the the second was utterly non-respon - Ministry of Canadian Heritage in sive with a mysterious reference to Gatineau, where MacLeod – before unspecified “more general an - his appointments as Senate Black nouncements” – from the Depart - Rod and subsequently Canadian Sec - the Harper government showed its The Governor General & ment’s Media Relations Services. retary to The Queen – had laboured regard for the significant role of the Mrs Johnston welcomed to The questions and replies were loyally and with perseverance for Crown within Canadian democratic Monarchist League celebration as follows: many years in a hornet’s nest of re - institutions was to create the Cana - of Queen’s 90th birthday by Q: Why is there to be no successor publicans. It was astonishingly poor dian Secretary to The Queen role as Dominion Chairman Finch & to Kevin MacLeod appointed as manners and HR practice, to say the a permanent one, with a number of Québec Chairman Marquette Canadian Secretary to The least, and also some measure of the continuing defined responsibilities, Credit: Michael Hudson Queen? Who will be undertaking deteriorated perception of MacLeod, including official Royal Home - those responsibilities, even if not that he discovered the change only comings and the work of the newly- bearing the same job title? by notice detailing ministerial re - formalized Vice-Regal consultation A: There is still an incumbent in the posi - sponsibilities in the Canada Gazette . process. In the past, the title been IN THIS EDITION tion. Any changes to the position will For decades MacLeod was a held for relatively brief periods by OF CMN – DANS CE be announced at an appropriate time. prime and highly-professional or - individuals whose charge it was to NUMÉRO DE NMC Q: The terms of Mr Harper’s ap - ganizer of Royal homecomings to organize one or more of The Queen’s pointees as permanent members Canada and go-to man on many official tours. But the Canadian side Cambridges’ of the Advisory Committee on questions monarchical. However, of day-to-day interaction between homecoming pp 2-4 Vice-Regal Appointments have with that expertise came some un - monarch and her Household, on the GG celebrates lapsed; and as far as we are aware derstandable insistence on the po - one hand, and Canada, on the other Queen’s 90th with no successors have been named. sitions he advocated, be they matters generally fell, depending on the Monarchist League p 5 Is it the Government’s intention of policy or practical details, as being matter to hand, to the Governor Prince of Wales focus to do so, or to use a different pro - the right ones. That for many years General and his Secretary; to the on Indigenous Language cess in recommending vice-regal he enjoyed the confidence and re - Prime Minister; and to senior offi - Revitalization pp 8-9 appointees to the Prime Minis - spect of his Sovereign – who on cials in the PMO and Privy Council Regency Law ter? If the latter is true, what is more than one occasion suggested Office. It is understood that the ea - in Canada pp 11-13 the new process? “What is Kevin’s opinion on such- gerness of Rideau Hall, though per - A: With respect to your second question, and such?” – was tribute to his craft haps not Mr Johnston himself. to more general announcements will be but not necessarily always endearing resume its prime role in this rela - made in due time. to his political masters and their tionship played at least some part in It is known that Kevin MacLeod staffs, on the political as well as the the demise of the Office, even if was precluded from playing any role bureaucratic sides. Neither the MacLeod may occupy it for a few in the Fall homecoming of the Duke Palace nor official Ottawa relished months more. This desire was ap - and Duchess of Cambridge, the first feeling triangulated. parently exacerbated by behind the official Royal homecoming that he One of the many ways in which scenes problems which took place continued on the next page CAMBRIDGES TAKE BC & YUKON BY STORM Monarchy and The Yukon – A Young Monarchist’s Perspective of the Royal Visit by G. Rhys Watson, made by the Premier of the Yukon question I asked myself as this was Whitehorse, Yukon exactly two months beforehand, was my first one here in this Territory. Whitehorse, Yukon is one of a very welcome surprise to the en - My last experience with a Royal Visit those places in Canada that has tire Territory. It is a rarity to have a occurred when The Queen and the everything you need but fairly lim - Royal Visit here. You can count the Duke of Edinburgh returned to Nova ited in terms of the the frills that number of previous Royal Visits to Scotia in 2010. The first point that I one can be lulled into taking for the Yukon on one hand including noticed is that some of the trappings granted in the larger city centres those of The Queen and the Duke I had seen in that more traditional across Canada: a rustic town, in of Edinburgh in 1959, Princess Province for its Royal Homecoming many ways, with a pace of life that Alexandra in 1967, Princess Anne in – an Anglican Church service, in - would harken of decades gone by. 1982, The Price and Princess of volvement of the local Royal Cana - Few of the 28,872 Whitehorse citi - Wales in 1986 and the Prince of dian Army and Air Cadets or even zens of the Yukon’s total population Wales in 2001. Needless to say, the that of Canadian Forces beyond the of 37,343 would have ever imagined Yukon was excited to be able to wel - local Canadian Rangers, would be that there would be a Royal Visit to come the Royal Couple to their Ter - minimal or non-existent. So I im - the Territory by Their Royal High - ritory, even if the visit would last mediately knew that this visit was nesses The Duke and Duchess of less than a day. going to be different than what I Cambridge. So what does a day-long visit have witnessed or experienced be - The announcement of the visit, look like for the Yukon? This was a fore. As my father said “If the visit continued from page 1 during the Cambridge’s Homecom - of the Committee, as its permanent vertising on government websites ing last fall. Whether the Office of members were all convinced sup - suggesting readers submit applica - the Governor General would be the porters of the Canadian Crown. tions for their own appointment? best instrument to oversee future On the other, it is easy to forget Others have mooted that he would Royal visits is a matter of some de - that the best slate of vice-regals ever ask the incumbent Governor Gen - bate, with Christine MacIntyre, cur - nominated over a period of time eral to consult and come up with a rently Executive Director of Events, were those of Prime Minister Chré - short list for his own successor, pre - Household and Visitor Services, ap - tien, who was entirely open in his sumably to be in post this Autumn. parently being touted to assume a view that these offices were subject That would be a bad precedent, leading role. to “patronage” as much as any other though a safer and more devoted, In the wake of the imminent position essentially in his gift. What - disinterested pair of hands could not abeyance of the Canadian Secretary ever one’s views of M. Chrétien, his be imagined. Yet other prognostica - position there has also apparently people skills were undeniable – he tors who claim to know the PM’s disappeared the Harper-initiated and his appointments office had a mind say that before setting in mo - process whereby permanent mem - keen awareness of who was – and tion a new process he wants to be Kevin MacLeod – Canadian bers of the Advisory Committee on who was not – a “people person” free – without an organized body to Secretary to Queen on outs Vice-Regal Appointments, joined by with qualities difficult to define but advise him as to the GG appoint - with feds two individuals from the province very obvious when they are lacking! ment (as was the case for all his suc - concerned, solicited widely and He wasn’t afraid to appoint Lieu - cessors but Mr Harper) – so that he openly for public input as to who tenant Governors with political can ensure the individual is a First would make a good Lieutenant Gov - backgrounds when he knew the in - Nations person.