The Royal Visit

If you were to believe the hype in our media, Canadians have been mesmerized by the visit of newly married Will and Kate. The pictures of the handsome couple are everywhere often flanked by our beloved Prime Minister and his devoted wife whom all Canadians adore. I look at the two couples and wonder whether our tax money is being spent like water to celebrate the British monarchy or to promote our glorious leader even though the election is four years away.

If raising the profile of monarchy among Canadians of non-British heritage were the goal, I would have thought that the Governor-General would be playing the role of the host of the future monarch of little he surveys and even less he would be able to assert. What else is the G-G there for than for such ceremonial duties? The only time I heard the Governor-General mentioned in public was when he delivered the speech from the throne, a speech written by the Prime Minister and it seemed from the delivery not even read by the G-G before he delivered it to the parliament. If that is the only function expected of this august position, what is wrong with the Prime Minister assuming the throne for the afternoon and reading it himself? Why not abolish the office altogether and reduce the deficit which seems to haunt this government so much rather than cut essential services or further raise admission fees to the National Parks.

While talking about abolishing a high office which the modern practices have made superfluous, why not do away with the Senate too. Why have a hundred highly paid failed politicians and cronies of the Prime Minister, their staff, the travel expenses, Senate chamber and other paraphernalia just to rubber stamp every bill passed by his government? Let’s move with the times and get rid off both these expensive hangovers from the twentieth century and balance the budget before we go the way of the great trading partner and only world super power to the south where schools are closed every few weeks because there is no money to pay the teachers for the whole month and nation’s government is teetering on the edge because no one has the power to make necessary decisions.

Why stop at the senate when all that the honourable members of the Parliament do is to scream at each other to make an impression on the TV which no one watches and after all that fuss decide what the Prime Minister, hallowed be his name in every home as it is in the ‘House’, has instructed his members to do. We may just as well eliminate the House of Commons as well along with the G-G and the Senate. Just think how much money Canada will save if we did not have all these diversions - not only in what it costs directly but what the government has to spend to make sure that the leader gets the exposure he does not deserve on hugely expensive events like G20 meetings and yes, the visit of a young couple floating in vast inherited wealth and who do not really know what to do with their time other than waving to the adoring crowds in their fancy uniforms and designer dresses.