Happy Victoria Day

[CANADIEN]

Our connexion to the U.K. is part of the foundations of our country, one of the best on Earth. On this day, let's remember and celebrate it.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

Happy dead queens birthday to you as well.

[waldo]

Happy dead queens birthday to you as well.

it's actually a date recognizing the birthday of the current Sovereign... and, as stated, a recognition of our historical connection/foundations. If one were to challenge the nature of the statutory holiday... I suppose... one could, for example, inform an employer and, with forcefulness, demand to work rather than observing the stat. I wish those so inclined - good luck

[Machjo]

And what about Louis Riel Day?

[Smallc]

And what about Louis Riel Day?

What about it? We celebrate it in February in the province that he helped create and it is a provincial holiday. The practice started last year.

Edited May 18, 2009 by Smallc

[Leafless]

And what about Louis Riel Day?

What is a Louis Riel?

Edited May 18, 2009 by Leafless

[g_bambino]

Our connexion to the U.K. is part of the foundations of our country, one of the best on Earth. On this day, let's remember and celebrate it.

The Crown links us to not only the UK, but all the Commonwealth Realms, and even, though now more tangentailly, to the rest of the Commonwealth nations. Not only do I think that constitutional monarchy is superior to most republican forms of government, and recognise that Canada is a sovereign kingdom with a monarch who's lineage is intertwined with our own history all the way back to Francis I and Jacques Cartier, but I also find it amazingly unique that we share our monarch with so many diverse countries all around the world.

Victoria Day does, however, always draw the fringe republicans out of the woodwork to arrogantly point down at us knuckle dragging boors and chastise us for being so colonial, subservient, tied to mummy, & etc. Sadly, many people don't know any better, will believe all the lies, and demand the Queen be booted out in favour of... well, nobody seems quite sure. So odd when somewhere like Fiji is, after decades of political turmoil, toying with the idea of restoring their system of constitutional monarchy under the shared Commonwealth sovereign.

I, for one, will raise a brewski to Her Majesty The Queen of Canada, on this, her official Canadian birtday.

[CANADIEN]

The Crown links us to not only the UK, but all the Commonwealth Realms, and even, though now more tangentailly, to the rest of the Commonwealth nations. Not only do I think that constitutional monarchy is superior to most republican forms of government, and recognise that Canada is a sovereign kingdom with a monarch who's lineage is intertwined with our own history all the way back to Francis I and Jacques Cartier, but I also find it amazingly unique that we share our monarch with so many diverse countries all around the world.

Victoria Day does, however, always draw the fringe republicans out of the woodwork to arrogantly point down at us knuckle dragging boors and chastise us for being so colonial, subservient, tied to mummy, & etc. Sadly, many people don't know any better, will believe all the lies, and demand the Queen be booted out in favour of... well, nobody seems quite sure. So odd when somewhere like Fiji is, after decades of political turmoil, toying with the idea of restoring their system of constitutional monarchy under the shared Commonwealth sovereign.

I, for one, will raise a brewski to Her Majesty The Queen of Canada, on this, her official Canadian birtday.

Actually, I am a Republican. We should have our own Head of State. But even if Monarchy was gone tomorrow, I'd still celebrate this day.

Edited May 18, 2009 by CANADIEN

[g_bambino]

We should have our own Head of State. But even if Monarchy was gone tomorrow, I'd still celebrate this day.

Fair enough. But we have our own head of state now. Just because we share something doesn't mean it isn't ours.

[Leafless]

Our connexion to the U.K. is part of the foundations of our country, one of the best on Earth. On this day, let's remember and celebrate it.

Not our connection to the U.K. but the birthday of our current Head of State and Queen of Canada, Queen Elizabeth ll as well as Queen Victoria.

In Canada, the celebration of Victoria Day occurs every year on Monday, prior to May 25th. It is the official celebration in Canada of the birthdays of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II. Victoria Day was established as a holiday in Canada West (Now Ontario) in 1845, and became a national holiday in 1901. Before Victoria Day became a national Holiday, people had celebrated Empire Day , beginning in the 1890s as Victoria approached her Diamond jubilee in 1897.

Victoria, queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India was born on 24 May 1819. She ascended the throne after the death of her uncle George IV in 1837 when she was only 18. She ruled until her death in 1901 when her son Edward the VII became king of England.

Edited May 18, 2009 by Leafless

[Leafless]

Forgot to include the link relating to Queen Victoria:

http://www.inglewoodcarecentre.com/history/victoria.htm

[geoffrey]

Victoria day is about the most absurd concept around. Let's take a day off to reflect on the monarchy?! Huh? What a riduclous country. Let's rename this day after something that has meaning or purpose, rather than just the key subject of tabloids.

[Machjo]

What is a Louis Riel?

You're kidding, right? Did you not study History in High Shcool in Canada? That would be about your only legitimate excuse for not knowing about Louis Riel. We talk about preserving our culture, blah blah blah, and yet we don't know it ourselves.

[Smallc]

Let's rename this day after something that has meaning or purpose, rather than just the key subject of tabloids.

Since so many things in this country are done in the name of the Crown, I can't really think of a day that has more meaning...even if many people (you included) don't realize the meaning that it has. In case it was still a secret, I'm definitely not a republican.

Happy Victoria Day.

[capricorn]

Victoria day is about the most absurd concept around.

The majority of workers don't even think about whether it is absurd or a brilliant concept. All they care is that they have a day off.

Let's take a day off to reflect on the monarchy?! Huh? What a riduclous country. Let's rename this day after something that has meaning or purpose, rather than just the key subject of tabloids.

Why go to the trouble of renaming the holiday? Any debate on an alternate designation would just lead to squabbles about who's designation is the most appropriate. Any new name selected would have its detractors. And in 50 years from now when we're all dead, a new generation will want to dump on the choice we made because it is "outmoded".

Let's save our breath and efforts for changes that really matter to this country.

BTW I had a great Victoria Day and I hope you all did too.

[Leafless]

Let's rename this day after something that has meaning or purpose, rather than just the key subject of tabloids.

As a small boy we used to refer to Victoria Day as 'firecracker day'.

Edited May 18, 2009 by Leafless

[g_bambino]

Any debate on an alternate designation would just lead to squabbles about who's designation is the most appropriate. Any new name selected would have its detractors. And in 50 years from now when we're all dead, a new generation will want to dump on the choice we made because it is "outmoded".

Indeed. But why is it that so may Canadians feel history has to be dumped in favour of smiley-faced, feel-good, but eviscerated neo-Canadiana? As though there was no Canada before Pierre Eliott Trudeau. These types always seem to say its time we grew up as a nation. I tend to agree. However, for them growing up means flipping the bird at the Queen and telling her to push off, like some snot nosed teenager trying to inflate what little self-confidence he has. (Of course, they're conveniently oblivious to the hypocritical fact that in the name of muliculturalism they ooze anti-British sentiment and rag on a woman because she wasn't born here and therefore isn't "Canadian" enough to be our head of state.) To me, growing up means accepting and honouring our past, and embracing as our own what we have now that is uniquely ours, which includes our - yes, our - monarchy, shared by other countries as it may be.

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Edited May 19, 2009 by g_bambino

[Smallc]

Its funny though, according to many polls I've seen, people in my age group (under 30) are the most supportive of the monarchy....the boomers tend to mistrust institutions of many types, and so they dislike the monarchy....and older people are more supportive because of tradition.

[g_bambino]

[T]he boomers tend to mistrust institutions of many types, and so they dislike the monarchy.

It is true that most Canadian republicans are urbanite boomers. I think they trust institutions well enough, as long as those institutions are working within the urban boomers' socialist idealism; the very kind of thinking that coincidentally arose around the time Trudeau was appointed prime minister. While I could never disagree with all liberal thought, and think there have definitely been worthy developments in the decades under successive Liberal governments, the attacks on staid institutions and bulldozing of pre-1967 history has been the result of a romanticised liberalism without rational structure, and which has over time unfortunately come to be equated with "true" Canadian values, amongst the existing adult generations, that is. Because the monarchy is associated with "old white men" pre-1967 Canada, and won't quickly allow a member of a visible minority on the throne simply because that person is, well... of a visible minority, the boomers in their Toronto and Montreal salons tut-tut about it and gush over the thought of an Afro-Asian woman in a wheelchair as president and her same-sex partner as first lady. Too bad that in reality a republican system would not only further neuter our history, but would also result in an office of high power being taken over by just one more self-interested white politician who'd be viewed by Quebecers as an agent of English Canada.

Good, though, that the younger generations are displaying some more practical thinking. As I understand it, republican sentiment not only declines with the age of the person being polled here, but the same phenomenon is ocurring in Australia, where aging boomers from Sydney and Melbourne are struggling to keep the republican "passion" alive.

_{[ed to add]}

Edited May 19, 2009 by g_bambino

[Smallc]

There is one thing that I do have to say in regards to Trudeau and the Monarchy that is positive though. He made it very difficult to alter the office of the Queen and the Governor General in any way...or for that matter anything Constitutional. Oh, and he gave us the charter, which people either do or don't like....I like.

Oh, and I do have to say that many rural boomers also dislike the Monarchy. From my experience it's mostly because they never took the time to understand how the system works.

Edited May 19, 2009 by Smallc

[g_bambino]

There is one thing that I do have to say in regards to Trudeau and the Monarchy that is positive though. He made it very difficult to alter the office of the Queen and the Governor General in any way...or for that matter anything Constitutional.

Trudeau started out, I think, with a dislike for the Crown he was meant to advise; he was even said to have disturbed the Queen with his lack of respect for the institution. But, over time, he seemed to come to appreciate its value, and yes, did entrench the monarchy in the constitution so that it is virtually impossible to remove it. I always found the following quotes of Trudeau's to be quite contrary to the commonly held perception of his being a republican: in 1967 he said "I wouldn't lift a finger to get rid of the monarchy.... I think the monarchy, by and large, has done more good than harm to Canada," and in his memoirs: "I always said it was thanks to three women that we were eventually able to reform our Constitution. The Queen, who was favourable, Margaret Thatcher, who undertook to do everything that our Parliament asked of her, and Jean Wadds, who represented the interests of Canada so well in London... The Queen favoured my attempt to reform the Constitution. I was always impressed not only by the grace she displayed in public at all times, but by the wisdom she showed in private conversation."

Oh, and I do have to say that many rural boomers also dislike the Monarchy. From my experience it's mostly because they never took the time to understand how the system works.

Really? That isn't really my experience, and certainly adds another layer to this complex matter.

[Smallc]

Really? That isn't really my experience, and certainly adds another layer to this complex matter.

I suppose it really depends where in rural Canada you live...where I'm from (my parents home, not Winnipeg), people seem to lack even a basic understanding of our system and the roles of different institutions within it. Their response to subjects like the Senate, the Monarchy, or the traditions of our parliament are usually: how much does that cost? or what does it do for me?, or why do we need that? or that's stupid, it should be done the way I think it should be done...things like that. It can be rather disheartening at times.

Edited May 19, 2009 by Smallc