You may not have noticed, but the federal NDP policy convention is coming up this weekend in Ottawa. This year's resolutions, available in this handy PDF, call for official status for Indigenous languages, a full restoration of public funding for political parties, turning Election Day into a national holiday, and including "the voice of workers" in the development of a National Food Policy. As always, NDP members prove to have the strongest beliefs in Canadian politics, if not always the best sense.
While many resolutions concern government reform, this one, from the Quebec riding of HullAylmer, caught my eye:
Be it resolved that the NDP recognize Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's more than 60 years of being head of state of Canada; Be it further resolved that Canada deserves to have its own resident head of state; Be it further resolved that when the reign of Queen Elizabeth II comes to an end, Canada should recognize no future monarch as head of state and make the appropriate transition to a resident head of state.
Putting aside the fact that her official title is "Her Majesty The Queen," it is amusing to consider that the author wishes to make this transition until after she ceases to be Canada's head of state. A hardened small-r republican would be less inclined to wait. Perhaps an earlier draft of the resolution included the line "Be it further resolved that Charles, Prince of Wales, would be an ineffective head of state and we all know it."
Regardless of the timing, it seems a portion of NDP members would like Canada to have, essentially, a president. Since this resolution does not suggest vesting any more power in the Prime Minister's Office, the "resident head of state" would have to be a separate person, much like the Governor General, only owing nothing to the Crown.
Let's humour the Roundheads. Who could be Canada's first president?
Current Governor General Julie Payette. This would be the easiest option. No need for a new investiture ceremony, no need to change the linens at Rideau Hall. That said, some Canadians may still feel rankled about her dismissal of creationism and climate change skepticism last fall. Should there be a need for an even safer option . . .
Chris Hadfield. Who wouldn't be happy about this? Except, perhaps, Chris Hadfield, who has signalled no greater interest in politics than "any Canadian" and has been enjoying his time on the presentation circuit. We'd have to find someone who genuinely wanted the job.
Perry Bellegarde. Naming an Indigenous leader as President would be as grand a gesture toward reconciliation as we've seen. That said, Bellegarde, who leads the Assembly of First Nations, would not likely be satisfied with a role that is primarily ceremonial and would effectively lock him out of policy discussion. The President of Canada would have to be more political than Hadfield, but not so much that they'd actually want to do things.
Someone we elect who is great at platitudes. I can already hear Doug Ford planning to roll up his candidacy for Ontario Progressive Conservative leader and run for this instead. Never mind.
One of the Queen's great-granddaughters. Autumn Phillips, the daughter-in-law of Princess Anne, has retained her Canadian citizenship. Her two daughters, Savannah and Isla, currently 14th and 15th in line to the throne respectively, can therefore obtain Canadian citizenship easily. Unfortunately, Savannah will turn 18 in 2028, which wouldn't be ideal for the schedule set forth by the NDP resolution unless the Queen hangs on until age 102, not out of the realm of possibility given her family's history of longevity. But since we can't count on that . . .
Some constitutional law expert you've never heard of and whose résumé is already putting you to sleep. Or, perhaps, Waterloo University's Emmett MacFarlane. He's funny.
Of course, the only way we'll need to name a President of Canada is if the NDP passes this resolution and comes to power. How does "President Naomi Klein" sound to you?
Written by Jess Morgan
