The Canadian media, mostly in the anglosphere, has been fascinated by the Megxit and the possible royal transplantation of the Sussexes to Canada. BC Premier John Horgan said he was "giddy" at the prospect of Meghan and Harry establishing residency on the West Coast.
More than 60 per cent of Canadians said they support the appointment of Prince Harry to governor general, found a Postmedia poll conducted by Dart and Maru/Blue Voice Canada.
For Republicans, it is mortifying. Not only do we have to suffer these remnants of our colonial status, people want to give them an actual role in our country's domestic affairs?
To top it all, if Harry doesn't become GG, which he shouldn't, security in Canada for Meghan and Harry could cost more than $10-million annually and many voices are expressing a desire for Canada to pick up the bill, which is complete nonsense.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, is sixth in the line of succession to the British throne. In plain terms, this means I have basically the same odds as Harry of ever becoming King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.
While I believe Canada should welcome the two members of the royal family should they so decide to move here, after first going through the normal immigration process, Harry should absolutely not get any preferential status over other immigrants, let alone cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
They say they aim for financial autonomy: the logical conclusion is that they should renounce the privileges that come with their status, which is brought upon them only because Harry was born in the right family. Blue blood and Royal privileges should be left behind at Buckingham palace.
Interestingly enough, while Harry and Meghan have decided to stop collecting the Sovereign Grant, an allocation that funds activities and salaries for the working royals, it appears that they are still receiving funds from Prince Charles, Harry's father, in the form of income from the Duchy of Cornwall. Ain't it beautiful?
Harry and Meghan are famous for being famous and wealthy. Allocating them taxpayers' dollars because they have family issues would be an embarrassment for the Trudeau government, which can't get out of the structural deficit it created. Yet, when asked, if Canada would pay for the Sussexes security costs, Trudeau said: "That is part of the reflection that needs to be had and there are discussions going on."
The political ramifications could be problematic, especially in Quebec. Already, Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet is on the offence. "I see no reason why the taxes of Quebecers should be used more for Meghan and Harry than they should be used to finance The Simpsons," he stated on Twitter. (I must point out that of course, The Simpsons are already financed by Quebecers and Canadians for the Quebec-dub version of the show).
Quebec Premier François Legault's position is that no Quebec taxpayer money should be spent to defray security costs for members of the royal family who wish to settle permanently or partially in Canada. That is not his call, of course. But the message is loud and clear.
This debate about the Not-former-Royals is an aberration. In a normal world, a modern democracy would ignore the torments and drama of the British crown and simply do away with it, politically, so we can stop pretending that the future of the monarchical family is of actual concern.
Those who are passionate about the lives of rich and famous people would still be entertained by following their adventures in the pages of peoples' magazines and gossip websites. That's more than enough.
Photo Credit: Jeff Burney, Loonier Politics
