The Prime Minister of Canada on Victoria Day
 

Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following statement on the occasion of Victoria Day:

“Today, Laureen and I join Canadians from across the country in the official celebration of the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada.

“This joyous day comes as Canada and the Commonwealth celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with several special events and initiatives taking place throughout 2012.

“For six decades, The Queen and the people of Canada have shared a deep affection, and we pay tribute to the great dedication, distinction, and grace with which Her Majesty has served as Canada’s Head of State.

“Canadians are also marking the 60th anniversary of The Queen’s accession to the Throne by hosting Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall during their Diamond Jubilee Tour.

“Victoria Day also affords an opportunity to celebrate our proud heritage and the strong historical ties that have forged our close friendship with the United Kingdom.

 “On behalf of Canadians, I offer Her Majesty The Queen our most sincere and heartfelt wishes of health and happiness for many years to come.”

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The Queen speaks out for the "smaller, more vulnerable nations, many of them from the Commonwealth"

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York for the first time since 1957 on Tuesday, 6th July 2010, paying homage to the organization’s accomplishments.


One interesting aspect of this visit to the UN was the fact that she addressed the General Assembly's 105th plenary meeting as - in her own words - "Queen of sixteen United Nations Member States and as Head of the Commonwealth of 54 countries".

As Queen of some smaller Commonwealth nations, she acted as advocate in their interest, reminding that a great "challenge is climate change, where careful account must be taken of the risks facing smaller, more vulnerable nations, many of them from the Commonwealth".

The Queen's speech can be read here.

Or you can watch this video.

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The Queen of Canada:
"It’s very good to be home"

“As Queen of Canada for nearly six decades my pride in this country remains undimmed,” Queen Elizabeth said on her arrival in Halifax, Nova Scotia. “It’s very good to be home.”

The Globe and Mail reported:

"In the pouring rain, the Queen walked steadily and deliberately down the stairs of the Canadian Air Force plane that brought her and Prince Philip from London.

"There was no sign of frailty as she held her own umbrella; later, she showed not a hint of discomfort as the cold wind whipped during the official welcome ceremony at the edge of Citadel Hill.

"It was the first time Queen Elizabeth has been in this province for 16 years, and hundreds of Nova Scotians lined up for hours to get a look.

"The Queen returned the crowd’s affection by hinting at the depth of her attachment to this country."

The nine-day visit will take the Queen of Canada and her husband, The Duke of Edinburgh, also to Manitoba and Ontario, where they will celebrate Canada Day on Parliament Hill Thursday.

It has to be noted, that the BBC - unlike its Australian counterpart - correctly referred to Queen Elizabeth II as Queen of Canada as soon as she touched down in Halifax. In itself, this is no great achievement, but considering the persistant ignorance of constitutional facts by the ABC, The Age and countless other Australian media, the proper reporting has to be highlighted.

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Predictable, populist – and rather stupid

John Williams of Bendigo in Victoria wrote a letter I had expected, when I read yesterday's Age article on Prince William's schedules for the coming years. It came as no surprise that Williams’ remarks were picked by the editor of The Age and published today:

Our disloyal 'head'
PRINCE William will campaign for Britain to host the 2018 World Cup (The Age, 4/1). His Aunty Anne did the same when Melbourne last tried for the Olympic Games. Why do we still have this family as Australia's head of state when it actively works against our interests?
John Williams, Bendigo

The article referred to stated that

“Prince William … is determined to spend the next few years developing his military career and working for the many charities and bodies of which he is patron.
“One of those roles, as president of England's Football Association, will bring him into direct competition with Australia, as Prince William has made it clear he wants to lobby for Britain to host the 2018 World Cup.”

So Williams and probably some other misguided minds who can’t think of anything else than sport, sport, and again sport see Prince William – and other members of our Royal Family – as actively working “against our interests”.

Have they ever spared a thought on using the prestige of the Australian Royal Family to lobby for our interests? Nobody denies Australia the right to ask for a royal patron. And which Australian football club has offered, let’s say, Prince Harry, a chairmanship?

Complaining about other people’s activities comes back as lack of one’s own activities. Am I right, John Williams?

I am sure members of our Royal Family would be only too happy to become spokespersons for Australian causes. When was the last time the Australian government asked Her Majesty to represent Australia?

On the other hand, Canada knows very well the value of the Queen’s presence and she represented the Canadian interests for example at Vimy in France. On 9th April 2007 a monument was re-dedicated to remember the bitter Battle of Vimy Ridge in which more than 3,500 Canadian soldiers died. Her Majesty was in France as Queen of Canada to preside over the ceremonies to rededicate the great Canadian Memorial of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, fought ninety years ago. The refurbished memorial was originally dedicated by King Edward VIII, as King of Canada, and it stands on what will forever be Canadian land, a mark of the gratitude France bears for Canada for that great victory.

In the presence of over 15,000 Canadians, The Queen, in English and in French, paid tribute to the Canadians who took the ridge.

It was a hop from the UK to France, saving the Canadian taxpayer thousands of dollars for travel allowances.

But where is no will, there’s no way, just all too predictable and very cheap efforts to discredit royal activities.

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Observant Canadians: "Monarchists write poetry. Republicans write instruction manuals"

Jack Knox, Victoria Times Colonist, 24th May 2009:

"Republicans argue that Canada is no longer a British colony (as if we didn't know this) and that the monarchy is illogical. Well, of course, Canada's monarchy is illogical. All monarchies are. But it's also illogical that Americans should elect a man who, even after eight years with his hand hovering over the button, still thought it was pronounced "nucular." It's illogical that 16 years after he left office, we are still trying to figure out whether Brian Mulroney deserves an apology or a shot at getting shanked by Conrad Black in the shower room. Logic is overrated.

"Wretched, soulless republicans are grim-faced slaves to the logic chips that replaced their hearts. (Monarchists write poetry. Republicans write instruction manuals.) Republicans fail to understand that the value of the monarchy is not in the individuals, but in the ideals they represent (honour, loyalty, courage, inbreeding, corgi maintenance). Like they say in the army, you salute the uniform, not the person inside it."

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