Canada and the Crown book launch

His Honour
The Honourable David C. Onley, O.Ont.
SPEAKING NOTES
FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE BOOK
CANADA AND THE CROWN:
ESSAYS IN CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY
Lieutenant Governor’s Suite
Wednesday 12 February 2014
Check against delivery
1
Your Excellencies, Mrs. Hnatyshyn, distinguished guests,
ladies and gentlemen:
A warm welcome to you all! I am especially pleased that
Their Excellencies are with us today.
La
plus
cordiale
bienvenue
à
vous
tous!
Je
suis
particulièrement heureux que Leurs Excellences soient
parmi nous aujourd’hui.
We are here to celebrate the launch of a fine new book,
Canada and the Crown: Essays in Constitutional Monarchy.
We have a wealth of talent in this room. And I commend:
• the Governor General, who wrote the foreword
• the essay writers, who’ve shared their insights
• the publisher, McGill-Queen’s University Press
• and the two editors, who brought it all together
With these editors at the helm, we can expect great things!
2
Michael Jackson brings a seasoned perspective, gained
through 35 years as chief of protocol in Saskatchewan. And
Philippe Lagassé brings a discerning eye, honed in studies
of our constitutional monarchy and Westminster tradition.
I applaud all the contributors. Together, you have broadened
the field of discourse, by sharing papers from the “Diamond
Jubilee conference on the Crown” with a wider audience.
May this lead to more conferences on the Crown, to more
published works, and ultimately, to more informed citizens.
The latter outcome is vitally important, so I applaud all your
efforts to promote appreciation of the Crown in Canada.
For example, John Fraser has been laying the groundwork
for a new initiative, which will be announced here today. I
look forward to hearing what John, and all our speakers,
have to say. Such an articulate and well-informed group!
Everyone here has thought long and hard about the role of
the Crown. But sadly, millions of Canadians are uninformed.
I believe we each have a role to play in turning that around.
3
I can say personally that, above all, I want this office to be
relevant. We live in changing times, and the old model of
deference towards a distant vice-regal representative has
given way to a much more engaged and accessible style.
This suits me fine, as accessibility is my key focus. I want
the vice-regal office to be both responsive and proactive.
Cela me convient parfaitement, car l’accessibilité est le
thème central de mon mandat. Je souhaite que la fonction
vice-royale soit à la fois réceptive et proactive.
So, when newcomers began to question the Oath of Loyalty
to The Queen, I began to host citizenship ceremonies, giving
a positive introduction to the Crown to our newest citizens.
The value of this was brought home to me recently, when an
article called “Her Majesty’s Good Servant” caught my eye.
Perhaps you saw it in the National Review online.
4
In it, John O’Sullivan notes a talk which inspired Hungarian
journalist George Jonas to move to Canada. Listen to this:
"I don't know anything about Canada,” [Jonas said to
his friend.] "What kind of country is it?"…
"What's there to know?" said the friend. "It's next door
to America and it's ruled by the Queen of England."
[George] pondered this. Ruled by the Queen of
England, eh? (He was half way to being a Canadian
already.) That probably meant you could call your soul
your own, that the policemen didn't make up the laws
as they went along, and that he would be free to write
without submitting his work to a state censor.
"I'll give it a try," he said.1
Millions of people have given Canada ‘a try’. And many have
come because of the Crown, drawn by the benefits of a
responsible government under a constitutional monarchy.
5
Au nom de Sa Majesté la reine du Canada, je remercie
chacun et chacune d’entre vous pour vos efforts en vue
d’inculquer dans le cœur et dans l’esprit des Canadiens et
Canadiennes une meilleure appréciation de la Couronne.
In the name of Her Majesty The Queen of Canada, I thank
each of you for promoting a wider and deeper appreciation
of the Crown, in the hearts and minds of Canadians.
Keep up the great work!
Thank you kindly.
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1. To read the entire article, visit: http://m.nationalreview.com/corner/367640/hermajestys-good-servant-john-osullivan/