After Elizabeth?
 

For those of you south of the border, here is the problem.

Canada, is by definition, a constitutional monarchy with its head of state residing the majority of her time in the UK. The Governor-General is the Queen's representative and is acting head of state.

This would almost seem acceptable with the noble Elizabeth and Philip in charge. After all, they were crowned in the fifties before Canada became offically multicultural, got its own flag, national anthem and made a pretty clear break with the rest of the Commonwealth.

But that is a bygone era. The UK, really, as done nothing menaningful for us since 1931. While we tell ourselves that the Queen of Canada is a constitutionally distinct role from the Queen of Great Britain and Nortthern Ireland, the fact of the matter is that we're uneqully sharing our head of state. One who rarely speaks French in public.

And, frankly, when she passes on, will a nation of 35 million really tolerate rule by the adelterous PRince Charles and the extremely unpopular Camilla? With our politics less stable than ever in recent memory (thanks to a very arrogant Conservative government), this has a very good chance of becoming an election issue. With elections happening every two years, a change is bound to happen.

The only problem is what to replace this monarchy with. The Head of State is mostly symbolic, meaning we can essentially go for whatever looks the best. The best proposal I have heard is for an elected head, chosen by the 150 Companions of the Order of Canada. Other suggestions include a directly-elected President, or a President chosen by the House of Commons or the Senate. Personally, I think we ought to name our HoS "first citizen" in the same prima inter pares tradition that Prime Minister implies.

Some resources.

Citizens for a Canadian Republic

and;

The Monarchist League of Canada