The Monarchist League of Canada (french: Ligue monarchiste du Canada) is a Canadian nonprofit

monarchist Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. ...

advocacy organization."Who We Are"
Monarchist League of Canada. The league promotes its aims in three areas: education, advocacy, and research. Local branches, many under the patronage of

lieutenant governors A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, complement these areas of focus by acting as a grassroots rallying point for members.

History

The Monarchist League of Canada was founded in 1970 by

John Aimers John Lathrop Aimers (born 1951 in Dublin, Ireland) is the founder of the Monarchist League of Canada, who served as its first Dominion Chairman. He is an educator by profession and taught at a succession of private schools until 2006, when he was ac ...

and was federally incorporated in 1976. It was established after Aimers attended a 1969 tour of Canada by

Lt Col Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

J. C. du Parc Braham, chancellor of the London-based Monarchist League. The newly formed MLC inherited a list of 50 Canadian members of the British-based league and held its first public meeting several months later at

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

in June 1970."League Chronology"
Monarchist League of Canada. Within a year, the League claimed 3,000 members and 10 branches across Canada. In the 1960s and 1970s, there was a growing mood of Canadian and '' Québécois''

nationalism Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...

, and criticism from opponents of monarchy who perceived the institution as an archaic and foreign symbol of

colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...

and the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

. In an effort to create a new national identity, the Canadian government responded by removing some traditional symbols of the

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy) ...

. For example, the

Canadian Red Ensign The Canadian Red Ensign (french: Enseigne Rouge Canadienne ) served as a nautical flag and civil ensign for Canada from 1892 to 1965, and later as the ''de facto'' flag of Canada before 1965. The flag is a British red ensign, with the Royal Un ...

, bearing the Royal Union flag, was replaced by the

Maple Leaf flag The national flag of Canada (french: le Drapeau national du Canada), often simply referred to as the Canadian flag or, unofficially, as the Maple Leaf or ' (; ), consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of , in ...

, '' God Save the Queen'' was replaced by ''

O Canada "O Canada" (french: Ô Canada, italic=no) is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the mus ...

'', the Queen's Printer for Canada assumed a less visible role, and the Royal Mail was renamed

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (french: Société canadienne des postes), trading as Canada Post (french: Postes Canada), is a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the opera ...

. Supporters of the monarchy were alarmed by these changes and formed the League as a lobby group in favour of the retention of the traditional symbols of monarchy and against what it described as "creeping

republicanism Republicanism is a political ideology centered on citizenship in a state organized as a republic. Historically, it emphasises the idea of self-rule and ranges from the rule of a representative minority or oligarchy to popular sovereignty. It ...

" that would result in the eventual transformation of Canada from a constitutional monarchy into a republic. During the 1970s, the league was heavily involved in opposition against constitutional amendment proposals that would have created the

governor general Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

above the monarch. Though failing to prevent erosion in some areas, the league successfully lobbied the Government of Canada to maintain a Canadian version of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

as Canada's highest military decoration, and to maintain the Queen's place in the Oath of Citizenship. The league also persuaded

to issue a

definitive stamp A definitive stamp is a postage stamp that is part of the regular issue of a country's stamps, available for sale by the post office for an extended period of time and designed to serve the everyday postal needs of the country. The term is used in ...

bearing the image of the Queen as a mandatory item in all postal outlets (see Queen Elizabeth II definitive stamp).

Current activities

Education

Educating Canadians about the role of the Crown has long been one of the League's primary goals. As a supplement to provincial educational resources, the league produced and distributed "Red Boxes" (modelled after the Queen's own boxes in which she receives diplomatic and state papers), containing information about the Crown and related activities. Production of these toolkits ceased in 2006 to make way for a new wave of educational material. In 2006, the league released a 36-page educational booklet entitled ''The Canadian Monarchy: Exploring the role of Canada's Crown in the day-to-day life of our country'' and a new education section on its website.

Advocacy

The league actively lobbies the federal and provincial governments, individual politicians,

Crown corporation A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the governmen ...

s, government agencies, the media, and others to promote awareness of the role of the monarchy. This is often in the form of organized letter-writing campaigns or through behind-the-scenes manoeuvring. Since 2005, the league has been engaged in an active campaign to restore the monarch's name to Canadian diplomatic letters of credence and recall.

Research

The league commissions a study on the actual cost of the Canadian monarchy every three years, the most recent of which was completed in 2021. The survey is distributed to members, media, and parliamentarians, and it is available for download on the League's website.

Other activities

The league is considered by many as being the recognized voice of Canadian monarchism. Often, members are called upon to engage in debate on television and radio shows, or offer commentary on occasions of royal significance. The league stages various national and regional social events throughout the year. An annual Accession Day Luncheon is held in Toronto each February to celebrate the accession of the Queen to the throne on February 6, 1952. The league has welcomed Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and his wife

Sophie Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess o ...

, and

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of K ...

, giving Canadian royals opportunity to meet its volunteers and members. Individual branches also organize luncheons, banquets, receptions and lectures, where senators, members of parliament, members of legislative assemblies, academics and other prominent citizens participate as guest speakers.

''Canadian Monarchist News''

''Canadian Monarchist News'' (French: ''Les Nouvelles Monarchiques du Canada'') is the

newsletter A newsletter is a printed or electronic report containing news concerning the activities of a business or an organization that is sent to its members, customers, employees or other subscribers. Newsletters generally contain one main topic of int ...

of the Monarchist League of Canada. It publishes articles on the activities of

the Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

, the

royal family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...

, as well as the representatives of the Crown (

governors general Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

and

Organization

National

The league is governed by a Board of Directors. Since 2007, Robert Finch has been the league's Dominion Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Other officers include Keith Roy (Dominion Vice-Chairman, Western Canada), Étienne Boisvert (Dominion Vice-Chairman, Quebec), and Cian Horrobin (Dominion Vice-Chairman, Ontario).

Branches

The league sanctions local branches and contact groups throughout Canada to serve as a rallying point for members and undertake a variety of activities in an effort to influence local opinion in favour of the Crown. There are currently over 20 branches/contact groups across the country: * Newfoundland and Labrador * Nova Scotia: Halifax, Annapolis Valley,

Pictou County, Nova Scotia Pictou County is a county in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It was established in 1835, and was formerly a part of Halifax County from 1759 to 1835. It had a population of 43,657 people in 2021, a decline of 0.2 percent from 2016. Furthermo ...

, Northumberland,

South West Nova West Nova (french: Nova-Ouest) is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1968. South Western Nova and South West Nova were ridings that covered roughly the same geog ...

* New Brunswick: Provincial * Quebec:

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

and District,

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

* Ontario: Ottawa, Belleville,

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

Barrie Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politically i ...

Simcoe Simcoe may refer to: Geography Canada * Simcoe, Ontario, a town in southwestern Ontario, near Lake Erie, Canada * Simcoe County, a county in central Ontario, Canada * Lake Simcoe, a lake in central Ontario, Canada * Simcoe North, a federal and pro ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Hamilton and District,

Niagara Region The Regional Municipality of Niagara, also colloquially known as the Niagara Region or Region of Niagara, is a regional municipality comprising twelve municipalities of Southern Ontario, Canada. The regional seat is in Thorold. It is the southern ...

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...

- Grand River, University of Waterloo,

Wilfrid Laurier University Wilfrid Laurier University (commonly referred to as WLU or simply Laurier) is a public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Brantford and Milton. The newer Brantford and Milton campuses are not considered satellite campuses ...

Brant County The County of Brant (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population 39,474) is a Census divisions of Ontario#Single-tier municipalities, single-tier municipality in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. Although it retains t ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, Windsor, North-West Ontario * Manitoba:

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

* Saskatchewan: South Saskatchewan ( Regina), North Saskatchewan (

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

) * Alberta:

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, Northern Alberta * British Columbia:

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Victoria, Central

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

, Courtenay-

Comox Valley The Comox Valley is a region on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, that includes the city of Courtenay, British Columbia, Courtenay, the town of Comox, British Columbia, Comox, the village of Cumberland, British Columb ...

Young Monarchists

The League maintains an active youth wing called the Young Monarchists. The primary focus of the Young Monarchists is to connect members of the league aged 25 and under. The Young Monarchist Group was originally formed by university students Graeme Scotchmer and Daniel Whaley, who started the group when they were young teenagers. The league maintains five university branches, one at the University of Waterloo, another at

, a third at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

, a branch at

Queen's University Queen's or Queens University may refer to: *Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario, Canada *Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK **Queen's University of Belfast (UK Parliament constituency) (1918–1950) **Queen's University of Belfast ...

and one at the University of Ottawa. Young volunteers play a central part in the regional and national work of the League. Summer student internships have been sponsored in partnership with the Office of the

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario The lieutenant governor of Ontario (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''de l'Ontario'') is the viceregal representative in Ontario of the , who operates distinctly within the province bu ...

in Toronto and the Office of the lieutenant governor of British Columbia in Victoria.

References

External links

Monarchist League of Canada
{{Authority control Political advocacy groups in Canada Monarchist organizations Monarchism in Canada