Will the Liberals become republicans?

After the disastrous results in the past few federal elections, the Liberal Party of Canada is finally doing some soul searching in an attempt to figure out why they exist and what their vision for Canada will be.

A key part of this process will be the policy renewal conference to be held next weekend in Ottawa. There they will debate resolutions on whether to adopt a leadership primary system like the US presidential elections.

Of more interest to readers here though will be a resolution submitted by the Liberal’s youth wing calling for an abolition of the monarchy [pdf]:

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The Queen recognizes atheists

I’ve never been a huge fan of the British/Canadian monarchy, mostly viewing it as an archaic and superfluous institution that doesn’t really represent Canadian modesty.

My only personal reason for not being gung-ho for a Canadian republic is the fear that it would be done wrong and more power would be centralized in the already dangerous Prime Minister’s Office.

And I really don’t care about the upcoming royal wedding.

But, it’s still really nice to hear our Queen, head of the Church of England, say a few nice words about the non-religious:

In our more diverse and secular society, the place of religion has come to be a matter of lively discussion. It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue and that the wellbeing and prosperity of the nation depend on the contribution of individuals and groups of all faiths and none.

Almost makes you want to sing God Save the Queen, eh?

Of course, some Anglican priests aren’t as progressive as Queen Liz II, and are going Catholic out of fear that the Church of England is sufficiently “protecting” against female priests.

Although, maybe I should commend them for taking such a strong stance on this issue, since their overt sexism makes the Queen’s statement so much more visibly true.

Australia’s winning the secular race

Canada’s not doing too good in the race to be the most secular member of the Commonwealth.

Australia has an atheist for prime minister, and it’s not a big deal there. Australia also has a secular political party.

Now, their godless heathen of a PM is announcing that Australia should drop the monarchy when Queen Elizabeth II dies.

This isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds, Australians were actually in favour of a republic in the lead up to a 1999 referendum to drop the monarchy, but the awkward questions and alternative systems didn’t win the support needed to pass.

At least Canada fully recognizes same-sex marriage and doesn’t have any claim to Ken Ham.

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