Hurray! The Return Of The Royal Canadian Navy And Air Force

Recently it has ben announced that the Canadian government is going to be restoring the names of the Navy and Air Force. Henceforth they will again be known as the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force. I couldn’t be more thrilled. I’d like to attempt to articulate why.

First is a big reason, which is really a defense of the monarchy and the role it plays in Canada.

Looking around the world what systems of government really work? For my money there really is only one that has proven itself overtime, and those are the Anglo American systems. Commonwealth nations such as my own Canada, New Zealand, Australia etc have shown the unique ability to evolve overtime minus revolutions, dictatorships, and a whole lot of blood. One of the primary reasons for this is that they allow for intermediate institutions to exist which are able to exercise authority within the society without any official political power. Institutions such as community groups, faith and family are examples of this. In Canada, the monarchy plays this role as well.

The crown is central to the Canadian constitutional order and provides a link to a glorious history which includes such events as the Magna Carta.  Beware the ruler who promises to sweep aside such institutions for the sole purpose of beginning anew. If you doubt this check out the Cultural Revolution in China or the French and Russian revolutions, to name a few.

But let’s stay focused on Canada for a moment. Remember when Prime Minister Harper prorogued parliament? People were lining the roads, holding simple home made signs protesting Harper’s contempt for democracy. There was talk of the governor general getting involved and know it all smarty pants like Jon Stewart on The Daily Show made fun of it. Look at those goofy Canadians holding their signs! They have to consult with a representative of the Queen? Aren’t they an independent country? Yuck, yuck, yuck. On one level it was kind of funny, until you actually turn on your brain and think about it for a second. What we had was a crisis dealing with the legitimacy of the government and we were able to sail through due to the power and authority of an ancient institution. In most other countries these thing are settled with machetes and people being shot in the head. What the Jon Stewart’s of the world miss is that working societies are a delicate balancing act involving many different actors and factors. Arbitrarily removing one of them seldom ends well. The American War of Independence is one of the few where it did work, but that is the exception, not the rule.

For me, here’s the bottom line. For all its imperfections, Westminster democracy has delivered an  unglamorous stability in countries the world over. Central to this system is the monarchy. It has historical weight and is incredibly valuable as a symbol of unifying, non-political authority. You can’t create something like it out of thin air. By restoring the names to the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force the government is paying respect to it.

On another level it is a reminder it is a reminder of the glorious history and traditions that all Canadians are heirs and beneficiaries to. During the Second World War, when the days were the darkest and most desperate, it was the Royal Canadian Navy and Air Force that stood in the breech. The original decision made in 1968 to rename the Royal Canadian Navy “Maritime Command” was an act of cultural vandalism. What occurred then would have been no different if they had renamed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police the National Police Force or something. One has a rich tradition and resonates with Canadian history. The other is as banal as “Happy Holidays”.

I’ve read some grumblings that they don’t like this decision because they don’t like the Monarchy. Why, in this day and age, they ask, should one group of people be put on a pedestal above everyone else?

These people are completely missing the point. First of all, as noted above, the monarchy has served Canada well. The second point is that the monarchy actually represents the average Canadian on the political stage. Have you ever wondered why the Prime Minister bows to the Queen? Symbolically, it is a recognition that the office of Prime Minister is transient in nature. When he bows before the Queen he is actually bowing before the people. Prime Ministers come and go. Canada, as an idea, lives on.

When countries have a proud history that history should be celebrated and remembered. It binds a nation together and provides a firm foundation in the present on which a future can be built. You don’t celebrate your history by obliterating it. This action is a small but important step in restoring one of the proud institutions in Canadian society.

On a side note here’s a fun fact for you. The army will not be called the Royal Canadian Army because Canada follows British tradition which holds that the navy and the air force are commanded by the Queen but the army is a collection of independent regiments that serve the sovereign but are not part of the Royal Canadian Forces.

Click here for a great editorial on the significance of this change.  

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• Canadian forces ‘royal’ once more (bbc.co.uk)