JonB2004 said:
Why do we need the Governor General?
The
Prime Minister of Canada, and the other agents of our
Parliament of Canada in its legislature, do not have the time, the energy, or the capacity to "inspire" Canadians. When a
Governor General of Canada visits a base for the
Armed Forces, I would suggest that they are visited someone to whom they can
all serve. With a partisan Prime Minister, however, some members are going to shun the head of government. A Prime Minister's visit isn't going to boost
everyone's morale. There's no getting around that. No elected representative has the time to promote our culture or our arts — so, our Governor General takes on this vital task.
JonB2004 said:
First, the Governor General has no real need in our system. The Governor General is the Queen's representative in Canada. Why does the Queen still have involvement in Canada? Canada is supposed to be an independant country. The Queen should not have influence over our country. And on top of it, $20 million of our tax dollars go to the Governor General every year for his or her budget.
I would suggest that we
do, in fact, need the Governor General. Yes,
Her Majesty the Queen is represented in Canada; however, she is also a representative of the Canadian people (as she has made quite clear during the first few months of what has been, in my opinion, a smashingly successful term). I would suggest that we need to have someone who is above partisan politics, to mediate where necessary (God forbit such a situation ever arise, however, where her reserve powers would need to be exercised to save our democracy).
JonB2004 said:
Second, the Governor General has the power to dismiss the Prime Minister. If the Governor General is the Queen's representative, it means the Queen can order the Governor General to dismiss the Prime Minister. That shouldn't be allowed.
Of course the Governor General has this right; however, I would urge you to look to our friend, the
Commonwealth of Australia, was unable to pass a budget through both Houses — however, the
Prime Minister of Australia, at the time, refused to resign, or to take any substantive action to meet the financial obligations of the Government. The
Governor General of Australia had no choice but to dismiss the Prime Minister outright to remedy the very serious situation that had developed. It should be noted that when the Governor General consulted the Queen, she
refused to advise him, on the basis that she should not interfere in Australian affairs.
Only
once has a Governor General in our history ever had to use his or her reserve powers. In 1925, the late
Right Honourable William Lyon Mackenzie King¹ faced a vote of non-confidence from the opposition (he had a minority government); however, instead of permitting the House to vote on the motion, he attempted to ask the Governor General to dissolve the
House of Commons immediately, so as to prevent the defeat of his government. The Governor General, thinking that a Government should not be permitted to "run" from a want of confidence, refused Mackenzie's request — and in doing so, forced the Prime Minister to resign. The Governor General, the late
Right Honourable Lord Vismount Byng of Vimy, appointed the
Leader of the Opposition to govern temporarily. This was an entirely
appropriate use of reserved powers, and had nothing to do with
Her Majesty the Queen of Canada.
JonB2004 said:
I think its about time we grow up and break off our ties with the Queen.
We have grown up, and we've done so alongside the Queen of Canada.
:!:
Revision : (1) Corrected a formatting error.
