Should Canada withdraw its membership from the Commonwealth and the Francophonie?

Machjo

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Oct 19, 2004
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While I certainly acknowledge a useful purpose for the Commonwealth of Nations and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, I believe that purpose could be served more effectively and efficiently if these organisations were transformed from inter-governmental organizations into non-governmental ones.

I can also understand that some other member countries might want to maintain its inter-governmental status. In that case, one solution could be for interested Canadians to establish a non-governmental Commonwealth organization and a parallel Francophonie organization in Canada which could have a consultative albeit not necessarily voting status at these organizations.

I believe some of the advantages of this would be the following:

1. Since the government of Canada would no longer be a member of these organizations, it would thus no longer be required to provide any taxpayer funding for them wither.

2. Since Canada would allow for parallel NGOs to form in Canada, here at least the Commonwealth would become more grassroots and responsive to the needs of the people, especially since its funding would come from voluntary contributions from the people, and any involvement would come from the people too, with the Canadian government standing aside.

3. It would help to eliminate the elitist reputation both of these organizations have been developing of late.

Now of course there is also the possibility that owing to lack of interest, the organization simply disappears altogether from the Canadian map. Somehow I doubt this would happen though; I believe many Canadians are interested in these organizations, and so if the Canadian government transformed the Canadian branches of these two organizations into NGOs, my guess is they'd survive, albeit possibly in a scaled-down version, if they really are relevant to us. And if they don't survive, then it's because they weren't that relevant in the first place.

Any thoughts on this?
 

taxslave

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Nov 25, 2008
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I could live without either one. Both date from colonial times and I would like our country to move beyond being a colony. About the only thing we have in common with most members of either organization is having at one time common rulers.
Aside from that it is a waste of tax dollars that could go towards the debt.
 

GreenFish66

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Apr 16, 2008
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Canada should participate in as many organizations as possible.
It is Good to know your way around the Globe..
It is Good to be known as a positive player around the Globe ..
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
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Canada should participate in as many organizations as possible.
It is Good to know your way around the Globe..
It is Good to be known as a positive player around the Globe ..

What? So by having the government join umpteen organizations, the average Canadian will thus become better at geography? Right.

Personally, I think we should withdraw from the G8, G20, NATO, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organization of American States, the Commonwealth of Nations and the Organisation de la Francohonie.

If a particular province wishes to be a member of these of these last two organizations, then Canada could certainly allow the to do so and stand aside, or if Canada must be a memebr for a province to be a member, then Federal government strikes a deal with the province in question that Canada will remain a member but will provide no funding; the province would have to fund it.

Likewise I see no issue with NGOs forming to provide support for these last two organizations. But as NGOs of course, they'd get no funding from the government.

As long as we're members of the UN, membership in all of these other organizations really is redundant.

What is the point? Canada is already a member of both.

What is the point of what?
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
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But but we wouldn't have a German Queen of England as the figurehead of Canada.

We have to be members of the Commonwealth to have the Queen as head of state? I don't see the correlation. Last I checked, the Queen of Canada is so independently of our membership in the Commonwealth.

Besides, I'm not suggesting we ban the Commonwealth on Canadian soil, but merely that the Canadian branch be transformed into an NGO and then left up to the public to support or let die.
 

dumpthemonarchy

House Member
Jan 18, 2005
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Time to shave our federal budget. Being part of these dated bureaucratic organizations is a big waste of money. Let France and England have them. We have minimal interest in Asia and Africa because we never had colonies and need our own approach to these parts of the world.