In the News May 18

Royal Jubilee Tours’ Stop in Canada Not Welcome

Poll Shows Canadians Do Not Care for Monarchy

The latest Angus Reid poll confirms that 51 per cent of respondents are in favour of abolishing the monarchy in the generations to come, while 24 per cent of respondents are unsure. Files from news agencies report the following:

Those in Quebec (71 per cent) and Saskatchewan (59 per cent) were most likely to call for an abolition of the monarchy, while the rest of the country hovered around 45 per cent in favour of leaving the Royal Family behind.

Forty-nine per cent of respondents believe the Royal Family represents outdated values and 50 per cent said the Royal Family is “no longer relevant at all” to them.

“Canada’s support for the head of state, plummets even further in the event of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, as 65 per cent of respondents oppose recognizing Prince Charles as king and Canada’s official head of state, while 76 per cent of respondents oppose recognizing Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, as the queen.” The current Queen has decreed that Camilla is to be named Queen Consort.

“Nearly 60 per cent of Canadians feel that countries choosing to leave the monarchy are following down the right path, while just eight per cent think it’s a mistake.

“In 2019, the Monarchist League of Canada, which describes itself as ‘Canada’s premier organization at the forefront of the promotion, education, and nonpartisan defence of the Canadian Crown,’ found that Canadians payed $58.7 million in tax dollars to the Crown, a nearly six per cent decrease from the 2016 survey.” It is not clear what that payment represents. The retirement funds for retired governors general alone are onerous.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) released an estimate that the five living former governors general will receive more than $18 million each if they continue to collect their pensions to age 90. “The estimates are based on the annual governor general pension amounts published in the public accounts since 2000-01, and assume the 2019-20 pension payment of $149,484 for future years,” the CTF said.

Former governors general are eligible for the full pension regardless of how long they serve in the role. Even though Julie Payette only served for a little more than three years, she will still receive an estimated $4.8 million if she continues to collect the governor general pension to age 90.

“The vast majority of Canadians working outside of government are not covered by a workplace pension plan,” the CTF said.

In addition to the annual pension, former governors general can expense taxpayers for $206,040 per year for the rest of their lives and up to six months after their death. The current governor general’s annual salary is $302,114, according to the 2019-20 public accounts of Canada.

Renewal Update, posted May 18, 2022.