Knighthoods

As much as it pains me, I have to say that Conrad Black was right about one thing. He should have been allowed his peerage without having to give up his Canadian citizenship. In the 1920’s the Canadian government decided to not allow the granting of honours to its citizens by our monarch. I don’t believe they asked the people for their opinion on the subject. For that matter, they don’t seem to do much that the Canadian people want.

Anyway, the reason for their disgraceful behaviour was that they thought that Canada should be a “classless” country. There’s something we have certainly achieved. The policy seems rather dated to me, however. Consider who gets the knighthood and peerages now – musicians, sports figures and actors. You can’t get any less class than that. So it all amounts to being just a form of address now. Can you imagine the possibilities? Sir Wayne Gretzky, Dame Rona Ambrose. Well, to some, that may be enough of a reason to continue the policy but I think not.

If we’re just concerned with titles then why should the PM be called the Right Honourable? Does that mean the leader of the Liberals is the Left Honourable? Shouldn’t they have to give up their forms of address inn order to be consistent with the policy? Or is it just us peons who have to shoulder the burden of the governments’ indignation at someone having a knighthood who is not one of them?

Personally, I don’t really think that the government has the right to prevent me from accepting an honour from the Queen. If she wants to give me a knighthood, I would gladly relinquish my citizenship. After all, the honour is more than just a faceless medal like the Order of Canada. It’s a personal statement from the leader of our country that we have done something of value to the country and something that we are reminded of every time someone addresses the recipient. When was the last time that happened with an OC?

It seems like a rude gesture on the part of the government to our Queen that they do not allow her to dish out annual honours to Canadians. In all fairness, I think the Queen could give out the honours without their approval but chooses not to do so out of respect for the government. I wish our government had as much respect for its people as the Queen does.