Tower and Town, October 2022 (view the full edition)Clergy Letter: Sir, what is the Commonwealth?Having just departed Chapel at Marlborough College after special prayers for Her Majesty during which she had heard the word, a pupil asked me, 'Sir, what is the Commonwealth?' Mustering up my best answer from my understanding of Civics, I responded, 'It is the worldwide organisation of countries who consider the Monarch of the United Kingdom to be their Head of State.' Pleased with my response I thought that was the end of it, but she persisted by asking if my country of birth was a member. She must have intuited it was, but I felt chuffed to be asked because it's a reality that the vast majority of Canadians still take great pride in treasuring. As a Constitutional Monarchy, I explained to her, Canada was one of the first countries outside of Great Britain to have proclaimed King Charles III as its leader, with a sombre looking Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, standing and holding the hand of his son whilst the proclamation was declared from the steps of Parliament in Ottawa. I remembered singing both 'God save the Queen' and 'O Canada' at the start of every day in school, and the classic portrait of Her Majesty no less familiar here than there, adorning the wall of the School Assembly. My primary school was called 'Prince Philip Elementary', and I went to a High School called 'Governor Simcoe'. In sport we were known as 'The Redcoats'. My sisters went to a High School called 'Laura Secord'. She was a United Empire Loyalist who, during the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States, walked twenty miles through American lines to warn the British in Upper Canada of an impending American attack. The Americans didn't bother her as she strolled through their ranks on her secret mission, leading a dairy cow. And Canada to this day is not the 51st state. The motto of the Province of Ontario reads, 'Loyal She Remains.' But history aside, I never fully appreciated the Commonwealth until I moved here with my family 14 years ago. It was comforting to see the profile of Her Majesty on British currency, and it reminded me of my other home over the sea. When I was told by a colleague that I could vote, I was stunned. I rang the local constituency office just to check that a Canadian passport and residency status meant that I could indeed visit a polling booth and was bowled over at the honour. To this day, I always take the time to vote, and I always study candidates' platforms to ensure I am taking this right very seriously. A tax treaty that means I'm not taxed on my income in both Canada and the United Kingdom is also a benefit beyond measure! And I'll never forget, after coming back from vacation in Europe and landing at Heathrow, going through UK Customs and Immigration and hearing the Agent say, 'Welcome Home.' Honestly, to this day, it still makes me shiver a little - in a very good way! I saw a mini-documentary on Queen Elizabeth II and her love of the Commonwealth during this past week of National Mourning. In a news clip of her in Canada in what must have been the 80's, probably around the time when Justin's father Pierre Trudeau was 'repatriating the Canadian Constitution', she says, 'It's good to be home.' Shivers again. You never know the significance of the Commonwealth until you're no longer living in the land of your birth. My pupil had found just the right person to ask. It's possible that Canada might engage in national debate about the future of the Monarchy, but the fact that King Charles III has so quickly been declared Canada's King is for me very good news. It means that my fellow Canadians realise what a treasure it is to have a Constitution whose key purpose is to ensure, in its own words, 'Peace, Order and Good Government'. And the best of government is one with the Monarchy at its Head. I will always miss Queen Elizabeth II, but I look forward to seeing Canadian currency with a new profile very soon. God save the King. Tim Novis |