Immediately after taking the oath of Canadian citizenship, which includes pledging loyalty to the Queen, Dror Bar-Natan recanted his loyalty to the Queen. Some people think that was a traitorous act and that he should be stripped of his citizenship.
Nonsense. He’s a Canadian citizen now, free to state his opinion and agitate for change. His “renunciation” was merely his statement, and unlike the mandatory oath of citizenship, has no legal standing. Regardless of his feelings, as a Canadian citizen, he is, by law, a subject of the Queen. The only thing that could change his status would be an act of Parliament, and that’s not likely to happen soon.
Not everyone is comfortable with the monarchy. An unelected head of state, particularly one who achieves that status by no other reason than birth, is somewhat illogical in a democracy. But symbols are not always logical — we process them more with our hearts than with our heads.
For Canada, the monarchy is, at worst, a harmless tradition, a colourful part of our heritage. At best, it allows governing of the country to rise above partisanship; it helps steady the ship of state in troubled political waters.
Because it is powerless, the monarchy presents no threat, imposes no burden; we are linked to it by voluntary ties, not by unbreakable shackles.
The option always exists for Canada to cut those ties, if a majority of Canadians wish. It is neither traitorous nor un-Canadian to agitate for such a change — we do not suppress dissent.
Until that change is made, all Canadian citizens are subjects of the Queen, regardless of any disavowals or recantings.
