Gov.-Gen position is here to stay

It is possible to be agnostic about the role of the governor general and to still know that Canada, notwithstanding the recent fiasco at Rideau Hall, is not about to sever its monarchist ties.

Yes, polls do show that at least half of Canadians would be happy to dispose of the governor general and the Crown’s provincial representatives — along with the bills that come with maintaining the institution.

And yes, it is likely that the Queen’s successor will command an even smaller Canadian audience.

But those polling numbers are somewhat skewed.

While the vast majority of francophone Canadians — starting with those who live in Quebec but also including a good many Acadians — would get rid of the monarchy tomorrow, on balance, opinion on the English side of the language divide tilts the other way.

When Ipsos polled on the issue at this time last year, it found 70% of Quebecers supported doing away with the monarchy at the end of reign of the current sovereign. Few francophone Canadians feel a sense of belonging to an English-speaking community united under a common British throne.

But the results were a lot more mixed in the rest of the country, with a majority In Ontario, Atlantic Canada and British Columbia disposed to go on with the status quo.

Those numbers matter because the monarchy is part of Canada’s constitutional order. Every province and both Houses of Parliament would have to agree to a constitutional amendment to sever the country’s ties to the Crown.

It is hard to imagine that a premier whose electorate majority is pro-monarchy would support a bid break away from it.

In the provinces with legislation on the books that prescribe the holding of a plebiscite before signing off on a constitutional amendment, the decision would have to be validated by voters.

It could be argued that the federal government created a hard-toignore precedent when it submitted the 1993 Charlottetown accord to a national plebiscite. Having done it once, Ottawa would have to justify not consulting the people on what many would construe as a fundamental change to the country’s constitutional order.

In any referendum scenario, chances are the groups that feel Canada’s ties to the Crown are an integral part of the country’s identity would be easier to mobilize than those who do not care all that much for the institution.

Despite the unpopularity of the monarchy in Quebec, no one should expect Premier Francois Legault to lead a charge against it.

By now, the long-standing Quebec aversion to the monarchy has mostly morphed into widespread collective indifference. The issue does not rank particularly high on anyone’s list of priorities.

The province’s constitutional preoccupations have traditionally been on other fronts. They involve the protection of its influence on the