I care about the monarchy too
Trip report will come some time in the future, when I have edited my photos etc. Instead, I’m going to talk about our new G-G, Michaelle Jean.
Apparently, the Globe and Mail broke a “story” that she might be a separatist, and she probably has separatist friends (”not that there’s anything wrong with that”), and her husband may be a separatist.
Now, I don’t know (or care) whether or not she’s a separatist. I do not care what she voted in 1995. She’s a *francophone* working in *radio* in *Quebec*. If she doesn’t know any separatists, she is way too antisocial to be a G-G. If she refuses to have any as friends, she is too intolerant. If she is one, well, separatists are Canadian citizens too, and not second-class ones. I like that people who want to split the country can have high leadership roles anyhow, though sometimes it hits absurd.
I seriously do not care what her husband’s politics are. Fine, he’s a separatist (probably — this says nothing about her politics, by the way, I know many couples where there is strong disagreement on this front). But he’s NOT the G-G. I was horrified at the article which wondered how he could let himself be the G-G’s husband. They didn’t, I assume, just get married, which means that they are suggesting he should have divorced her (unlikely) or that he should have prevented her from taking this position (um, no).
Ms. Jean is clearly a very intelligent person, and no doubt she has thought about this before accepting it (including the fact that this position brings with it a certain amount of controversy), and I’m not sure what rumours of her allegiance to Canada gain anyone (other than separatists, who get more anti-Canadian press), and I know what rumours about her husband gain people (nothing).
Gah! I used to like you, Globe and Mail.
August 22nd, 2005 at 7:22 pm
Thank you! That is exactly what I have been thinking.
I was particularly appalled by people wanting to know how they had *voted* - aren’t votes supposed to be private, secret, etc?
The one qualification I might add is that it would make sense, say, for parliament to be able to request that people in positions of power (G-G, but also PM, maybe even cabinet?) who have dual citizenship to renounce their dual citizenship if there is reasonable evidence that such dual citizenship would place them in a conflict of interest. Or something.
Though this is iffy - feel free to criticise, suggest, this is an idea-in-progress…
My basic thought is that when people bring up Ms Jean’s dual (French-Canadian) citizenship, I want to laugh. I mean, sure, dual citizenship, but really: who cares? What will that change, really? And furthermore - she’s from Haiti. I’m sure she’s not overly sympathetic to the continental French government.
However, I would be less comfortable if, say, she was American & Canadian (heh - I show my stripes here, don’t I?) since there are considerable areas of … um… tension between the two countries and it would be at the very least less “tiré par les cheveux” to suggest a conflict of interest.
Though - G-G’s don’t really do that much to directly influence anything, AFAIK. Where as the PM, or even the people negotiating brilliant accords like NAFTA could lose us a lot more.
(appologies for the hijack there wolfangel)
August 22nd, 2005 at 10:16 pm
Separatists are only first-class Canadian citizens when they’re in the service of the CPC. Canada has much to learn from Harper.
As for the Globe and Mail, any paper that keeps running Russell Smith and Peggy Wente’s columns gets a big fat meh in my book.
August 23rd, 2005 at 10:08 am
I only read the G&M very occasionally. This was just available on my plane from Boston.
Parodie, I’m just not just how useful the renouncing is. I can’t imagine many situations where someone would be elected with these concerns; even fewer where they’d be appointed. And vanishingly few where they’d be in a position of power. So I think it’s probably best to do nothing, especially since I like the inclusivity implied by that.
Zh, I think I was most horrified by the implication that M. Lalonde, Ms. Jean’s husaband, was supposed to either divorce her or command her not to take the job. The “ack! the separatists, they are coming!” part is par.
August 23rd, 2005 at 12:35 pm
Ahh…I didn’t read any of the G-G is a separatist articles because I’m thinking to myself, this woman is smart, why the hell would she accept the post if she didn’t believe in it? But if the line of argument was why isn’t the man keeping the little woman in line, um…cripes. What a load of sexist BS. Jean can think for herself, thank you very much.
And I thought the dual-citizenship kerfuffle was started by the French government. I know that they’re looking into stripping Jean of her citizenship.
Maybe I’ll read the news more.
August 24th, 2005 at 7:25 pm
Apparently his name is Lafond, not Lalond. But whatever.
I really can’t imagine that being the G-G is going to lead to mad amounts of power, or the ability to tear the country apart. Presumably she took this because she thought she’d do well at it (which seems reasonable). I didn’t hear anything about a dual-citizenship issue, so I cannot comment.
Yes, the strong subtext was “how could he let himself be put in such a position”. Ugh.