This year the English monarchy is celebrating 60 years of Elizabeth's reign as queen.
Her image is indelibly written upon my mind. For my entire life, not only has it been constantly before me on coins, money bills, stamps, but also, having spent the majority of my adult life in the Canadian Forces, the Queen was everywhere!
The monarchy is deeply entrenched in our Anglo Saxon history, it is woven into the fabric of our Canadian society, and it will be part of our collective consciousness for as long as I will live.
The monarchy, in its time in history, has had an important role in the development of our society. And as I reflect back over Queen Elizabeth's reign as Queen, I have only positive recollections.
As Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, she has reigned well.
That being said, I can no longer support the existence of a monarchy in today's Canadian society. I don't know what the answers are to Canada's severing its current identity with the English monarchy. But over time, and maybe generations, the relationship and identity with the monarchy will diminish.
One of my criticisms of the monarchy is the privilege and position in society it gives because of the family they are born into.
The Christian faith, of which our Western Society is built upon, has laboured over the centuries to influence the development of a society in which all people are equal and free - regardless of birth or status.
Every person born in Canada, every person living in Canada, is as equal and free as every other Canadian.
The very existence of a monarchy tells us that we are not equal and free.
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