Another historic week lies ahead for Canada as King Charles and Queen Camilla cross the Atlantic in a symbolic gesture to strengthen ties—and perhaps influence—Canada’s future amidst shifting global dynamics. Is this a sign that “The Empire Strikes Back,” or merely an exercise in futility?
Growing up in a family in Newfoundland that respected the British monarchy I have had a strong sympathy to the institution. My maternal grandfather served in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, which famously went “over the top” at Beaumont Hamel on July 1, 1916. Within thirty minutes, the regiment was decimated—a slaughter that remains etched into Newfoundland’s collective memory and is commemorated by numerous monuments, including the name of the province’s university—Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Yet, the British monarch has become a shadow of what it once was. No longer is it the representative of a global superpower that once spanned the 18th to early 20th centuries. Instead, we see the marked decline of the United Kingdom—last week, it returned sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, its last African colony, to Mauritius. Historically, the UK acquired Mauritius in 1810 to protect sea lanes to India against French interests. When Mauritius gained independence in 1968, the UK retained the Chagos Islands for strategic purposes—not for the UK itself but for the United States. Currently, the UK has pledged £12 million to help Mauritius obtain loans to combat climate change.
The UK is no longer a leading global power championing democracy and human rights but is instead a European nation grappling with its identity, fixated on issues like climate change and woke ideology. The pomp and ceremony of the Speech from the Throne, delivered by our sovereign in the Canadian Senate this week, serve as political statements—distinguishing Canada from the U.S.. While Canada did not revolt, we chose loyalty to the British Crown.
However, the reality remains: Canada can’t rely on Britain for defense or protection against potential U.S. actions—if such threats were even plausible. Our military forces would likely be outmatched by a fraction of the U.S. military. Canada hardly as enough military equipment to fit on one of the eleven US aircraft carriers.
Economically, Canada faces challenges tied to the climate change policies of the last ten years that downplayed the importance of resource extraction for our economic stability . Prime Minister Carney aims to emphasize oil, gas, and new mining projects, yet maintains a commitment to net-zero emissions. This contradiction, this political “push and pull” at the same time has yet to resonate with the Canadian public. If Carney is unable to deliver to his ideological left supporters and, at the same time, deliver to the Canadian public economic growth and stability out of the current economic shambles, then his political stock will wane. If he succeeds it will be a miracle matched by few.
Further, his plans to regulate online speech—aimed at curbing discussions that challenge government positions on climate, social, and moral issues—undermine foundational freedoms. Critics worry this approach is a form of censorship that disguises left-leaning policies under the guise of protecting freedoms, thereby eroding the very liberties it claims to defend. It will require vigilance to keep up with the expected government disinformation that will give billions to the state propaganda arm – the CBC.
Amid this uncertainty, King Charles’s visit signals that the British Empire still has some symbolic stake in North America—a reminder of a storied past. Yet, in today’s geopolitical landscape dominated by the United States and a rising China, Britain is but a whisper of its former self—a nation that lingers in history more than in influence.
It is not a symbolic visit of our king that is needed at this moment. Rather it is a firm and substantiated commitment from our government that respects freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the inviolability of the person that remains indispensable to our free and democratic society.
