Why?

I'll throw out a possible reason without verifying its validity:

The commonwealth gives Canada privileged access to between 1/4 and 1/3 of the world's population and 15% of the world's GDP. A Royal Commonwealth Society study has suggested:

Commonwealth members enjoy up to 50% trade advantage

"New research published today by the Royal Commonwealth Society shows that a Commonwealth country’s trade with another member is likely to be a third to a half more than with a non-member, even after taking into account other possible contributory factors such as proximity, level of development and language."


See: http://www.thercs.org/society/Filest...NALrevised.pdf (PDF)

BTW, is it just the validity of being a member of the commonwealth you are questioning or are you also questioning the validity of Canada being a constitutional monarchy with the Queen as head of state?

I ask because some people don't realise you can become a republic and still remain in the commonwealth....the majority of members are republics.

No - I'm OK with opting out of it cos I don't know what the benefits are of being in it

I question both

I was taken aback in 1962 (when i came here) to see the Queen on stamps and coinage

Nothing has changed in 50 years!

Yes, fundamental change is a slow moving beast.

I guess Canada could become a republic while still deciding that being a member of the commonwealth benefits their financial and other interests so the two questions could be argued from opposite standpoints.

Whether we ditch the monarchy, I still would like to hear what benefits we derive from staying in the commonwealth. So far no one has answered.

Post #17 ?

Sorry i missed that one

But why do we need to be a member of a club?

China, Brazil, Japan, Middle-Eastern and European countries probably do well trading between themselves and with one another.

Countries will trade with one another as long it is in their mutual interest to do so and i do not think historic ties to the monarchy counts for that much.

Well...let's forget the Commonwealth...if we are in club mode perhaps...we could go on to La Francophonie perhaps? We are the dubious paid up members with them and lots of downright odd Afrfican French states....not forgetting that great French bastion....Greece!? Lots in common with them no doubt?

We want to snub the commonwealth in order to snub the Sri Lankans and therefore appease the Tamil voters of toronto...well done us... Well it is isn't it we do all care...don't we

I guess all those countries are members of clubs, trade blocs etc. The report I linked to in the above post suggests the privileged diplomatic access you get from being a member of a body like the commonwealth increases your trade opportunities. If so, that might be one of the reasons they remain a member ?

Could well be but the question then becomes 'what if you are NOT a privileged member of the club. Would one be worse off necessarily? Difficult to tell as it is hard to prove a negative.

This could be the political motivation Harper has. Seems to me he isn't going to find too many Bhuddist voters out there.

I can't really comprehend why Canada hasn't jettisoned the whole Royal family and become a republic. The whole concept of having a Royal family is just incredibly backwards. Get them to ****.

agreed 100%

canadians are by nature complacent and will not rock the boat

at least the aussies tried