Madam Speaker, it really is a pleasure to put a question to the hon. member for Perth—Wellington, who is, as ever, knowledgeable and thoughtful in putting forward his views.
I am very grateful to him for stressing that when we take our oath as members of Parliament to His Majesty, we are taking an oath to Canada, not to any one person. In the past, I took my oath to Her Majesty the Queen. I was not making an oath to one individual but to Canada, and that oath is important.
I also think it was very helpful to canvass what it would mean if we changed our system of government, which is what this motion proposes. Briefly, I will say that I grew up in the United States and watched what I think is human nature to elevate even elected people to royal status and to venerate not just the elected president but his wife as the first lady and even the whole family and the royal dogs. I note that it has always been to this point the pronoun “his”.
Would the hon. member agree that human nature is better served by having a monarchy that is ceremonial rather than venerating average human beings who are elected?