SIGN THE PETITION !!!!

The Monarchist, among others, has drawn up a petition to re-instate the use of the terms Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy in time for the Navy's 100th anniversary in 2010.  The petition begins as follows:

We, the undersigned veterans, citizens and residents of Canada, and loyal subjects of Her Majesty the Queen of Canada, call upon Parliament to take whatever action is necessary to officially resume, restore and reinstate usage of such Royal designations in time for the 2010 centennial celebrations of the Canadian navy, such that the Canadian navy is styled or reincorporated as the Royal Canadian Navy and its abbreviated expression RCN, and the Canadian air force is styled or reincorporated as the Royal Canadian Air Force and its abbreviated expression RCAF, and such styling or reincorporation is made retroactive to February 1, 1968.

The link to the online petition is here.  A permanent link to the petition will remain on the left hand panel of this blog until the pre-1968 designations are re-established.  I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Beaverbook, the founder of The Monarchist, for taking the time and effort to draw up this petition.  The consolidation of our armed forces under Paul Hellyer and Lester Pearson was an important symbolic moment in the birth of what many Canadian conservatives and libertarians today call Trudeaupia.  While the consolidation itself was sold as an efficiency effort, the removal of the historic designations of Navy and Air Force, as well as the disbanding of many of Canada's legendary regiments, was a deliberate act of historical vandalism. 

The intent was not merely to reduce the prominence of the monarchy in day to day life, a sub-theme of the Pearson-Trudeau years, but to re-invent Canada in an ahistorical fashion.  While French Canadian traditions and values were upheld as authentically Canadian, British Canadian values were gradually de-legitimized.  This was more than simply the tradition Anglo-French ethnic rivalry playing itself out.  it was from the British tradition that Canada acquired its beliefs in the rule of law, the parliamentary system and market economics.  The attack on British Canada was an attack on freedom as well.  It is our hope, here at GCH, that the re-instatement of these historic, and battle-worn designations, will be a symbolic act in the regeneration of modern Canada in the best traditions of the old pre-1967 Canada.