interview

Q&A with Nathan Tidridge, author of Canada’s Constitutional Monarchy

Tell us about your book.

Canada’s Constitutional Monarchy has been written to reintroduced Canadians to a rich institution integral to their ideals of democracy and parliamentary government. The Canadian Crown is presented as a colourful and unique institution at the very heart of our complex constitution, exploring its history from 15th century English explorations and16th-century New France. Moving into the 21st century, relationships with First Nations, Heraldry, the Military, Governor General, Heir to the Throne, and many other aspects of the day-to-day life of the country are explored.

How did you come up with the idea for this work?

I teach Canadian History and Civics in Ontario, and have noticed that there is very little mention of the monarchy in any available resources. In fact, the textbooks exploring the Crown that are available to teachers are almost uniformly incorrect – explaining the Crown as nothing more than a colonial vestige. The grade 10 Canadian history textbook used in my school makes no mention of such important events as the 1939 Royal Tour, Canadian Citizenship Act (1947) or the role of the Crown in proclaiming the national flag, national anthem or the repatriation of the Constitution.

I realized that if I was going to teach others about this rich and ancient Canadian institution I needed to educate myself. This book came out of this process.

Did you have a specific readership in mind when you wrote your book?

This book has been written to make the Canadian Crown easily accessible for the general public, and high school students in particular. As a visual learner myself, I made sure a lot of pictures, maps and diagrams were included in the book – appropriate since the Crown, among other things, is a very colourful institution.

How did you research your book?

Once I started this project I encountered some great publications (Jacque Monet’s The Canadian Crown, Dr. Michael Jackson’s The Canadian Monarchy in Saskatchewan and Kevin MacLeod’s A Crown of Maples) and talked with experts across the country. There is a wealth of information when you start digging – I have included a list of all of my sources (including new ones that I have found since publication) at www.canadiancrown.com.

I was honoured to be invited to attend the 2010 Symons Lecture on the State of Confederation. Visiting Charlottetown to hear Governor General David Johnston speak added a whole new dimension to the book – it reminded me of the foundational place that the Maritimes occupy in the formation of this country. I am very excited to see the 2014 celebrations to mark the 150^th anniversary of the Charlottetown and Quebec Conferences (both of which are being championed by the governor general).

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

I started this project to learn more about the institution of the monarchy in Canada, and once I scratched the surface it became apparent how complex and dynamic it is. I also encountered the quirky side of the Canadian Crown – traditions like Ancient and Honourable Hyack Anvil Battery Salute in Westminster, British Columbia. I wanted to include everything and was constantly contacting my editor with additional information even after my deadline. Not wanting to leave anything out I created an electronic “Did You Know?” section on the book’s website that I am still adding to today.

© 2011 Defining Canada.