The Maple Leaf Forever Canada's Greatest Anthem God Save our King

The Monarchy is the only reason Canada exists as an independent country. The entire reason for the existence of Canada as a distinct and finally sovereign nation is because during the American revolution, rather than choosing to follow the example of the rebel colonists and commit treachery against their sovereign, the future peoples of Canada chose to remain loyal and stay within the British Empire. Thank God they did, because otherwise Canada would not even exist today and we would be nothing more than a frosty, underpopulated collection of states and territories within the American union. This loyalty was true of both the English-speaking loyalists in the 13 colonies, and the French loyalists in Quebec. In fact, the upper echelons of society in Quebec (both the aristocrats and the clerics) had been so won over by the benevolent treatment of the British after the French and Indian war that that when the American Revolutionary War broke out the leadership in Quebec was explicit in denouncing it. Bishop Jean-Olivier Briand threatened to cut off from the sacraments anyone who supported the republican rebels and excommunicated the famous Father John Carroll of Baltimore, Maryland for his support of the revolution. Yes, believe it or not, originally, Quebec was not only loyal to the Crown but VERY loyal, and it was the Church that was most loyal.

Additionally, the United Empire loyalists from the 13 Colonies, along with many of the American Indians, and slaves who were offered freedom by the British (a story told in the recently published ‘Book of Negroes), fought loyally for the British and when it became apparent that the rebel colonists would win, escaped to Upper Canada (what would become Ontario) and settled there, laying the foundation for English-speaking Canada. The War of 1812 is often overlooked when it comes to Canada’s identity, but Canadians today should remember just what it was their forefathers were fighting for and what they were fighting against. Remember, this was not so simple as a foreign invasion as we would see it today since, for most of those involved, it was the same sort of people on each side. Much of the population of Canada was ‘American’ in the sense that they had been born in what became the United States of America, and the ones we would call ‘Americans’ were just English, Scottish, and Irish colonists who had rebelled and no longer saw themselves as subject to the crown.

The biggest difference between the opposing forces was their form of government, monarchy versus republic, and the different values the two represented. This was something not lost on the participants at the time. Americans, for example, so believed that republicanism meant liberty and monarchy meant tyranny that their whole invasion of Canada was based on the belief that the oppressed, downtrodden Canadians would welcome them with open arms and rejoice at being delivered by the benevolent republic to the south.

On the other side, Major General Sir Isaac Brock, who gave his life defeating the U.S. attack told his relatively small army that, “We may teach the enemy this lesson: A country defended by free men devoted to the cause of their king and constitution can never be conquered…” Make no mistake about it, the people of Canada at the time knew they were in a fight of monarchy against republicanism and had no doubt that their constitutional monarchy was greatly preferable to the republicanism of the States. This foundational identity of being loyalists against the spread of republicanism was so important that in our original anthem The Maple Leaf Forever, it spoke of this, saying, “At Queenston heights and Lundy’s Lane, our brave fathers’ side by side, for freedoms homes and loved ones dear, firmly stood and nobly died, and so their rights which they maintained, we swear to yield them never, our watchword evermore shall be, the Maple Leaf Forever.” Canadian republicans who so detest the United States should keep in mind this part of the founding of our country and remember that remaining loyal to King and Country was the first and most paramount aspect that distinguished us from the United States. To reject this foundational aspect is tantamount to admitting that the Americans were right along. If these people had their way the Dominion of Canada would basically be betraying our entire history in order to become the United States of Northern North America. We might as well petition to become the 51st state. Instead, I say, let us fight on for God, King, and Country, just as our forefathers did in every war Canada has ever fought. The Maple leaf Forever; Canada's Greatest and most representative anthem, combined with the Canadian Red Ensign, Canada's Greatest and most representative flag.