Queen a Bargain for Canadians

Canada gets its constitutional monarchy cheap, paying just C$1.10 (45 pence) per citizen per year, or half the cost of running one of Ottawa's main museums, according to a study by a royalist group. The Monarchist League of Canada said the $1.10 pays for the expenses of the Governor General, the Queen's representative in Canada, and for the expenses of lieutenant governors in Canadian provinces. It also pays for royal visits, including the Queen's Golden Jubilee tour of Canada. That works out at under half the annual cost of the Museum of Civilisation, across the river from the capital Ottawa, or half the cost of running the Senate. "It's a pretty bare bones operation," said Monarchist League of Canada Chairman John Aimers. "It's a very modest and appropriate expenditure." Aimers said that even without the monarchy, Canada would still spend money on visiting foreign ambassadors and heads of state, and someone would be required to do the largely ceremonial governor general's job. "The costs would still be the same," he said. The governor general and lieutenant governors represent the Queen, who is Canada's head of state. Canadians foot the bill for security and other issues when members of the royal family visit Canada. But they don't pay for royal vacations, like the ski trip to Whistler, British Columbia, taken by Prince Charles and his sons in 1998.