Is Queen Elizabeth II, who is leaving Canada this week, welcome in Canada? Of course she is welcome. The question is: who are we welcoming, the Queen of England or the Queen of Canada? Constitutionally, she is the Queen of Canada: and, you don't debate the Constitution. But you can change it. And that's where the debate starts.

Of course the media, as often happens, prefer to debate form over substance and in this case Deputy Prime Minister John Manley's manners, instead the role of the monarchy in a modern society.

Let's get rid of this nuisance debate first. Was John Manley rude saying he prefers the end of monarchy while the Queen is in Canada? Well, the media knew Manley's position on the matter so why asking the question when the Queen was in Canada? Why did they splash Manley's answer on the front pages of newspapers across Canada?

Oh, yes, our duty is to report facts. But isn't the duty of politicians to tell the truth? If media were so offended by Manley's honest answer, why did they ask the question in the first place? They knew the answer and they created the news, knowing that the Queen was in Canada. If anything, it was the mass media, and not Manley, who were out to embarrass the Queen by reporting old news. Old news is not news, it is a journalistic oxymoron.

At the same time, I believe the media did the right thing by opening up the always controversial debate about the monarchy in Canada. But why they didn't raise such a furor over bad manners when Pope John Paul II arrived in Canada this past summer? Or is it okay to embarrass the Pope and not the Queen?

On the day the World Youth Day officially opened in Toronto, the CBC gave equal air time to the Pope and to a young man distributing condoms outside the CNE. Wasn't the Pope a guest of our country as well? So why is debate considered healthy when discussing the Pope and the Catholic religion and a crime of lesa majesty when it involves the monarchy? You can argue about the appropriateness of the debate but, at the end of the argument, you have to remember that what's good for the goose, has to be good for the gander.

Let's then forget about the futile argument about form and look at the substance of the matter: the institution of the monarchy. There are people, and I am one of them, who is against this concept. I do not believe that children are born bricklayers, astronauts or journalists only because their parents were so. You can be born rich or poor, you can inherit buildings and bank accounts, but you can't inherit intelligence. If you're an idiot and your father is wealthy, you'll always be an idiot. Yes, rich, still an idiot.

The concept gets more complicated when you talk about the Queen of Canada, Queen Elizabeth II. Many people, including myself, believe she is a very nice, caring and loving person. She has earned the respect as a mother, wife, working woman and, yes, also as head of state. The problem is with the title: Queen and, most importantly Queen of Canada.

This country has made of the concept of multiculturalism its trademark in the world. According to this policy we have to respect the heritage of all ethnic groups forming the Canadian demographic mosaic. If we consider the monarchy in this country an expression of the appreciation of the contribution that English settlers made to Canada, its history and its development, I believe we can accept that.

But don't tell us that having the monarchy in Canada is good for Canada because there is no alternative. This is the most outrageous offence to our more than 30 million citizens of this country, including thousands of citizens who are able to represent Canada in the world with dignity, competence and grace, just as well as Queen Elizabeth now and Prince Charles in the future.

Keep the monarchy in this country for now, but as an expression of gratitude to the English ethnic group and not because it is good or bad for Canada. And for how long? As long as this debate will not become too divisive for the future of this country of ours and at that point we have to ask ourselves what the majority of the citizens of this country really want. The future of Canada is the future of our children and, with all the due respect for the monarchy, the future of our children is more important than the future of the monarchy.

In fact, as far as I'm concerned, I would start a campaign today: John Manley for President.