Commentary That interview, and you know which one, has led to predictable calls for Canada to be a republic. OK. Abracadabra. Canada is a republic. Now what? No, really. We have been a republic for at least 800 years, which isn’t bad for a nation established 154 years ago. Because on Confederation we received a Constitution “similar in principle” to the United Kingdom, which is … a monarchy, someone shouts. You’re a complete idiot. But first, à la Spike Milligan, not complete, I’m missing several teeth. And second, the shouters are missing the difference between a republic and a monarchy. It’s not whether your ultimate guarantor of constitutional propriety is Donald Trump or Queen Elizabeth. Or Bill Clinton or Queen Elizabeth. Or Richard Nixon or Queen Elizabeth. Or, to be fair, George Washington or George III. Or Joe Biden or Prince Charles. You win some, you lose some. But republics …