[Knut]

A good light read from a Canadian author.

One of the things that a Canadian isn’t supposed to think, let alone say, is: “Maybe the rest of Canada should hold a referendum on whether or not Quebec can stay in the confederation.” This sort of outrageous proposal is off limits for polite Canadians, and unimaginable in the mouths of our politicians. Even if, secretly, very secretly, and with a burning sense of shame, a good number of Canadians might think such a referendum wouldn’t be a bad idea. And, after all, why not? Why should Quebec get to decide, on its own time table, the fate of the country, while the rest of the provinces sit back and wait?
Starting with this big, thick Canadian scab, Scott Gardiner’s novel, King John of Canada, picks away at cherished Canadian beliefs and long-held agreements about what is proper and what is not in the political life of the country. He also lets flow a torrent of what ifs: what if someone with charm, a good heart, and an intolerance for moral compromise came along, with regal power, and shook up Canada? What if, with sheer common sense and the credo, “the best way to protect against a punch in the nose, is a punch in the nose,” that same person was able to fix all of the problems our polite earnestness keeps us from addressing? It wouldn’t be just the problem of Quebec that would be dealt with, but also the gun registry, Toronto’s fiscal crisis, Indian Affairs, the CBC, our relations with the USA and Saudi Arabia, and the health crisis. What if Canada had a king?