Media release

Republic debate: Australia leads, Canada dithers.

Australia now with republican prime minister and opposition leader. New referendum on horizon.

Toronto, September 17, 2008 - Canada's republican movement welcomes Monday's news announcing Malcolm Turnbull as the new leader of the Australian Liberal Party. Mr. Turnbull is a former chair of the Australian Republican Movement and campaigned in favour of a 'yes' vote in the unsuccessful 1999 republic referendum.

The leadership change, which now sees both of Australia's main federal political parties led by committed republic supporters, has renewed discussion of when to have a new referendum.

Although Australia leads the Commonwealth in republican debate, the prime ministers of New Zealand, Barbados and Jamaica have also publicly voiced their approval for reform and have all encouraged public debate on the matter. Canada however, stands alone as the only major overseas Commonwealth nation left without at least one national political party with either an open discussion or official policy on ending the monarchy.

"In Canada, pro-republic opinion matches or occasionally exceeds that of Australia", says Tom Freda, national director of the non-partisan group, Citizens for a Canadian Republic.

"Right now, a majority of Canadians don't want the monarchy. We know first-hand that our parliamentarians hold the same view", he adds. "It's time for our political leaders to stand up for what they believe and allow Canada to join the rest of the Commonwealth in a healthy, constructive debate on how to end our last constitutional link to Britain."

The 2008 general election will mark CCR's second online poll in which all candidates of the three national parties will be asked their views on the monarchy/republic issue.

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