Manley's unfit to greet Queen, Clark fumes

By DAVID GAMBLE, OTTAWA BUREAU

OTTAWA -- There's no way Deputy Prime Minister John Manley should represent the government when the Queen visits Ottawa next weekend, an angry Tory Leader Joe Clark charged yesterday.

Clark said Manley, an avowed anti-monarchist, crossed the line Friday, when within hours of Her Majesty's arrival on Canadian soil, he repeated his view that the monarchy is no longer "necessary" for Canada and should be dropped once the Queen retires.

"I think the prime minister would want to reconsider (Manley being the Queen's official escort in Ottawa)," Clark said, adding Manley's statement was "unacceptable on the grounds of courtesy" because he made it after the Queen touched down in Nunavut to begin her Canadian tour. "It was ... a reflection of the worst kind of judgment in a man who carries the title of deputy prime minister."

John Aimers, head of the Monarchist League of Canada, said: "The Queen thinks of herself as a Canadian ... that is part of why John Manley's comments are so insulting."

Tom Freda, head of Citizens for a Canadian Republic, disagreed. "We've done a bit of research and we haven't found any documents to prove she's actually a Canadian citizen," Freda said.