It was quick but worth it. The Queen visited Winnipeg today. She spent around 6 hours in the city and amid all her engagements, she wanted to walk through a path lined with Afghanistan Veterans. That's where I was today at 17:30. It was very hot and muggy but I was five feet away from Her Majesty and His Royal Highness. What a great opportunity. No matter what people say about the Monarchy, I still think that it's cool to have it around and as a history buff, I know that we were conquered by the British and if it weren't for the ruler at the time and the situation in the US, every single Canadian including those from Quebec would be speaking English. The only difference, is that Quebec would have become the 14th Colony and would now be an American State. Try to keep the French there I say. When Wolf defeated Montcalm, Québec was conquered. The number of French peasants was so great that the British could not control them and because the Americans were actively recruiting in Québec to help in the civil war 10 years after the Battle of the Plains, the British government decided to allow the French to keep their customs, religious beliefs and language to prevent an exodus or alliance with the Americans. The separatist don't want to admit it but it is true that Québec would be American today if it hadn't been for that.
Anyway, I'm not a true monarchist by any stretch of the imagination but I still get pretty impressed by the royal family. It was nice to be so close. I can now say I saw the Queen and Prince in person twice in my life. Maybe this is her last visit to Canada and I'm glad to have been part of it.
Salut.
