Canada Liberals to debate end of monarchy

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OTTAWA, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- The youth wing of Canada's Liberal Party says it wants a debate on abolishing the monarchy during this month's party convention.

The party, which took a beating and fell to third-party status in Parliament with just 34 seats, meets Jan. 13-15 in Ottawa to set policy and strategy for this year and in the run-up to next year's leadership convention.

The youth wing offered a proposed resolution for debate that said "Canadians believe in earning one's position in life and not being simply born into privilege," the Toronto Star reported.

It calls for an all-party Parliamentary committee to study changing to an elected Canadian head of state, free from the current requirement a British monarch must also be Anglican.

Regardless of any support among Liberals, it's unlikely Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives with a 165-seat majority would even consent to forming a committee. In recent months, his government has added back the "royal" designation to the navy and air force, while portraits of Queen Elizabeth are being moved to more prominent places in government and consular facilities, the Star said.

After last May's election drubbing in which Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff lost his own seat and resigned, the party has been under interim leadership by Bob Rae, a former senior member of the socialist New Democratic Party, which is now the official opposition with 102 seats.