OTTAWA -- Philippe Chartrand seems like an unlikely monarchist, at least on paper.
The young French Canadian started the University of Ottawa's Monarchist Society a year ago and has watched it climb to nearly 60 members since then.
He's aware that few would expect either students or people of French descent to be avid monarchists, but he said it fits his sensibilities perfectly, both socially and culturally.
As a political science student at uOttawa, he decided the school, which describes itself as Canada's university, should have a monarchist society.
"Most people don't think French Canadians are monarchists, but I'm a very big monarchist, so I thought that was another important thing was to have a bilingual, non-political monarchist club," said Chartrand, who inherited his love of the monarchy from his grandmother.
He said the society he started boasts members of all political stripes and even international students, due in part to the group's aim to educate, not just venerate.
A collector of Canadian currency, Chartrand has pages of paper money with faces of royalty — Elizabeth II perhaps the most common. He even has bills bearing her image from the Bahamas, where she's also Queen. But it's unity, not money, that interests him.
"It's very unifying," he said. "If you look at history, it was because of the British monarchy that decided that the French Canadians would still have language rights, religious rights, etc. — which is what the French Canadian identity is very much founded on."
Chartrand, like all supporters of the monarchy, has been waiting for the Queen's 22nd official visit since 2005.
"Having her finally come back is somewhat of a homecoming," he said. "It's nice to have your head of state back on Canadian soil. It's a refreshing feeling."
Chartrand said he feels more Canadian when the Queen is here.
"Really it's one of the things that separates us from the United States because these days there are a lot of things that are becoming more and more similar."
This week, Chartrand has been handing out information leaflets at the Canadian Museum of Nature ahead of the Queen's visit and reopening ceremony. He's looking forward to being there to see her in person when she does her scheduled walkabout.
"You can't say anything to her unless she speaks to you," he said. "So, we'll see."
