With the announcement on Saturday that Prince Harry and Meghan will no longer be working members of the Royal Family — and therefore no longer receiving money from the public purse — the couple may be looking for work when they eventually arrive in Canada.
While Meghan Markle could go back to being an actor — she recently signed a deal with Disney for voiceovers — Harry has spent time in the military, having served two tours in Afghanistan, but he hasn’t really forged a career.
B.C. Premier John Horgan has already joked if they end up in his province, “I’m sure I could find something for Harry to do.”
However, there are some restrictions, said Andrew Heard, a political science professor at Simon Fraser University whose research has specialized in Canadian constitutional issues and the Crown.
One of the main restrictions on both of them is that they cannot be in a position where there is a reasonable perception that they, or any potential employers, might be taking advantage of the royal connection, Heard said.
“Even if they step back from most formal events, they will still remain members of the Royal Family and any future careers cannot appear to trade on that prestigious connection or imply privileged access to political and business elites.”
With his military experience, Harry could become an ambassador for the Canadian Rangers. (Sara Frizzell/CBC)
Other royals have taken on private sector jobs, although not always with successful results. Prince Edward, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth, launched a TV production firm in 1993 that failed in 2011 after years of mediocre performance.
His wife, Sophie, tried to keep her established public relations firm going after she married Edward in 1999, but she was embarrassed two years later by an undercover reporter pretending to be a wealthy sheikh interested in doing business with her firm. In response, she hinted that the prospective client would get greater publicity because of her royal status. The debt-ridden firm was eventually shut down.
According to Kelly Goldthorpe, a Toronto-based immigration lawyer, if Harry wants to work in Canada, he would need work authorization, and may need to utilize the CETA Free Trade Agreement to get a work permit. Another option is proving that his entry in the Canadian labour market would “have a significant cultural or economic benefit to Canada,” Goldthorpe wrote.
Assuming Harry could gain such authorization, CBC News contacted three executive recruiting firms to get their opinions on possible employment opportunities.
Randy Quarin, senior partner, IQ PARTNERS Inc.
Although Harry has limited real or Canadian business experience, Quarin said he has a number of qualities that make him an attractive candidate to employers.
“He’s smart, well-educated, street-smart and he’s athletically minded. He’s disciplined. He’s got military training. And he also has his own definition of discipline that he’s redefining for his present employer [the Crown].”
Executive recruiting experts say Harry, with all his charitable work, could turn being a spokesman into a full-time gig. (Dominic Lipinski/The Associated Press)
“And … he’s compassionate. He works with numerous charities. And he really seems to like and works hard for them.”
So taking all that into consideration, Quarin suggested Harry, with his military experience — he served two tours in Afghanistan — could become an ambassador for the Canadian Rangers.
Harry and his brother Prince William were made honorary members of the 5,000-member unit that’s part of the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves and works in remote regions of Canada.
But Harry could also become another ambassador of sorts. While Canadian pop star Drake is known as the Toronto Raptors’ global ambassador, Harry could take on a similar role with Canada’s national rugby teams, Quarin said.
The Duke of Sussex has been involved in the sport as a patron of the U.K.-based Rugby Football League since December 2016, when he succeeded the Queen, who had held the role for 64 years.
“He could be the brand ambassador,” Quarin said. “Don’t forget, he used to play rugby in school. He could work on 100 per cent commission because [the rugby association] don’t have a lot of money,.”
Harry, the patron of the Rugby Football Union in England, could raise the profile of the sport in Canada. (The Associated Press)
Quarin’s third suggestion, he said, is a “no-brainer.” With all his charitable work, Harry could turn being a spokesman into a full-time gig.
Harry is already involved in a number of charitable pursuits, including the Invictus Games Foundation, an international sporting event for injured or wounded soliders, and and Sentebale, an African-based foundation to help vulnerable children.
“The hard one about that is pick the one that is really near and dear to him.”
Sheila Musgrove, founder, CEO of TAG Recruitment
Musgrove described Harry as a solid communicator, personable and likable, with good people skills that translate into a number of disciplines.
She, too, said he could lead any charity in the country
With his military experience, and his involvement working with injured soldiers, he could play the the same role in Canada, working with the Canadian military, helping veterans.
But there are other potential ways he could leverage his military skills, she said. In 2012, Harry qualified as an Apache attack helicopter pilot, graduating as the best co-pilot gunner in his class after 18 months of training. Musgrove said she could see Harry working as an air ambulance pilot.
(After his military stint, Harry’s brother, William, worked as an air ambulance pilot before focusing full-time on his royal duties.)
Could Harry follow in the footsteps of Hollywood actor John Travolta and get his airplane pilot’s licence? (Rick Rycroft/The Associated Press)
“What a great story that would be.You’re injured. You fall down and then you get rescued by a prince,” Musgrove said.
Or, for something a little different, why not train to fly commercial airlines?
“If John Travolta can fly for Qantas, the prince can fly me from Calgary to Toronto,” Musgrove said.
Musgrove also said Harry could get involved in Canadian rugby, leading the Canadian rugby organization to elevate the level of sport in the country.
And if Harry and Meghan settle in the West, a perfect gig for him, said Musgrove, would be ski instructor or a lift operator “if he wants to be among the people.”
Michael French, regional manager, Robert Half
Harry’s upbringing has groomed him for some sort of leadership role, French said. And his military experience means he comes with a lot of “fantastic skills.”
“The ability to get things done. Tremendous perseverance. A lot of integrity,” French said.
He said he could certainly see Harry headlining a global initiative, or landing at several “very small but very deserving organizations.”
“They may not be big companies, but they may be some not-for-profits that need an elevation. I think he’s going to follow his heart,” French said. “I think he’s going to be really focusing on organizations that are doing great work that are probably underfunded, underserviced that are making a change.”
But Harry could also hit the speaking circuit, French said.
Harry could find himself in demand on the speaking circuit. (Joel Carrett/The Associated Press)
“He will be a very hot, in-demand speaker and he’s an excellent speaker, he said. “I can see him being very selective of who he speaks for. I can’t see him speaking at an Apple or Microsoft event.”
French said their firm always advises companies to hire “for fit, not for skill,” meaning they seek those who possess leadership qualities and can be trained for the missing skills.
Companies are full of people who can tick all the task boxes, French said.
“What they’re looking for is someone who can lead them and be the front, I think [Harry’s] got a lot of that.”
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
