The Royal Family is once again front and centre in the news, this time thanks to two of its most prominent members, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, stepping back from their official duties. Whenever the royals take centre stage, the country is plunged headlong into a familiar debate:

Does Canada need the monarchy?

On episode 10 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Dale Smith, a freelance journalist in the Parliamentary Press Gallery, author of The Unbroken Machine, and contributor of the upcoming book Royal Progress: Canada's Monarchy in an Age of Disruption, about the monarchy and its role in Canada’s past, present, and future.