News came down on Saturday from Buckingham Palace that Harry and Meghan had given up their royal titles – they remain the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – and that they would be repaying for the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, which would continue to be their residence in the UK. On Sunday, Harry gave a speech that outlined his continued commitment to causes, but said that he had no other choice than to step back from royal duties, and it wasn’t possible to keep up Commonwealth and military commitments while not being senior royals receiving the sovereign grant.

Harry’s deeply personal, moving words on his decision to stand down, from this evening’s private dinner for @Sentebale pic.twitter.com/yWiS6s5ahH

— Emily Nash (@emynash) January 19, 2020

The fact that the pair have given up their royal titles is likely to mean that they are no longer on the list of internationally protected persons, meaning that Canada will likely not have to foot any kind of security bill for them – even though no assessment had even been made on it (as it was still a bit early considering that little had been finalised).

So what does this mean for my proposal that we put them to work giving patronages in Canada? Well, very little, actually – Harry has insisted that they are still devoted to causes, and well, they have the time and the availability to devote themselves to these causes while they’re spending (likely just shy of) six months of the year here. It will just mean that they will be more under their celebrity status than royal status, which is more the pity. Besides, what could be more Canadian than getting something second-hand from Britain and hoping that it doesn’t catch fire on its way across the Atlantic?

Good reads:

• The Cabinet is currently meeting in Winnipeg to plot the next sitting of Parliament, now that they’re in a hung parliament.
• The federal government accepted Newfoundland and Labrador’s request for assistance, and troops arrived on the ground to help them dig out.
• David Lametti says that the bill to change the medical assistance in dying regime will be tabled in February.
• In advance of the Cabinet retreat, fisheries minister Bernadette Jordan visited the site of a landslide in BC that could impact the salmon run in the area.
• The Auditor General is currently conducting an audit on the federal student loan programme.
• Gerard Deltell is officially out of the running for Conservative leader.
• Here’s a look into those recently released files on Quebec corruption that could haunt Jean Charest’s comeback bid to lead the Conservatives.

Odds and ends:

My latest Loonie Politics video discusses the Baird Report.

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