It would be fair to say that Canadians are becoming disenchanted with the Governor General position. The Angus Reid Institute says, Julie Payette’s unprecedented resignation, under a cloud from her role as Governor General, is prompting more than the usual, predictable questions about who should replace her.

The research company says it is also setting off a debate among Canadians about the future of a job tied directly to this nation’s status as a constitutional monarchy.

The latest data from the Angus Reid finds that as support for maintaining the monarchical status quo declines, a majority of Canadians are also inclined to reduce or eliminate the role of the Governor General.

Ninety-one per cent of Canadians say a parliamentary committee, rather than the Prime Minister, should decide who fills the role of Governor General.

Forty-three per cent of Canadians would like to see the position eliminated altogether. Twenty two per cent want the position to remain as is, 19 per cent would like to see the role reduced, and 16 per cent would like to see it expanded with new duties.

While half of Canadians support continuing to recognize the Queen as head of state, just one-third say they would like Canada to remain a monarchy for coming generations. Angus Reid says that is down 10 percentage points over the past five years.