The Canadians were linked to Queen Elizabeth II to the end, but their relationship with the monarchy has grown increasingly strained, and experts believe her death on Thursday will reignite debate about her future.
“Canada is a monarchist exception in the middle of a more republican continent,” said Marc Chevrier, professor of politics at the University of Quebec in Montreal.
In a few weeks, after the mourning period, “the debates will flare up again, Pandora’s box will open,” he added.
The British monarch is Canada’s head of state, but the role is largely ceremonial, even more so than in Britain. Here the royals are represented by a governor general who is elected by the prime minister.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hailed Elizabeth’s reign, noting that she had been queen for “almost half of Canada’s existence” and announced a 10-day mourning period.
All flags have been lowered across the country and a national memorial ceremony is planned in the capital Ottawa on the same day as her funeral in London.
But when it comes to pomp, the country has become increasingly ambivalent about the monarchy.
“Even in English-speaking Canada, support for the monarchy has declined over the years,” said Philippe Lagasse, a professor at Carleton University in Ottawa and an expert on the role of the monarchy in Canada.
According to a poll last April, a slim majority of Canadians — 71 percent in the French-speaking province of Quebec — even want to do without the monarchy, whose role is now largely ceremonial.
Sixty-seven percent opposed Charles succeeding his mother as king of the country. His visit to the country last May went almost unnoticed.
– monarchy entrenched –
To follow the example of Barbados, which opted to secede from the British Crown and become a republic in 2021, Canada would need to introduce sweeping reforms to its institutions and constitutional laws.
A founding principle at Canada’s birth in 1867, “monarchy is the keystone of all constitutional law,” explains Chevrier. For example, he noted that “the office of prime minister does not even appear in Canada’s constitution, which only mentions the monarch”.
Changing the constitution and abolishing the monarchy would require a tremendous effort and possibly years of political negotiations, as it requires the unanimous approval of Parliament as well as the governments of all 10 Canadian provinces.
Such a debate would likely be heated in an increasingly politically divided Canada.
And then all royal symbolism could be targeted to further erase ties to the British monarchy, Lagasse believes.
For example, Queen Elizabeth’s face appears on Canadian coins and $20 bills.
Certain protocols would also need to be changed, most notably the citizenship oath. New Canadian citizens must pledge their “loyalty to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, her heirs and successors”.
The oath was unsuccessfully challenged in court in 2014 by a trio of immigrants who argued it violated their religious and conscientious beliefs.
For an increasingly diverse and multicultural Canadian population in the midst of coming to terms with its colonial history, the connection to the monarchy seems less and less relevant.
