(London) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refused on Sunday to reopen the constitutional debate on the place of the British monarchy, whose sovereign is automatically the head of state of Canada.
Posted at 7:00 p.m.
“For me, it’s not a priority. It’s not even something I intend to debate, “said the head of the Canadian government in an interview with Radio-Canada in London, on the eve of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
“Making such a profound change in a system that is among the best, the most stable in the world, for me, now, it is not a good idea”, decided Mr. Trudeau, evoking “a complex and complicated moment “.
A former British colony that became independent in 1867, Canada is a constitutional monarchy with the sovereign of the United Kingdom as head of state. Charles III is now officially “King of Canada”.
With the death of Elizabeth II, the debate on the place of the monarchy was revived. According to an Ipsos poll conducted for Global News, 58% of Canadians want a referendum on whether or not to retain the Crown.
This is an increase of five points in one year, according to this poll published Friday which also reveals that only 44% of Canadians say they have a favorable opinion of Charles III.
In the federal parliament, the Quebec separatists have recently asked to sever ties with the Crown, while the left opposition of the NDP, without making it a priority, wants the abolition of the monarchy.
For Mr. Trudeau, however, the constitutional monarchy provides “remarkable stability” for our times. “It’s such a system that works, in an era when we see our democratic institutions and our democracies around the world crumble a little bit,” argued Mr. Trudeau, who spoke with King Charles III. Saturday.
“We lived through constitutional debates. Changing our system of government at any time is difficult,” said the Canadian Prime Minister, referring in particular to the two referendums on Quebec independence (1980 and 1995).
Himself the son of a Canadian Prime Minister, Mr. Trudeau has met Elizabeth II on several occasions since his childhood. He confided after his death, with tears in his eyes, that the sovereign “was one of (his) favorite people in the world” and that his advice would be “missed enormously”.