The Bloc Québécois wants to take advantage of the debate on the monarchy, which is in full swing in the National Assembly, to revive it in the federal Parliament. But even before the discussions opened, the federalist parties all closed the door. As for the possibility of Quebec modifying, on its own, the oath of allegiance of its deputies to His Majesty King Charles III, Justin Trudeau and his government also refused to get involved in this constitutional debate.
Liberals, Conservatives and New Democrats have hammered, in turn on Wednesday, that Canadians worry first about inflation and the rising cost of living. Deliberating whether Canada belongs to the British monarchy or whether federal MPs swear allegiance to the crown is not a priority, they all said.
In the Quebec capital, the political class is debating the possibility of modifying the oath of allegiance to be taken to sit in the National Assembly, provided for in the Constitution Act of 1867, since the solidarity and PQ members refused to take oath to the king.
“I don’t want to speculate on what the National Assembly can or cannot do,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday. “What I can tell you is that there is not a Quebecer who wants us to reopen the Constitution. »
Mr. Trudeau had seemed to share, a little earlier, the reading of certain constitutional experts who believe that Quebec can modify the oath of allegiance alone. “These oaths are governed by the Assembly and Parliament themselves. The National Assembly has the right to decide how they want to organize their swearing-in process. It takes a bill, but for that, it takes deputies who sit, who vote, ”he said in the morning.
His Minister of Justice and Attorney General, David Lametti, meanwhile declined to comment on the matter.
The Bloc wants to go further
Westminster parliamentary system expert at Carleton University Philippe Lagassé believes that the National Assembly would have full power to alter its oath of allegiance under section 45 of the 1982 Constitution, which states that a legislature “has exclusive jurisdiction to amend the constitution of its province”. An opinion shared by Laval University constitutionalist Patrick Taillon on Twitter. The House of Commons could also do the same, under section 44, according to Professor Lagassé.
The Bloc Québécois will propose to go even further, on the occasion of its opposition day in the Commons next Tuesday. His motion will invite the House “to debate and consider ending Canada’s relationship with the British monarchy,” announced its leader, Yves-François Blanchet, jumping at the opportunity provided by the Quebec debate.
Prime Minister Trudeau had already closed the door to this debate during his trip to London to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in mid-September.
Professor Lagassé agrees that a complete break with the monarchy would be unlikely, since it would require a constitutional amendment requiring this time the unanimous support of the federal government and the provinces. “But even if it leads nowhere, we should at least hold the discussion,” he believes, in support of the Bloc initiative.
An oath that will remain
The federal parties have all shown very little appetite for the possibility of modifying the oath of allegiance of members of Parliament.
“Here in the House of Commons, we have no intention of changing the oaths,” said Mr. Trudeau. And his Quebec ministers have all affirmed, like their leader, that their priority remains to tackle the cost of living. None of them, however, defended the duty to take an oath to the king. “We are in a state of law, that is the rule. So I’m comfortable with that, ”said the Quebec lieutenant of Mr. Trudeau, Pablo Rodriguez, like his colleagues.
Among the Conservatives too, the Quebec lieutenant, Pierre Paul-Hus, insisted that the priority of citizens remained the fight against inflation. Mr. Paul-Hus said he was open to taking part in the debate. He added, however, that “for now, the status quo [les] satisfied “. Leader Pierre Poilievre’s office declined to comment on whether or not the party would support a change to the oath of allegiance.
The New Democrat leader, Jagmeet Singh, in turn said he was “open to this discussion”, but insisted that the cost of living remains his priority.
A Léger poll reported Monday that 65% of Quebec respondents believe that elected officials should be able to sit even without taking the oath to King Charles III. Only 15% believe that the oath to Her Majesty should be compulsory.
The shared curators
In Quebec, the leader of the provincial Conservative Party said MPs should be free to decide whether or not to take the oath to the king.
“It’s a legitimate question. I often say, I am someone who appreciates freedom of choice and I think it’s a good question, a question that is relevant, ”said Éric Duhaime, Wednesday, during a press briefing.
His position contrasts with that of the federal conservatives, who have always been fervent defenders of the monarchy. The party played an instrumental version of the God Save the King on election night for the leadership race, days after the Queen’s death. Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper also replaced paintings by Alfred Pellan with a large portrait of the Queen in the entrance to the Foreign Office and ordered that the portrait also be hung in all Canadian embassies abroad. foreign.
With Isabelle Porter