On December 9, 2022, the National Assembly of Quebec unanimously adopted the bill to recognize the oath provided for in the Act respecting the National Assembly as the only compulsory oath to sit there (Bill number 4). Entering into force on the same day, this law abolished the obligation to take the oath of allegiance to the king provided for in the Constitution Act of 1867, which deputies had to satisfy in the past in order to be able to sit in the National Assembly, and to subscribe to it.
Monarch “by the grace of God”
On the sidelines of the coronation of King Charles III, scheduled for May 6, 2023, the occasion is propitious to recall that this coronation will give rise to the taking of an oath, administered by the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Church of England, Primate of All England and Head of the Anglican Communion, which, like that lent and subscribed by Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953, will lead the new king to answer the following question: “Promise and swear you solemnly to govern the peoples of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and your possessions and other territories to which they belong or relate , in accordance with their respective laws and customs? And the answer should be, “I solemnly undertake.” »
And as we learned recently, the Parliament of Canada is expected to pass a new Royal Titles Act of 2023, hidden in section 510 of the tabled budget implementation bill number 1 of 2023 (Bill C- 47), consenting to the taking by Her Majesty of a Royal Proclamation under the Great Seal of Canada fixing the form of Royal Titles for Canada, as follows: “Charles the Third, by the grace of God, King of Canada and of his other realms and territories, Head of the Commonwealth”.
These gestures made in the United Kingdom and Canada will have the consequence of imposing once again on Quebec a head of state that he has in no way chosen, but who would exercise his power over him “by the grace of God”. , in contradiction with the Act respecting the secularism of the State adopted by the National Assembly of Quebec and in which it is affirmed that secularism is based, among other things, on the principles of the separation of the State and religions, then of religious neutrality of the state.
Exorbitant costs for Quebec
The maintenance of the monarchy in Canada and its imposition in Quebec also represent exorbitant costs for the citizens of Quebec. Québec contributes to the costs relating to the exercise of the offices of the Governor General of Canada, the lieutenant-governors of the other Canadian provinces and its own lieutenant-governor.
Assessed by the Monarchist League of Canada at a sum of $58,749,485.52 for the fiscal year 2019-2020, the annual cost of the operation of the crown that Quebecers must assume — if we choose as a criterion the proportion represented by its population within Canada, which stood at 22.2% on 1er January 2023 — is $13,042,239.09. Since the beginning of the XXIe century, these costs have increased significantly — from $22,415,222.00 in 1999 to $62,438,557.00 in 2018.
This exorbitant cost of a regime that is as obsolete as it is undemocratic, whose proxies depend on God, is no longer acceptable. We should, moreover, rejoice in the fact that the government of Quebec has decided not to impose additional costs on its population by deciding not to send a delegation to the coronation on May 6 and that, with regard to events that could take place in Quebec, “there is nothing on the program”, pointed out unambiguously the office of the Premier of Quebec.
The abolition of the obligation to take the oath of allegiance and to subscribe to it, as well as the decisions of the Government of Quebec relating to the coronation, encourage the Coalition for the Abolition of the Monarchy in Quebec to continue its work. We need to reflect on the many facets of an issue that goes to the heart of our political system. In particular, how and by what constitutive authority could the monarchy be replaced? What could be the next steps before the definitive abolition of the monarchy in Quebec?
It is therefore necessary and urgent to articulate a public policy that will allow Québec to further democratize its political system, in particular by entrusting citizens with full responsibility for appointing all its leaders, including the Head of State of Quebec.