Oath of Allegiance Raised in House of Commons
On October 20, the issue of the oath of allegiance to Charles III as a prerequisite to sitting in the House of Commons was raised in the House. Yves-François Blanchet, leader of the Bloc Québécois, said that as the debate was taking place in Quebec, he wanted to reopen the same debate in the federal Parliament.
The
other parties in the House of Commons were quick to say that Canadians
are concerned about inflation and the rising cost of living. Canada's
relationship with the British monarchy is not a priority, they said.
Party leaders, except for the Bloc Québécois,
said they
do not intend to change the
oath of allegiance to the British monarch for Members of Parliament.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, "There is no intention here in the House of Commons to change the oaths of office." Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage, said, "Canada is a country where there is rule of law, that is the rule. So I'm comfortable with that." He did not attempt to clarify the content of that rule of law. David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada,said, "The oath is enshrined in our Constitution and is an ancient tradition of our parliamentary system. It is first and foremost an oath to our institutions and our democracy, of which the Sovereign is a part. Canadian courts have made it clear that it is not an oath to the individual, now King Charles III, but to the state he represents." He also had nothing to say about that democracy which begs the question of what the oath means. Trudeau later added, despite all evidence to the contrary, "What I can tell you is that there is not one Quebecker who wants the Constitution reopened."
On the question of whether Quebec has the right to change the oath of allegiance required to sit in the National Assembly under the Constitution Act, 1867, Trudeau said, "I don't want to speculate on what the National Assembly can or cannot do. These swearings are governed by the Assembly and Parliament itself. 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 MNAs who sit, who vote."
The Bloc Québécois announced it would use its opposition day in the Commons on Tuesday, October 25, to introduce a motion calling on the House "to debate and consider ending Canada's relationship with the British monarchy."
This article was published in
Volume 52 Number 34 - October
25, 2022
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmld2022/Articles/D520342.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca