King Charles III arrives to attend the service for The Order of the Bath at Westminster Abbey in London on May 16.BENJAMIN CREMEL/AFP/Getty Images
MPs are reviving a bid to end the centuries-old requirement to pledge loyalty to the monarch before they take their seats in Parliament, with many favouring an option to swear allegiance to Canada instead.
The Bloc Québécois is preparing to table a private member’s bill scrapping the obligation, which dates back to the Constitution Act of 1867.
MPs, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, have this week been swearing the oath to King Charles III so they can take their seats in the new Parliament after the election. They are barred from doing so unless they pledge allegiance to the monarch.
The initiative by the Bloc comes as the King and Queen Camilla prepare to visit Ottawa next week, where the King will open Parliament by reading the Speech from the Throne.
The King’s decision to read the speech is being seen in Ottawa as bolstering Canada’s sovereignty, after U.S. President Donald Trump’s stated wish to annex the country.
But Bloc MPs plan to boycott the Throne Speech in the Senate, as they do when it is read by the Governor-General, the monarch’s representative in Canada. Their bill to update the oath is expected to be tabled within weeks.
“As usual, we will not be attending the Throne Speech, neither in the Senate or in the House, where the speech is broadcast,” said Bloc Québécois spokesperson Julien Coulombe-Bonnafous. “We plan on tabling a bill to revise the oath-taking process for MPs.”
A 2023 attempt by former Liberal MP René Arseneault to reform the swearing-in process did not get enough support to progress in Parliament.
His private member’s bill sought to give MPs and senators the option of swearing an oath to the monarch or to pledge to carry out their duties “in the best interest of Canada while upholding its Constitution.” The bill received the backing of Bloc, NDP and Green MPs, as well as some Liberals – including current ministers Joël Lightbound and Julie Dabrusin – and several Conservatives, including newly promoted mental-health critic Mike Lake.
Mr. Lake said that, although he personally supported swearing an oath to the monarch, MPs should have a choice of whether to do so.
“I felt that someone who is running for Parliament, elected by people to serve their constituents and serve Canadians, should have the option to swear their allegiance to Canada if they so choose,” said Mr. Lake, who has already taken his oath to the King.
NDP MP Jenny Kwan said Britain and Canada’s colonial past would be an issue for some MPs.
”I think that it would be appropriate to give an option to members of Parliament and so that they could either choose to swear allegiance to the monarch or to swear allegiance to Canada,” she said.
The Quebec National Assembly passed a law in 2022 scrapping the oath requirement for its elected members. Three members of the Parti Québécois had refused to swear the oath after a provincial election and had been barred from sitting as a result.
The royal oath is taken by other people with official positions across Canada, including judges, RCMP officers and members of the armed forces. New Canadians likewise pledge an oath to the King and his heirs and successors at their citizenship ceremonies. Ms. Kwan said this requirement for new Canadians should also be examined.
Reforming the royal oath in Parliament would require passage of a bill. But wider reform could require a constitutional amendment.
Philippe Lagassé, a Carleton University constitutional expert, said that at the federal level, the oath “tends to be quite a divisive issue” and not a government priority.
Among the senators who would like to see a review is Tony Dean, former head of the Ontario public service, who favours giving officeholders the option of swearing an oath to Canada or the Canadian people.
Quebec Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne said that “the time has come to modernize the oath and give choices to MPs.”
“I would prefer to swear allegiance to Canada, to the people of Canada, and not to the King,“ she said.
Share your thoughts on King Charles' visit to Canada
King Charles III is making his first official visit to Canada as monarch next week, and is set to deliver the Throne Speech to open Parliament. We want to know your thoughts. Are you welcoming the visit with open arms, do you think it's an outdated custom, or are you somewhere in the middle? Let us know.