Republicanism in Canada
[4][14] Founded on this perception is the republican assertion that national pride is diminished by the monarchy, and it "prolongs a sense that Canada "is a colony" and is "subservient to Britain.
"[15][16] This questioning of the monarchy's role in Canadian identity arose as a part of wider cultural changes that followed the evolution of the British Empire into the Commonwealth of Nations, the rise of anti-establishmentism, the creation of multiculturalism as an official policy in Canada, and the blossoming of Quebec separatism; the latter becoming the major impetus of political controversy around the Crown.
[n 1] Reg Whitaker blamed this on a combination of Quebec nationalists having no interest in the monarchy (as full sovereignty and their own form of government was their ultimate goal) with the remainder of the population simultaneously struggling with "bilingualism, dualism, special status, distinct society, asymmetrical federalism, sovereignty-association, partnership, and so on."
[24] Instead, until the appointment of Stephen Harper as prime minister, successive governments made subtle efforts to diminish the stature of the Canadian monarchy[25]—as David Smith said: "the historic Crown with its anthem, emblems, and symbolism made accessible a past the government of the day rejected"[26]—though never, since the reaction to some of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's proposals for alterations to the monarchy and its role in Canada, publicly revealing their stances on the Crown.
[27] Following Elizabeth II's death in September 2022, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly expressed support for the monarchy's continued status in Canada.
[35][36] As well as instances such as a Bloc Québécois led republican motion in the House of Commons in 2024 to remove the mention of the King in the parliamentary Oath which was voted down and defeated.
The idea of political party was viewed by a number of British North Americans as an innovation of the United States, being "anti-British and of a republican tendency."
Colonists were warned about "a few individuals, who unfortunately, are led by those, whose hostility to the British constitution is such, that they would sacrifice any and every thing to pull it down, in order that they might build up a Republic on its ruins.
In February 1968, during a constitutional conference in Ottawa, delegates from the Union Nationale-governed Quebec indicated that a provincial president might suit the province better than the appointed viceroy.
Two years later, Parti Québécois (PQ) members of the National Assembly refused to recite the constitutionally mandated Oath of Allegiance to the sovereign before taking their seats in the legislature.
[17][62][63] The notion of a republic was raised publicly in the early 1990s, when Peter C. Newman wrote in Maclean's that the monarchy should be abolished in favour of a head of state "who would reflect our own, instead of imported, values."
Then, in 1997, Deputy Prime Minister John Manley echoed Newman when he expressed at the end of a television interview his opinion that Canada should abolish its monarchy, citing Australia's contemporary discussions around the Australian Crown.
[69] Then, just prior to the Queen's pan-country tour to celebrate her Golden Jubilee the following year, Manley (at that point the designated minister in attendance for the sovereign's arrival in Ottawa) again stated his preference for a "wholly Canadian" institution to replace the present monarchy after the reign of Queen Elizabeth II;[70] he was rebuked by other Cabinet members, a former prime minister, and the Leader of the Opposition,[68] as well as a number of prominent journalists.
[74] Lawrence Martin called for Canada to become a republic in order to re-brand the nation and better its standings in the international market, he cited Sweden – a constitutional monarchy – as an example to be followed.
Her presence will not be welcomed", and Gérald Larose, president of the Quebec Sovereignty Council, stated that the monarchy was "the most despicable, appalling, anti-democratic, imperial, colonial symbol against which all social and individuals rights were obtained through the course of history.
[80] On October 26, 2022, Bloc Québécois (BQ) Leader Yves-François Blanchet moved a motion calling for the severing of "ties between the Canadian State and the British monarchy" in the Federal House of Commons, It was rejected 44 to 266.
[82] Further, though republicans have pointed to Ireland and India as models that could be adapted to Canada, no specific form of republic or selection method for a president has been decided on,[83] and the Canadian populace remains largely indifferent to the issue.
"[91] However, Ian Holloway, Dean of Law at the University of Western Ontario, criticized this proposal for its ignorance of provincial input, and opined that its implementation "would be contrary to the plain purpose of those who framed our system of government.
