5 Canadian officials refuse to swear allegiance to King Charles .
Five newly elected councillors in Dawson City have refused to swear allegiance to the British monarch, despite being legally required to do so.
Stephen Johnson, mayor of Dawson City, in Canada’s Yukon Territory, said on November 9 that the decision was made by all newly elected councillors ahead of the November 5 inauguration, in support of Darwyn Lynn, the councillor who proposed the idea.
Under Yukon’s own statute, councillors must swear allegiance to the British monarch, who remains the official head of state of Canada even though the colonial connection no longer grants the head of the British monarch any real power in the country.
The oath of allegiance to the British monarch is typically taken by Yukon councillors when they take office, within 40 days of their election. Failure to do so could result in their election being declared void, leaving the office vacant and potentially triggering a special election to replace them.
According to Yukon News, four new councillors were sworn in at the November 5 meeting. A fifth was expected to be sworn in after returning from vacation. However, none of them recited the oath of allegiance to the British monarch.
Yukon’s director of community affairs, Samantha Crosby, said it was rare for a group of new councillors to refuse to take the oath of allegiance. She has reached out to councillors to find a solution to avoid a special election in Dawson City, which would have removed councillors and the mayor from office.
King Charles is the head of state of the Commonwealth, which includes several former British colonies such as Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Jamaica and many other countries. However, he and the British royal family have faced increasing criticism from some groups in Commonwealth member countries.
When King Charles III visited the Australian parliament last month, an MP booed him, refusing to recognize his role as head of state.
After Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022, a poll conducted by the Angus Reid Institute found that 52% of Canadians opposed recognizing King Charles as head of state and supported severing Canada’s ceremonial ties with the British monarchy.
Earlier this year, a Canadian MP introduced a bill to change the constitution so that officials would not be required to swear allegiance to the British monarch, but it failed to pass the country’s parliament.
Huyen Le (According to CBS, Yukon News)
