More than half of Canadians today believe Canada should end its ties with the British Monarchy according to a recent poll, and these Canadians have good reason for believing so. Following Queen Elizabeth II’s death on September 8 this year, King Charles III took to the throne. With the successful rule of Queen Elizabeth II persisting for 70 years, there lacked reason to question the status quo. However, the interruption of the status quo by a transition of power has led to both criticism and questioning of the future of the Monarchy’s role in Canada. Indeed, alongside King Charles III’s ascension to the throne, came backlash regarding Canada’s position with the British Monarchy.
Reconciliation in Canada has become a central topic of discussion, in recent years. Although Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III did not themselves set up the residential schools where many Indigenous children became diseased, were abused, or even died, they remain symbols of colonialism and its lasting effects to this day. The British Monarchy is tightly linked to British arrival and colonization of Canada, which in turn led to the theft of Indigenous lands, introduction of foreign diseases, and later the introduction of the Indian Residential School System. This expansion of the British Empire was done in the name of the Crown, yet even in a time of truth and reconciliation and upon many visits from Queen Elizabeth II with Indigenous communities in Canada, a formal apology was never issued. This speaks to the fact that despite the current Monarchy’s indirect role in colonialism, its existence persists today and should be recognized as such.
The Monarchy has not only taken part in a colonialist past, but was also an essential part in the transatlantic slave trade and thus also represents a symbol of anti-Black racism and slavery. In the 1500s, Queen Elizabeth I approved of John Hawkins’ journey whereby he captured 300 Africans and sailed across the North Atlantic in hopes of exchanging them for goods to bring back to Britain. Following the first trade, Hawkins was eager to carry out another voyage, in this voyage Queen Elizabeth I supplied a vessel. In the 1660s, the slave trade grew immensely following the Duke of York’s establishment of the Royal African Company which up until 1731, captured and brought more than 187 000 slaves from Africa to British colonies in the Americas. It is estimated that from the beginning of the slave trade until 1807, around six million enslaved Africans were transported from Africa to British colonies, an action that was supported by the British Royal family. Thus, the crucial role of the Monarchy in commencing and perpetuating slavery must be acknowledged and understood in having long lasting effects of racism even today in Canada.
Across Canada there have already been steps taken towards ending the lasting impacts of both racism and colonialism. One way this has been done is through the removal of many statues across the country of slave owners and colonizers who had many negative impacts on minorities in Canada. This demonstrates that action should and needs to be taken even when these forms of racism and colonialism only exist in symbolic forms. In this sense, there is precedent for the abolishment of the Monarchy in Canada, if working towards reconciliation means removing symbolic forms of colonialism. However, some concerns have arisen in response to the abolishment of the Monarchy as it relates to the Indigenous peoples of Canada. The main concern is the legal risk abolishment poses, as the British Crown negotiated and is responsible for treaties with the Indigenous peoples. Thus, the fear is that if the Monarchy ends so do the treaties. Although this concern is valid, it should not be taken as an unresolvable issue. Instead, amendments can be made to the constitution to ensure Indigenous sovereignty remains, and in doing so, it could also present an opportunity for strengthening Indigenous rights in the constitution. This task may seem daunting but is another necessary step in working towards reconciliation and ending symbolic racism in Canada.
There are a handful of other countries that have also taken the step to abolish the Monarchy as their head of state, paving the way for Canada to do the same. Most recently, in November 2021, Barbados – the first country since 1992 – officially parted ways from the Monarchy, a decision made on the basis of the Monarchy’s racist and colonial history which Barbados was subject to. On the day of the abolishment and transition of Barbados to a republic, the country’s prime minister Mia Mottley, noted the moment as finally allowing Barbados to leave its colonial history in the past. In order for Canada to also truly leave colonialism in the past and move towards peace and reconciliation it is necessary to follow in the footsteps of Barbados.
In previous years, with older generations, there was less debate about whether the Monarchy should persist. However, as younger generations enter the discussion, there are higher numbers of disapproval which have only been magnified with the transition from Queen Elizabeth II to a more unfavourable heir, King Charles III. While 82% of Canadians believe Queen Elizabeth II did a good job in her position as the country’s Monarch, only 56% of Canadians believe King Charles III will do a good job. More importantly, 58% of Canadians are in favour of a referendum to determine whether the country should sever its ties with the British Monarchy. This number has increased from 53% in 2021, nonetheless it is a majority of Canadians and therefore Canada must listen to its people and hold such a referendum. In March 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, addressed the question of abolishing the Monarchy and in his response explained that it was not the time for these conversations as his focus was on getting through the pandemic. However, with the current and much improved situation of the pandemic, it is time for these questions and conversations to be revisited.
The upholding of the Monarchy in Canada for many years as Queen Elizabeth II reigned, was rooted in tradition. However, with the death of the Queen and replacement with King Charles III, it is now a conscious decision for Canadians to uphold the racist and colonialist history and symbol across Canada by maintaining its ties with the Monarchy. Instead, action of peace and reconciliation requires a move towards the end of colonialism in Canada. Ultimately, Canada must follow suit with Barbados and cut its ties to the British Monarchy. Only time can tell whether this will actually happen, however as the younger generation continues to enter into the discussion, and as the older generations moves out, the likelihood only increases.
Edited by: Riyana Karim-Hajiani
Hi I’m Jenna Hicks. I am a third year student studying International Development with a minor in Political Science at McGill University. I have a strong interest in human rights issues as well as feminst related topics and I look forward to being able to share these interests with the Catalyst audience.