A recent royal tour intensified a spotlight on Britain’s colonial history, renewing questions about how much longer Commonwealth countries — including Canada — will have a monarch as their head of state.
The week-long tour, which wrapped up last weekend, saw Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, visit Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas in a bid to shore up ties between Britain and those countries.
In doing so, Jamaica would become the second Caribbean country to cut ties with Queen Elizabeth in recent years — following the lead of Barbados, which did so in 2021.
People calling for slavery reparations protest outside the entrance of the British High Commission last week during the visit of Prince William and Kate in Kingston, Jamaica. (Ricardo Makyn/AFP/Getty Images)
But more countries in the region seem to be considering the possibility.
Gaston Browne, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, told the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper last week that he believes “each country within the Commonwealth Caribbean all aspire to become a republic.”
The question about the future of the monarchy is also on the minds of many Canadians — including those already convinced it’s time to go in a new direction.
“Jamaica and Barbados are ahead of Canada,” tweeted Kulpreet SIngh, reacting from Vancouver to the headline-making news out of Jamaica.
“Come on Canada. Ditch the monarchy.”
‘It can’t continue’
Selwyn Pieters, a Toronto lawyer and civil-rights activist, said he sees no reason for the monarchy to remain in Canada.
“[Canada] doesn’t need a monarchy supervising it,” he said in a telephone interview last week.
Royals’ visit has sparked protests in the country
The Royal Family’s visit to Jamaica this week is sparking protest in the country, and unhappiness here in Canada among members of the Jamaican diaspora in Manitoba. 2:21
A recent poll by the Vancouver-based Research Co. suggests a lot of Canadians would agree.
Slightly less than half of those surveyed said they wanted the country to have an elected head of state, according to the online poll of 1,000 adults that was taken over a three-day period in February.
Mario Canseco, the president of Research Co., said that figure — now “a whisker away from 50 per cent” — has been climbing in polls he’s conducted in recent years.
“It’s the highest we’ve ever had,” said Canseco, referring to his prior polls.
A further 18 per cent of those surveyed said they did not have a preference as to whether Canada remained a constitutional monarchy or not. Just 21 per cent of those surveyed said they preferred for Canada to remain a monarchy.
CBC cannot accurately calculate a margin of error for online surveys. A probabilistic sample of the same size would yield a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
A woman is seen holding up a protest sign in Nassau, Bahamas, last Friday. (Toby Melville/Getty Images)
A Canadian Heritage spokesperson told CBC News that “the Crown in Canada contributes to a sense of unity, stability, and pride among Canadians. As a constitutional monarch, the Queen is Canada’s Head of State and an essential part of Canada’s system of government.”
The spokesperson further said that “no changes to the role of the Crown in Canada are being considered.”
But Ashok Charles, the executive director of Republic Now, a group that advocates for Canada to become a republic, said he believes that day will come.
“I find it appalling that we’re holding onto the vestiges of the monarchy in the 21st century,” said Charles.
“It can’t continue.”
Pandemic may be a factor
Canseco said there have been fewer royal visits during the pandemic and he believes that’s one factor in what is being reflected in the polls.
“They always find the opportunity to say that the monarchy has been popular because there’s a lot of people lining up to shake hands with them,” he said.
“But because of COVID and the lack of travel, they haven’t been able to establish that emotional connection with the monarchy. And I think that is also partly responsible for the numbers dropping.”
It would have been her first in-person public engagement since her medical team advised her to rest after being hospitalized for undisclosed reasons in October.
Prince William and Kate attend an event at a Nassau primary school last Friday — the second-last day of a tour that saw the couple also visit Belize and Jamaica, before the final part of their tour in the Bahamas. (Toby Melville/Getty Images)
There are those in Canada who believe a shift away from the current system isn’t the answer.
Rob Wolvin, who lives in Toronto, said he believes a constitutional monarchy provides a stability that is one of its advantages as a system. But that’s not to say it needs to stay static.
“We need to allow our system to be tweaked,” said Wolvin, adding he believes a shift to a republic does not guarantee a stronger or better democracy.
A history not so far removed
While in Jamaica, Prince William spoke about the “profound sorrow” he felt about the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade.
Prince William stops short of apology for slavery in Jamaica visit
In a speech to Jamaicans, Prince William expressed ‘profound sorrow’ for Britain’s role in the slave trade, but stopped short of offering an apology. 2:02
His words were watched closely by many people, including in Canada.
“If there was an apology, I really think that it would definitely allow us to basically view them in a different light,” said Reece, who travels frequently to Jamaica to visit family.
“Of course, you cannot change the past but, I mean, it’s this generation that is going to be the change.”
In Toronto, Pieters said he and others were still “processing and reflecting” on what the prince had to say about the painful history of transatlantic slavery.
Singh said he viewed an apology as being “the bare minimum” of what was necessary.
“If we talk about Prince William’s ancestors, it’s not so far removed that he can simply say … this was something in our ancient history,” said Singh.
“It wasn’t — it was in the 17th and 18th centuries. And so he has benefited from the legacy of that slavery.”
‘It’s not going to be that easy’
If Canada were to pursue a split from the monarchy, it would involve changing the constitution to replace the Queen as head of state. To do that, it would have to enact article 41(a) of the Constitution Act of 1982, which requires a majority approval from “Senate and House of Commons and of the legislative assembly of each province.”
“It’s not going to be that easy, but it might be something worth exploring if we continue to see this climbing the charts,” said Canseco, who intends to keep tracking the issue in polls.
However difficult that process would be, Republic Now’s Charles said he believes it’s an “inevitable” step for Canada and he’s hopeful that the current moment can help drive the desire for change.
Chester Cooper, deputy prime minister of the Bahamas, walks with Prince William and Kate en route to a sailing race at Montagu Beach in Nassau last Friday. (Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images)
“We need to have more committed action to facilitate the change,” he said.
Singh said he doesn’t expect that kind of change to happen in the short term, in part because of the degree to which Canada is mired in its colonial traditions.
“I feel we are still behind on freeing ourselves from those shackles,” said Singh, whose ancestors from western Punjab were displaced by the British Empire.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Darcy Kuemper made 16 saves for his first shutout of the season and 32nd overall, helping the Los Angeles Kings beat the Nashville Predators 3-0 on Monday night.
Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist and Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala also scored. The Kings have won two of their last three.
Juuse Saros made 24 saves for the Predators. They are 1-2-1 in their last four.
Kopitar opened the scoring with 6:36 remaining in the opening period. Saros denied the Kings captain’s first shot, but Kopitar collected the rebound below the goal line and banked it off the netminder’s skate.
Fiala, a former Predator, made it 2-0 35 seconds into the third.
The Kings held Nashville to just three third-period shots on goal, the first coming with 3:55 remaining and Saros pulled for an extra attacker.
Elsewhere in the NHL on Monday:
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DEVILS 3 OILERS 0
EDMONTON, Alta. (AP) — Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his NHL career, helping the New Jersey Devils close their western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored. The Devils improved to 8-5-2. They have won three of their last four after a four-game skid.
Calvin Pickard made 13 saves for Edmonton. The Oilers had won two straight.
