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.
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
