Quebec sovereigntists have called on Canada to cut ties with the British monarchy, which the head of the Bloc Quebecois party described as a costly and “archaic” symbol.
The party’s symbolic motion, debated in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Tuesday, comes amid a renewed debate in Commonwealth realms around the role of the British crown following the recent death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Canada is a constitutional monarchy and its ceremonial “head of state” is now King Charles III.
“We think we need to dispose of [ties to the British monarchy] easily, quickly, without making a fuss. It’s an anachronism. It’s a coat of paint in a living room that is starting to fade in the corners,” Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet said during a news conference before the debate.
A vote is expected on Wednesday on the measure, which is unlikely to pass.
Canada also requires much more to cut ties with the British crown; such a decision needs the approval of both houses of parliament, as well as the consent of all the Canadian provinces, CBC News reported.
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rejected the Bloc’s effort on Tuesday, telling the House of Commons that the political party was ignoring more pressing issues, including inflation and rising costs of living.
“Canadians are concerned by the issues they are facing, whether that’s climate change, global instability or the cost of living. And that’s what we choose to discuss,” Trudeau said. “They [the Bloc] want to reopen the constitution; we will remain focused on the concerns of Canadians.”
Queen Elizabeth II’s death last month prompted an outpouring of condolences, including from Trudeau, who described the longtime monarch – and Canada’s longest-reigning sovereign – as “a constant presence” in the lives of Canadians.
“Today, a page has not only been turned, but a chapter in our shared history has drawn to a close. I know Her Majesty’s service to Canada and Canadians will forever remain an important part of our country’s history,” Trudeau said in a statement on September 8.
An Ipsos poll released just days later showed that Canadians were divided over the monarchy’s future role in the country, however, with 58 percent saying they wanted Trudeau to hold a referendum on the matter – up five percentage points since Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
More than half of respondents (54 percent) said they agreed that Canada should “end its formal ties to the British monarchy” in the aftermath of her death, compared with 46 percent who disagreed.
It was with the heaviest of hearts that we learned of the passing of Canada’s longest-reigning Sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She was a constant presence in our lives – and her service to Canadians will forever remain an important part of our country’s history.
Quebec, a predominantly French-speaking province, had the highest percentage of people who agreed to cut ties with the crown, at 79 percent, the poll found.
Meanwhile, more than a dozen legislators in Quebec, which held elections in early October, have refused to take an oath to King Charles III that is required to enter the provincial legislature, local media reported. “I am sincerely uncomfortable with pledging an allegiance to a foreign king,” Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, leader of the provincial Parti Quebecois, recently said.
While some Commonwealth realms said they had no immediate plans to remove the British crown as head of state following the queen’s passing, others have seen an increased debate around whether to ditch the monarchy, especially in the Caribbean.
The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda said in September that the island nation planned to hold a referendum on the matter in the next three years. That follows in the footsteps of Barbados, which in November renounced the queen to become a republic.
Brooke Newman, an associate professor of history at Virginia Commonwealth University, told Al Jazeera last month that she believed Queen Elizabeth II’s death would accelerate that push.
“Now that she is gone, there is much less of a sentimental attachment to the institution of the monarchy, and then even less so to the person of Charles III,” Newman said.
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.
