The head of government does not intend to debate the place of Canada within the Commonwealth, despite the wish of a majority of his compatriots, according to a survey.
Le Monde
On the eve of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refused on Sunday, September 18, to reopen the constitutional debate on the place of the British monarchy, whose sovereign is automatically the head of state of Canada .
“For me, this is not a priority. It is not even something that I intend to debate,” said the head of the Canadian government in an interview with Radio-Canada carried out in London. “Make such a deep change in a system that is among the best, the most stable in the world, for me, now, it’s not a good idea,” decided Mr. Trudeau, evoking “a complex and complicated moment “.
Former British colony which became independent in 1867, Canada was a constitutional monarchy having the sovereign of the United Kingdom for Head of State. Charles III is therefore now officially “king of Canada”. With the death of Elizabeth II, the debate on the place of the monarchy was relaunched. According to an IPSOS survey carried out for Global News, 58 % of Canadians wish to hold a referendum on the maintenance or not of the crown. This is an increase of five points in one year, according to this survey published on Friday which also reveals that only 44 % of Canadians say they have a favorable opinion from Charles III.
the queen, a of his “favorite people in the world”
In the Federal Parliament, Quebec separatists have recently asked to break the links with the crown, while the left opposition of the New Democratic Party (NPD), without making it a priority, wishes the abolition of the monarchy. For Mr. Trudeau, however, the constitutional monarchy ensures “remarkable stability” for our time. “It is so much a system that works, in an era where we see our democratic institutions and our democracies around the world crumble a little,” said Mr. Trudeau who spoke with King Charles III Saturday.
“We have experienced, constitutional debates. Changing our government system, at any time, is difficult,” said the Canadian Prime Minister, alluding to the two referendums on independence from Quebec (1980 and 1995).
himself son of Canadian Prime Minister, Mr. Trudeau met Elizabeth II on several occasions since his childhood. He entrusted after his death, tears in his eyes, that the sovereign “was one of [s] favorite people in the world” and that his advice would “miss him”.