On the eve of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, 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, it’s not a priority. It’s not even something I intend to debate.”said the head of the Canadian government in an interview with Radio-Canada in London. “Making such a profound change in a system that is among the best, most stable in the world, for me, now, is not a good idea”decided Mr. Trudeau, referring to “a complex and complicated moment”.
A former British colony that became independent in 1867, Canada is a constitutional monarchy with the sovereign of the United Kingdom as head of state. Charles III is now officially “King of Canada”. With the death of Elizabeth II, the debate on the place of the monarchy was revived. According to an Ipsos poll conducted for Global News, 58% of Canadians want a referendum on whether or not to retain the Crown. This is an increase of five points in one year, according to this poll published Friday which also reveals that only 44% of Canadians say they have a favorable opinion of Charles III.
The Queen, one of his “favorite people in the world”
In the federal parliament, the Quebec separatists have recently asked to sever ties with the Crown, while the left opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), without making it a priority, wants the abolition of the monarchy. For Mr. Trudeau, however, the constitutional monarchy provides a “remarkable stability” for our time. “It’s such a system that works, in an era where we see our democratic institutions and our democracies around the world crumble a little”argued Mr. Trudeau who spoke with King Charles III on Saturday.
“We lived through constitutional debates. Changing our system of government, at any time, is difficult”underlined the Canadian Prime Minister, referring in particular to the two referendums on the independence of Quebec (1980 and 1995).
Himself the son of a Canadian Prime Minister, Mr. Trudeau has met Elizabeth II on several occasions since his childhood. He confided after his death, with tears in his eyes, that the sovereign “was one of [s]the world’s favorite people” and that his advice was going to him “to miss a lot”.