MPs kill bill that would have made oath to King Charles optional

A cross-partisan group of MPs voted to kill a bill Wednesday that would have allowed parliamentarians to opt out of swearing an oath of allegiance to King Charles — a victory for monarchists eager to preserve the Crown's standing in Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet and most Liberal and Conservative MPs on hand voted down the private member's bill, while Bloc Québécois and NDP MPs joined some members from the two largest parties — most of them Quebec-based — to vote in favour of legislation that would have diminished Charles's role in Parliament. The final result was 113-197.

The vote keeps Canada's Constitution as originally written. Section 128 requires that every newly elected or appointed parliamentarian swear they will be «faithful and bear true allegiance» to the reigning monarch.

Under Canada's founding document, a member cannot legally assume his or her seat in Parliament until they've taken that oath.

C-347, introduced by New Brunswick Liberal MP René Arseneault, would have allowed MPs and senators to instead swear an «oath of office.»

That stripped-down oath would have simply stated that an office holder will carry out their duties «in the best interest of Canada while upholding its Constitution.»

The bill's defeat was met by thunderous applause from Charles-supporting MPs who spontaneously started singing God Save the King after Speaker Greg Fergus announced the result.

«Order!» he said as MPs continued singing over his calls for quiet in the chamber.

Canadian monarchists have told CBC News the bill amounted to republicanism by stealth — part of a larger effort to slowly chip away at the Crown in Canada without actually scrapping the monarchy through a protracted constitutional fight with the provinces.

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