Eastern Ontario town council to debate mandatory oath to King Charles
The debate on elected officials pledging allegiance to King Charles III will shift to a small town south of Ottawa this week, as Prescott town council discusses a motion on whether to abolish the requirement for newly elected members.
The Quebec legislature passed a bill in December to make the oath of allegiance to the monarch optional for elected members. Bill 4 stipulates that elected members of the Quebec legislature are only required to say an oath of allegiance to the people of Quebec, while swearing an oath to the King will be optional.
A notice of motion for Monday's Prescott town council meeting recommends council request the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing consider amending the Ontario Municipal Act to eliminate the obligatory oath to King Charles when elected, or make it optional.
Under the Ontario Municipal Act, an individual cannot take their seat on council until they take the Declaration of Office in English or French, which is established by the province.
Line 4 of the Declaration of Office states, "I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles the Third."
The motion for Prescott town council, tabled by Coun. Lee McConnell, states, "The current Declaration of Office forces a duly elected official to swear allegiance to the King rather than the country, province, and community from whence elected."
If Prescott town council approves the motion, it will be sent to Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark, Premier Doug Ford and all municipalities across Ontario.
CTV News Ottawa reached out to Coun. McConnell over the weekend, but had not heard back by Sunday afternoon.
Prescott Mayor Gauri Shankar does not support changing the oath of office that pledges allegiance to the King.
"I support the current oath and have absolutely no intention in support McConnell's motion," Shankar said in an email to CTV News Ottawa.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.