Bloc Quebecois' motion to sever ties with monarchy fails, but gets backing from other MPs

OTTAWA -

A Bloc Quebecois motion calling for Canada to sever ties with the monarchy failed on Wednesday, after Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet forced MPs to vote on whether the federal government should no longer be connected to what he called an “incredibly racist” and “archaic” institution.

While the proposal was largely opposed—seeing the motion defeated 266-44— it did have support from several non-Bloc MPs.

Several NDP MPs, including Jenny Kwan, Lori Idlout, and Leah Gazan voted in favour of the motion, along with Green MP Mike Morrice, Liberal MP Joel Lightbound and Independent MP Alain Rayes.

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Doing away with the monarchy in Canada would require an agreement of the House of Commons, the Senate, and all 10 provinces, in an “amendment of unanimous consent” to the Constitution.

Blanchet received heavy pushback from MPs on Parliament Hill this week after advancing the proposal, some of whom accused the Bloc leader of scrambling for relevance and headlines by using one of its few opposition days in the House of Commons this year to bring up a topic nowhere near top-of-mind for Canadians.

They added Canadians are far more concerned about other issues, including the economy, climate and health care.

But Blanchet argued MPs should be able to “talk about more than one thing at a time,” and that wanting to sever ties with the monarchy does not deter from other issues.

Blanchet also raised eyebrows during his speech when he said Bloc MPs were not sincere in their oaths to the Queen; their oaths are to the people of Quebec, he said.

His comments continued to reverberate on the Hill leading up to Wednesday’s vote, with some officials, including Liberal MP Judy Sgro, saying Blanchet should not be able to sit in the House when he “wasn’t true to the commitment that he made,” while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Quebecers overall are more concerned about inflation and the cost of groceries than they are reopening the Constitution, and he’s sure many people swear oaths to the Crown to become citizens just to withdraw it later, so it’s not worth spending time debating the sincerity of Blanchet’s oath.

Blanchet later doubled down on his statement, telling reporters after the vote Wednesday that his oath to the Queen was hollow.

“An oath which is sworn because you don't have a choice, it doesn't have much of a meaning,” he said.

“I am personally certain that many MPs from other parties feel exactly the same, but that is not a subject openly discussed by other parties, while for us it is obvious,” he added.