The British Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, sits with the British Queen Elizabeth II in the Houses of Parliament in London on December 19, 2019. PAUL EDWARDS / Getty Images
Most Canadians have a positive view of the queen, but would support secession from the British monarchy after her death, according to a new opinion poll.
A study by the Angus Reed Institute asked Canadians about their views on the British royal family ahead of the Queen’s platinum anniversary this June, which marks her 70th year on the throne. She celebrated her 96th birthday on Thursday.
The survey found that 63% of Canadians have a positive view of the queen, and 58% would feel some sadness when she dies. However, more than half of Canadians do not believe that Canada should continue as a constitutional monarchy.
This is a jump from previous Angus Reed polls, where only 45% of Canadians believe that Canada should continue as a constitutional monarchy in January 2020, while only 38% believe that in April 2016.
In his latest poll, Angus Reed conducted an online survey this month from April 5 to 7, based on a random sample of 1,607 Canadians. The study has a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The Angus Reid Institute is a non-profit, non-partisan research foundation.
The president of the Angus Reid Institute, Shachi Kurl, said the study showed two emerging trends among Canadians.
Queen Elizabeth personally celebrates her 96th birthday in East Anglia
“There will definitely be a decline in the amount of Canadian personal involvement in the monarchy when the most famous and most liked or loved person in the monarchy is no longer alive,” Ms Kurl said. She added that all too often the conversation focuses on personalities when it comes to monarchy and less on the institutional aspect.
“We see changing values, a change in attitudes around the institution of the monarchy in this country, and a lot of that is driven by changing demographics and then just evolving talks.
These conversations about colonialism and reconciliation in Canada, Ms. Kurl said, are part of why Canadians are reconsidering their relationship with the monarchy. In addition, there is growing support among Canadians for abolitionist movements around the world and feelings that the royal family is now less relevant than ever, she said.
Half of Canadians surveyed believe that the monarchy is irrelevant to their lives, while a similar number believe that the monarchy is outdated. Only Canadians over the age of 55 are more likely to see the monarchy as a representative of modern views.
As Barbados officially severed ties with the monarchy in November 2021, and Jamaica announced its intention to follow suit last month, it was found that 58% of Canadians in the survey support this global movement.
When asked if Canada should do the same, 51% are in favor of abolishing the constitutional monarchy. Of that small majority, 92 per cent think it is worth changing the Constitution to do so, even if it is difficult.
Under section 41 of the Constitution Act, unanimous agreement between the Senate, the House of Commons and the legislature of each province is required to remove the British Crown as head of state.
The poll also found that the majority of Canadians have unfavorable views on the heirs of the Queen, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
The survey shows that 54 percent of Canadians have unfavorable views of Prince Charles, second only to Prince Andrew with 68 percent. Prince Andrew, the queen’s third child, recently filed a sexual assault case against sex offender Jeffrey Epstein last month.
Asked whether Canadians would support or oppose Prince Charles and Camilla as monarchs, 41 percent strongly opposed Prince Charles as king, while an even larger number, 52 percent, opposed Camilla as queen-wife.
By comparison, 60% of Canadians had more favorable views of Prince Charles’ son Prince William, who is on the line to succeed his father.
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