Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refused on Sunday to reopen the constitutional debate on the role of the British monarchy in his country, where the sovereign is the head of state.
“For me, it’s not a priority, it’s not even something I want to debate,” said the head of the Canadian government in an interview with Radio Canada in London on the eve of the state funeral. Queen Elizabeth II.
“We are in such a complex and complicated period that making such a profound change in a system that is among the best and most stable in the world, for me, is not a good idea,” Trudeau insisted.
Canada is a former British colony, which became independent in 1867 and remains a constitutional monarchy, whose head of state is the representative of the crown, today King Charles III, “King of Canada”.
With the death of Elizabeth II, the debate over the role of the monarchy has resurfaced and, according to an Ipsos poll for Global News, 58% of Canadians support a referendum on keeping the monarchy – a 5 point increase in one year.
But for Trudeau, the constitutional monarchy provides “remarkable stability” for our times.
“It’s a system that works, at a time when we see how our democratic institutions and our democracies around the world are crumbling a bit,” said Trudeau, who spoke with Charles III on Saturday.
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© Agence France-Presse
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