Would-be Canadians will have to keep taking an oath to the Queen after the Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday refused to hear a challenge to the citizenship requirement. The decision by the top court leaves intact an Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that upheld the "symbolic" oath.
At issue is a provision in the Citizenship Act that requires would-be citizens to swear to be "faithful and bear true allegiance to Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, her heirs and successors." The challenge to the requirement was launched by Michael McAteer, Simone Topey and Dror Bar-Natan — longtime permanent residents who want to obtain citizenship but, for different reasons, do not want to pledge allegiance to the monarchy.
Informed of the Supreme Court decision that ends the battle, McAteer, 81, of Toronto, said he was disappointed but not surprised. "It's been a long haul," said McAteer, a staunch republican who came to Canada from Ireland 51 years ago. "(But) I feel the same: If the oath stands, then I won't take Canadian citizenship."
Topey, a Jamaican Rastafarian, said her religion forbids taking an oath to the Queen. Bar-Natan, an Israeli, argued that the oath represents entrenched privilege he opposes. The federal government maintained that taking the oath has been around since Confederation. In September 2013, a lower court judge ruled that any charter violation caused by the oath requirement could be justified in a democratic society. The Ontario Court of Appeal affirmed that decision last year.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/oath-of-allegiance-to-queen-stays-as-requirement-to-obtain-citizenship-1.2973619
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At issue is a provision in the Citizenship Act that requires would-be citizens to swear to be "faithful and bear true allegiance to Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, her heirs and successors." The challenge to the requirement was launched by Michael McAteer, Simone Topey and Dror Bar-Natan — longtime permanent residents who want to obtain citizenship but, for different reasons, do not want to pledge allegiance to the monarchy.
Informed of the Supreme Court decision that ends the battle, McAteer, 81, of Toronto, said he was disappointed but not surprised. "It's been a long haul," said McAteer, a staunch republican who came to Canada from Ireland 51 years ago. "(But) I feel the same: If the oath stands, then I won't take Canadian citizenship."
Topey, a Jamaican Rastafarian, said her religion forbids taking an oath to the Queen. Bar-Natan, an Israeli, argued that the oath represents entrenched privilege he opposes. The federal government maintained that taking the oath has been around since Confederation. In September 2013, a lower court judge ruled that any charter violation caused by the oath requirement could be justified in a democratic society. The Ontario Court of Appeal affirmed that decision last year.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/oath-of-allegiance-to-queen-stays-as-requirement-to-obtain-citizenship-1.2973619
What do you think?
