Messy process to abolish monarchy likely ‘nonstarter’ amid pressing problems: Trudeau – National

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the complicated process that would accompany any attempts to abolish the monarchy is likely a “non-starter” for Canadians given pressing national issues such as inflation, climate change and the need for continued work on reconciliation.

In an interview with Global News from London, UK, where he is leading a Canadian delegation attending Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, Trudeau reflected on what her death means for this country and why he believes Canadians have bigger things to do have in mind than the abolition of the monarchy.

“We are able to have all the power of the debates we need in Canada without worrying about the overall stability of the institutions because they are embodied in structures that have been in place for hundreds of years,” Trudeau said in The interview will air all Sunday on Global National.

“Canadians have been through a lot of constitutional wrangling over the past few decades. I think having an appetite for what it takes when there are so many big things to focus on is just a false start.”

Major challenges he highlighted include inflation and the cost of living, climate change, more clean technology jobs, reconciliation with Canada’s indigenous peoples and global affairs in what his Secretary of Defense Anita Anand earlier this year called ” darker”. and more “chaotic” world.

Last week, an Ipsos poll, conducted exclusively for Global News just days after the Queen’s death, found nearly 60 percent of Canadians want a referendum on the future of the monarchy.

That’s an increase from last year, when sentiment stood at just over half of respondents.

At the same time, this poll found that there is almost equal support among those who advocate both preserving and eliminating ties to the monarchy.

In particular, the polls showed that King Charles III. has a lot to prove to the Canadian public.

While 82 percent of those surveyed said they approved of Queen Elizabeth’s emergence as monarch, only 56 percent agreed that Charles will do a good job in her place. Worse, just 44 percent said they viewed Charles positively, with that support for his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, dropping to just 27 percent.

“It’s a very, very difficult act,” Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs, said last week.

Abolishing the monarchy, however, would require a political maneuver rarely seen over the years, requiring unanimous approval from the House of Commons, Senate and all provincial parliaments.

Trudeau said his impression of the new king is that he will be “steady and committed and thoughtful, like his mother was”.

“He knows Canada very well. He spent so much time there. He is actively involved in protecting the planet and serving people around the world. He’s very interested in indigenous reconciliation,” Trudeau said.

“There’s a lot of good work he can lead within the confines and position he has. But I think his commitment to listening, engaging, learning and embodying a thoughtful, intergenerational way forward rather than short-term political pursuits is exactly the kind of framework I think democracies like ours need.”

Governor-General Mary Simon, who is also in London as part of the delegation for the Queen’s funeral, expressed similar thoughts in an interview with The West Blocks Mercedes Stephenson on Sunday.

Simon, who is the first indigenous person to hold the position of representative of the monarch in Canada, described King Charles as “very different” from his mother, while being “deeply committed to reconciliation … between indigenous peoples and the Crown”.

“He has told me straight out that he is committed to working on these issues and hopefully I will have many opportunities to continue working with them,” Simon said in the interview.

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Governor-General Mary Simon recalls the Queen’s calm, unwavering leadership

Trudeau added he believes the crown is not an obstacle to reconciliation but “a powerful tool” in that effort.

“It will be part of the way forward. The appointment of the first indigenous governor-general, for example, was an important step towards reconciliation,” he said.

“Having a king who makes a conscious effort to learn, understand and embody a new relationship with the indigenous peoples that we are developing as a country is critical.”

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Queen Elizabeth Death: Can King Charles III Keep the Monarchy Alive?

Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, Trudeau’s wife, also got involved.

“Symbolic institutions are not just symbols. They also have the power to validate, acknowledge and legitimize people’s emotions and their lives and what they’ve been through,” she said.

“And I think there’s great strength and depth to that.”

The symbol representing the monarchy, the Prime Minister added, also gives Canadians a powerful opportunity to “position themselves throughout history” as the crown moves from the longest-reigning monarch in British history to become the first king in 70 years .

“We know how fast everything is moving and how complicated, how troubled the world is right now,” he continued.

“This is a moment to take stock, to reflect on where we are going and what we are focused on and how we continue to be there for one another – in a world that is changing but still has symbols of the permanence that we have on where we can anchor ourselves.”

– With files from Sean Boynton of Global News.