Eastern Ontario town to debate whether oath to King Charles should be scrapped

Town council in Prescott, Ont., is set to consider a motion calling onthe Ontario government to followQuebec's lead by scrapping a requirement that elected officials swear an oath of allegiance to King Charles III.

The motion is being brought forward by Coun. Lee McConnell. If it receives a seconder on Feb. 27, it would be discussed at that council meeting.

If passed, council in the town roughly 90 kilometres south of Ottawa would thencallon Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clarkto consider amending the Municipal Act.

The actcurrently requiresanyone elected or appointed to a municipal council toswear the oath.

CBC reached out Sunday to council members includingMcConnell, who said he wasn't prepared to address the motion until it's discussed at the Feb. 27 meeting.

McConnelladded he didn't believe there would be any problem getting a seconder.

In a statement, Coun. Mary Campbell indicated she was in favour of having the oath be optional andreplaced with a different type of oath.

"I think swearing to the people of Prescott would suffice, since they are the people we are serving," she wrote in an email.

Town may be split on idea, says mayor

The town's mayor, Gauri Shankar, said he has no problem swearing allegiance to the King, but believes the community may be divided on the issue.

"I think there are those that are fully in favour of the royalty and colonialism, and then there are those that are not," he told Radio-Canada on Sunday.

The motion specifically references the Quebec government's passage of its own bill in December, which madethe oath optional for members of the National Assembly.

That bill also amended theConstitution Act of 1867, adding a specific exemption for the oath forQuebec.

Ontario's current declaration of office includes thestatement, "I will be faithful and bear true allegiances to His Majesty King Charles the Third."

If the motion is passed, the town plans to send it to both Clark, who is also the local MPP, andPremier Doug Ford, as well as all municipalities across the province.