this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2024
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Summary

Dawson City in Canada is facing a crisis as the new mayor and councillors won’t take the required oath of allegiance to King Charles.

They refused in support of an Indigenous councillor who opposes the oath due to the Crown’s history with Indigenous people.

Without the oath, their election could be canceled, and they can’t make official decisions.

The council has asked for a different oath, but Yukon law requires the pledge. Authorities are now looking into the situation.

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[–] smokebuddy@lemmy.today 7 points 15 hours ago (3 children)

When I took a job at a Federal Agency I had the choice of swearing to God or the Queen. I choose the Queen, most chose God, I haven't seen that aspect in any of the reporting so I wonder if it's the same, but if so, incredibly based.

[–] Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca 6 points 6 hours ago (3 children)

Why the hell is swearing an oath to Canada not an option?

[–] OminousOrange@lemmy.ca 5 points 6 hours ago

I feel the antiquated laws equated Canada and the Monarchy. Hopefully this action brings change.

[–] BreadstickNinja@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Or at least the Toronto Maple Leafs

[–] PlantDadManGuy@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago

Or Mr Tim Horton himself

[–] otp@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 hours ago

Historically, the Queen represented Canada. So you were choosing God or the country

[–] Nuke_the_whales@lemmy.world 9 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

When becoming a citizen I was asked to do either as well. I straight up refused and the judge wasn't up for arguing so he just let me win.

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 7 points 8 hours ago

more likely he knew the whole thing is bullshit

[–] RunawayFixer@lemmy.world 8 points 12 hours ago

It sounds like republican* atheists are not allowed to make an honest oath. If you have to swear on something that you don't believe in, what value does that oath have?

  • Not the usa party kind, but the ones who want an elected head of state instead of a hereditary one.
[–] PumpkinSkink@lemmy.world 100 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Imagine swearing fealty to a monarch in 2024.

[–] Tuxman@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 hours ago

Well…. If anything happens, you can always say that « God told you to do it » and you have a federally approved oath to prove you must obey

[–] TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.world 23 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

Imagine doing it to god, at least the monarch exists

[–] otp@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 hours ago

Visit the monarchy: Expensive, once-in-a-lifetime experience

Visit God: Literally dead.

[–] mack7400@lemmy.world 35 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I'm jelly of Americans, who will never have to deal with that bullshit. Nope, not at all!

[–] FelixCress@lemmy.world 6 points 15 hours ago

That may not be the best example.

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 37 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Hey now, pledging allegiance to an inanimate object makes way more sense.

[–] MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 19 points 23 hours ago

...By a country that largely claims to follow a belief system wherein it is explicitly and plainly laid out: "Don't swear oaths (Matthew 5:34). Don't make idols / worship images or objects." (The second commandment)

Anerican patriotism is a cult lifestyle brand.

[–] Furbag@lemmy.world 8 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

Not just an inanimate object - an idea that that object is meant to represent! We're about one level of abstraction away from the pledge of allegiance becoming a meaningless mantra of words with no meaning or relation to one another strung together to make a pretty song that is always sung off-key by grade school children.

[–] redhorsejacket@lemmy.world 5 points 23 hours ago

I mean bag on the pledge of allegiance all you like, but using the flag as a synecdoche of the nation as a whole doesn't seem like it is as great a leap of logic as you are making it out to be.

[–] dipcart@lemmy.world 57 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I really hope this is able to set a precedent. Would be great to not inflict this guy on people.

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[–] InEnduringGrowStrong@sh.itjust.works 151 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Québec has gotten rid of the royal oath requirement, surely Yukon can think of something.

[–] BenVimes@lemmy.ca 37 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I am only a Canadian, and not a Canadian lawyer, but I don't think it will be as simple for Yukon. The biggest reason I can think of is that Yukon is a territory, and not a province, and so has different constitutional standing. From the government webpage:

There is a clear constitutional distinction between provinces and territories. While provinces exercise constitutional powers in their own right, the territories exercise delegated powers under the authority of the Parliament of Canada.

I'm not saying it isn't possible, just that the same legal maneuvers Quebec used may not be applicable.

Yea it's likely more complicated for them.
The whole thing is bullshit if you ask me and territories should be on equal footing with provinces.
The royal oath should be abolished country wide.

[–] Enkers@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Also, doesn't Québec have some special considerations above the rest of the provinces? I seem to recall we deigned them a 'nation within a nation' or some such back in the mid 00's. I'm not sure if there were any legal ramifications to that, though.

[–] BenVimes@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

They might, but I can't say for certain. I didn't mention it because, again, I'm not a Canadian lawyer, and the basic info on provinces vs territories was far more accessible.

[–] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 4 points 21 hours ago

Quebec law is unique in Canada because Quebec is the only province in Canada to have a juridical legal system under which civil matters are regulated by French-heritage civil law. Public law, criminal law and federal law operate according to Canadian common law.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_law

[–] BetaBlake@lemmy.world 37 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Toss the tea in the harbor!

[–] otp@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 hours ago

But we like tea.

And harbours.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 99 points 1 day ago (14 children)

Monarchism is a anarchronism and should have been thrown out with the rest of English colonialism. I am annoyed as fuck that I had to apply to "His Majesty's Passport Office" for my passport.

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[–] bighatchester@lemmy.world 67 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Based . I would do the same fuck Charles .

[–] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 25 points 1 day ago

I am your king!

Well, I didn't vote for you…

[–] friend_of_satan@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago

fuck Charles

You may not have a choice.

[–] Buelldozer@lemmy.today 39 points 1 day ago (1 children)

As an American I 1000 percent approve!

[–] SlopppyEngineer@lemmy.world 25 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Many though seem to want King Donald the First.

[–] josefo@leminal.space 1 points 5 hours ago

More like king Vladimir now, Donald is just a Viceroy.

[–] Eiri@lemmy.ca 17 points 1 day ago (6 children)

Weren't people a bit more positive about monarchy back when Elizabeth II was alive? I feel like she had a sort of mystique that made her feel more legit for some reason.

[–] Aphelion@lemm.ee 25 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (5 children)

He's widely unpopular in the UK because he's very politically involved via the massive amount of lobbying efforts he personally funds; something that the crown specifically promised not to do. Then there's Charles' hush money payments to cover up Prince Andrew's "indiscretions" with their family friend, Jeffrey Epstein.

[–] ChairmanMeow@programming.dev 2 points 13 hours ago

As it says in that article, the hush money payments are strictly rumours. First Elisabeth supposedly did it, then Charles suddenly got a role in it too. The only source appears to be an anti-monarchy group, so not sure exactly how reliable that is (afaik the Daily Telegraph and the Sun published the accusations, and we all know how reliable they are).

We do know for a fact Charles stripped Andrew of his remaining royal duties, fully cut the money he receives from the monarchy (no wage and no money for protection anymore) and is trying to get him out of his current home, but apparently there's legal reasons making that difficult to do. He's a lot harder on Andrew than Elisabeth was.

And while he used to be quite political before he became king, he mostly stopped after he was coronated. That, as far as I know, got him more critique, because he mostly lobbied in favour of green policies against climate change.

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[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 16 points 1 day ago

She was more relatable. She had corgis. She loved cows. She was an ambulance driver and mechanic during WWII. Nobody likes Charles.

[–] ImplyingImplications@lemmy.ca 15 points 1 day ago

The Queen's face and name has been on everything for decades. There are Canadians in their 70s who never knew anything different. That's just the way things were. It was tradition. That's how I saw it anyways. Anyone who complained about it was just complaining about a symbolic action we've all been doing for generations. Nobody is actually swearing their life to the queen--it's just a tradition. Then she died.

Now some random old guy's face and name is going to be on everything. If we're going to change everything anyways, then why not change it to something different? The argument that was seen as a small complaint before now makes a lot of sense. If we're changing the words to our oath anyways, then why not change them to words we can all agree on?

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