Newly elected councilors in Dawson City, Canada, refused to swear allegiance to the UK’s King Charles.

Toronto – Five newly elected Canadian village councilors refused to swear allegiance to Britain’s King Charles III during their investiture ceremony on Tuesday, despite it being a legal requirement in the northwestern Yukon Territory where Dawson City is located.

Under the Yukon’s Municipal Act, elected councilors are required to swear an oath of allegiance to the British monarch, who is still Canada’s legal head of state despite the colonial-era link not giving the monarch real power in the country. .

The oath of allegiance to the king is usually taken by Yukon councilors when they are sworn into office, shortly after they take a separate oath of office, within 40 days of their election.

If politicians fail to do so, their election can be declared void, leaving the office vacant and potentially leading to a special election, known as a by-election.

Dawson City Mayor Stephen Johnson told the CBC News network that the decision was made jointly by all newly elected councilors before Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony, supporting the new councilor who developed the idea.

“Early in the morning we all got an email and it was from Darwyn,” Johnson told CBC News, referring to council member Darwyn Lynn. “And he said that he is hesitant to enter this because of his background history with [the] Crown and First Nations in Canada.”

The four new councilors present at the meeting on Tuesday were sworn in, and the fifth new member is expected to do so after returning from vacation, according to the regional newspaper Yukon News. But all five agreed not to take another oath, pledging allegiance to the English crown.

Yukon Public Affairs Director Samantha Crosby told CBC it’s rare for an entire group of new councilors to refuse to take the oath of allegiance together. He said he has been in contact with the councilors to find a solution to avoid a by-election in Dawson City which will result in the councilors and the mayor losing their seats.

“The requirement to swear or confirm oaths is internal [municipal] they do it themselves, but the prescribed forms are under the by-law,” Crosby told CBC News. Making changes in the law is a very long process, but making changes in the regulation is something that can be done very quickly.”

King Charles is the official head of state in many former British colonies, including Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Jamaica and many other Commonwealth countries. He and his family have faced increasing criticism from Indigenous communities around the world, however, highlighting the complex relationship between former colonial powers and the communities that were exploited and marginalized to build the 19th-century British empire.

In October, King Charles was surprised by the Australian lawyer during his visit to the country he was accused of being involved in the killing of indigenous people.

Sen. Lidia Thorpe, a spokeswoman for Aboriginal rights who has previously insulted the British royal family, approached the king in the Australian Parliament after his speech and shouted: “This is not your country!”

“You killed our people. Give us back our land. Give us what you stole from us – our bones, our skulls, our children, our people,” Thorpe shouted at Charles and Queen Camilla as they sat on stage next to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

A source close to the king and queen told CBS News after the incident that while Charles “understands there is always debate about the role of the king, he firmly believes it is a matter for the Australian people to decide.”

After September 2022 Death of Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth IIa survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute suggested that the majority of Canadians (52%) oppose the recognition of Charles as head of state and prefer the termination of Canada’s official relationship with the monarchy.

Earlier this year, a member of the Canadian National Assembly from New Brunswick introduced a bill to change the country’s constitution to make the oath of allegiance to the king voluntary. The bill was defeated by a vote of 197-113.