A Canadian city has offered an alternative after refusing to take the King's oath

Canada has changed the rules for elected municipal officials, allowing them to take an oath of allegiance to the country's constitution instead of the Crown when they are sworn in.

The change comes after the newly elected council of Dawson City, Yukon, refused to take the King's Oath in cooperation with an aboriginal council member who expressed concern about the Crown's history in Canada.

The protest delayed their confirmation and halted the administration of the city.

On Friday, the area announced that they had amended the law to allow them to take one of two oaths.

Richard Mostyn, Yukon's public works minister, said the change “allows elected municipal officials to take the Pledge of Allegiance in a manner consistent with broader community values ​​and cultural identity”.

In Canada – a Commonwealth country and former British colony – most elected officials must take an oath when they swear or affirm that they will “be faithful and true to His Majesty Charles III” and “to his heirs and successors in law.” “.

Then there are questions about whether the new Dawson City council, which was elected in late October, will be able to stay if it refuses to take the oath.

Under Yukon law, a newly elected official must claim it within 40 days of their election or their win will be “deemed null and void”.

This gave officials a deadline of December 9 to come up with a solution.

Councilor Darwyn Lynn, a member of the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation, said he was reluctant to take the oath because of Canada's fraught history with indigenous people.

“I read it about 15 times, and it wasn't easy to do,” Lynn said at a press conference announcing the change.

“With the history that the Kingdom has had in Canada and other places, I thought there could be another way.”

By questioning the requirement, a “wonderful conversation” about Canadian history arose in Dawson City, a town of 2,400 people, and in the wider Yukon region, he said.

That discussion was “very balanced,” he said, with some people supporting the alternative and others questioning its removal.

“Everybody has a right to an opinion and a choice, and that's a big part of our country,” Lynn said.

He and other Dawson City councilors will swear in their choice in the coming days.

This is not the first time that a Canadian province or territory has changed the loyalty oath requirement.

In 2022, the French-speaking province of Quebec passed a law that eliminated the requirement that elected officials swear an oath to the monarchy. One lawyer called it a “relic of the past”.

The oath, however, remains a requirement for members of Canada's national parliament and for most members of provincial legislatures.