View source for Citizens for a Canadian Republic

{{Short description|Canadian advocacy group}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{notability|Org|date=May 2023}}
{{Update|date=March 2017}}
}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox organization
| name   = Citizens for a Canadian Republic
| logo   = Citizens for a Canadian Republic.png
| type   =
| founded_date      = 2002
| founder           =
| location          = [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]] <!-- this parameter modifies "Headquarters" -->
| key_people        = [[Tom Freda]], National Director <br> [[Pierre L. J. Vincent]], Associate Director <br> [[Jamie Bradley]], Associate Director
| area_served       = [[Canada]]
| focus             = [[Canadian republicanism]]
| method            =
| revenue           =
| endowment         =
| num_volunteers    =
| num_employees     =
| num_members       =
| homepage          = [https://www.canadian-republic.ca/  www.canadian-republic.ca]
| footnotes         =
}}
'''Citizens for a Canadian Republic''' ([[French language|French]]: ''Citoyens pour une République Canadienne'') ('''CCR''') is a Canadian advocacy group founded in 2002 that advocates for the replacement of the [[Monarchy of Canada|Canadian monarchy]] with a [[head of state]] who could either be chosen directly through a general election, indirectly by the [[Parliament of Canada]], the [[Legislative assemblies of Canadian provinces and territories]], or some other electoral body.<ref name=CCRfaq>{{cite web| url=https://www.canadian-republic.ca/faq| title=FAQ| publisher=Citizens for a Canadian Republic| access-date=22 May 2022}}</ref><ref>Patmore, Glenn, "Choosing the Republic: The Legal and Constitutional Steps in Australia and Canada." ''Queen's Law Journal'', Vol. 31, 2006; U of Melbourne Legal Studies Research Paper No. 169. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=931329</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=William |last=Cross |title=Democratic Reform in New Brunswick |location=Toronto |publisher=Canadian Scholars' Press |year=2007 |page=217 |isbn=978-1-55130-326-0}}</ref>
CCR favours the retention of the [[Westminster system|Westminster-style parliament]], with the prime minister as [[head of government]], in a parliamentary republic similar to [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] or [[India]]. It does not endorse any particular selection process, other than it should be democratic.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Citizens for a Canadian Republic |title=Frequently Asked Questions: What is a republic? |access-date=May 23, 2022 |url=https://www.canadian-republic.ca/faq#If%20we%20choose%20to%20Canadianize%20our%20Head%20of%20State}}</ref> The organization's general objective is "to promote replacing the British monarch as our [[head of state]] with a resident, democratically-selected Canadian. "<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.canadian-republic.ca/goals |title=Citizens for a Canadian Republic / Goals |website=Canadian-republic.ca |access-date=May 23, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Laura |last=Anderson |title=Gendered and Racialized Portrayals of the Governor General: Newspaper Coverage of Canada's Head of State." Prepared for Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Political Science. Association, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. May 30 – June 1, 2007 |url=http://www.cpsa-acsp.ca/papers-2007/Anderson.pdf}}</ref>
==History==
{{See also|Republicanism in Canada}}
===Founding===
[[Image:CCR ottawa chapter 2005.jpg|frame|right|October 1, 2005. During the swearing-in ceremony of [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General]] [[Michaëlle Jean]] on [[Parliament Hill]], the Ottawa chapter of Citizens for a Canadian Republic demonstrated for the office to be elected and severed from the monarchy.]]
Citizens for a Canadian Republic was formed in 2002 "in an effort to provide balance in the debate over whether or not Canada should remain a constitutional monarchy"<ref>[https://www.canadian-republic.ca/media_release_4_10_02 Citizens for a Canadian Republic: Press Release: 4-10-02]</ref> and to advocate for the "Canadianization" of the head of state.<ref>Kimberly Fu, "Long Ditch the Queen: Anti and pro monarchist movements spark debate," ''sceneandheard.ca'' Vol. 08 Issue 07 http://www.sceneandheard.ca/article.php?id=1692&morgue=1 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091127155358/http://www.sceneandheard.ca/article.php?id=1692&morgue=1 |date=November 27, 2009 }}</ref> It remains the only formal organization devoted to the establishment of a Canadian republic.<ref>Hyung Gu Lynn. Bipolar Orders: The Two Koreas Since 1989. London: Zed Books, 2007, p.10. {{ISBN|1-84277-743-2}}</ref>
===O'Donohue v. Canada===
That same year, CCR became involved in ''[[O'Donohue v. Canada]]'',<ref>{{cite news |first=Adrian |last=Humphreys|title=Anti-monarchy group joins Catholic's fight: Citizens for a republic: Lawsuit challenges act limiting succession to Protestant line |work=National Post |date=September 25, 2002}}</ref> a lawsuit filed by one of its members, [[Tony O'Donohue]]. This suit challenged the constitutionality of certain provisions of the ''[[Act of Settlement, 1701]]'', one of the laws governing succession to the Canadian throne, which disallows the sovereign from either being or being married to a Roman Catholic. O'Donohue argued that it thus violates the ''[[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]]''.<ref>{{cite news |first=Juliet |last=O'Neill |title=The fight for the Republic of Canada |work=The Ottawa Citizen |date=October 2, 2002 |url=http://www.canada.com/national/features/democracy/story.html?id=%7B1F3EF50E-2A74-401B-883E-AD27A04B271A%7D |access-date=January 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090808052403/http://www2.canada.com/national/features/democracy/story.html?id=%7B1f3ef50e-2a74-401b-883e-ad27a04b271a%7D |archive-date=August 8, 2009 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The case was dismissed in 2003, a ruling that was upheld in 2005, part of the rationale behind the decision being that, as the Act of Settlement is a constitutional document on equal-footing with the ''Charter'', it could not be pre-empted by the ''Charter''.<ref>[http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2003/2003canlii41404/2003canlii41404.html O’Donohue v. Canada, 2003 CanLII 41404 (ON S.C.)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627231349/http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2003/2003canlii41404/2003canlii41404.html |date=June 27, 2013 }}</ref>
===Oath of Allegiance===
The co-founder of CCR, Pierre L. J. Vincent, became a republican activist in 1998 when he objected to taking the ''[[Oath of Allegiance (Canada)|Oath of Allegiance]]'', then required by law for all Canadian public servants beginning employment within the Civil Service. His refusal, partly based on his [[Acadian]] ancestry, sparked a publicized three-year legal battle involving the Government of Canada's Public Service Commission.<ref>{{cite web |work=CBC News Online |url=http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/email.cgi?category=Canada&story=/news/2000/06/08/queenoath000608 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010702003744/http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/email.cgi?category=Canada&story=%2Fnews%2F2000%2F06%2F08%2Fqueenoath000608 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 2, 2001 |title=Worker pledges legal fight over oath to Queen |access-date=July 15, 2021 }}</ref>
In 2001, the commission ruled that he could keep his job, a legal precedent that was later applied to a similar oath refusal. Both cases are recognized as being a major impetus for the 2003 ''Public Service Modernization Act'', which ended the requirement for Government of Canada civil servants to swear an oath to the Queen as of December 31, 2005.
In 2007, former CCR member [[Charles Roach]] [[Oath of Citizenship (Canada)#Public action|filed suit]] in opposition to the requirement of new citizens to swear an oath to the Queen. The case was on May 17, 2007, allowed to proceed,<ref>{{cite web |work=CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/lawyer-allowed-to-challenge-citizenship-oath-1.689308 |title=Lawyer allowed to challenge citizenship oath |date=May 18, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=Toronto Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/2007/05/18/lawyer_cleared_to_challenge_loyalty_oath_to_the_queen.html |last=Gombu |first=Phinjo |title=Lawyer cleared to challenge loyalty oath to the Queen |date=May 18, 2007}}</ref> but has since been dismissed by the [[Ontario Superior Court of Justice]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.canlii.org/eliisa/highlight.do?text=Roach+v.+Canada&language=en&searchTitle=Search+all+CanLII+Databases&path=/en/on/onca/doc/2008/2008onca124/2008onca124.html |title=Roach v. Canada, 2008 ONCA 124 |publisher=CanLII}}</ref>
==Organization and structure==
CCR's national director and principal [[English Canadian|anglophone]] spokesperson is Tom Freda. Associate director and principal [[francophone]] and [[Western Canada]] spokesperson is [[Pierre L. J. Vincent]]. Associate Director [[Jamie Bradley]] is the principal Atlantic Canada spokesperson. Other prominent members of the group's Advisory Committee include [[Christopher Moore (Canadian historian)|Christopher Moore]] and [[Brigadier-General]] [[James S. Cox]].
==See also==
*[[Republicanism]]
*[[Republicanism in Canada]]
*[[Debate on the monarchy in Canada]]
*[[Monarchist League of Canada]]
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==External links==
*[https://www.canadian-republic.ca/ Citizens for a Canadian Republic website]
*[https://www.facebook.com/CanRepublic.RepubliqueCan/ Citizens for a Canadian Republic] on [[Facebook]]
*[https://twitter.com/CanRepublic Citizens for a Canadian Republic] on [[Twitter]]
{{Republicanism}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Citizens For A Canadian Republic}}
[[Category:Political advocacy groups in Canada]]
[[Category:Republicanism in Canada]]
[[Category:Republican organizations]]
[[Category:2002 establishments in Ontario]]