Quebec independence leader refuses oath to King Charles III

Paul Saint-Pierre-Plamondon, the new leader of the Parti Québécois, has announced that he will not swear allegiance to King Charles III during his investiture. The independence-leaning leader stated he does not intend to “lie as a first gesture to the National Assembly” and expressed opposition to a foreign monarch exercising influence over the province.

Saint-Pierre-Plamondon is seeking legal counsel to prevent the Lieutenant Governor, who represents the British Crown in Quebec, from participating in the ceremony. He has advocated for the abolition of the monarchy in Quebec and intends to propose reallocating the budget currently used for the Crown's representative to address homelessness.

While the role of the Crown's representative is established in the Canadian Constitution, a law previously passed in Quebec no longer mandates that elected officials swear allegiance to the King. This follows a 2022 incident where Parti Québécois members were briefly barred from sitting in the National Assembly for refusing the oath.