Qath Allowed

From the G & M:
"Supreme Court won’t hear oath to Queen challenge"

A group of three permanent residents who have for years refused to swear an oath to the Queen and become Canadian citizens have lost a bid to have their constitutional challenge heard by the Supreme Court of Canada. The Supreme Court announced on Thursday that it would not hear an appeal of an Ontario Court of Appeal decision issued last year dismissing the group’s arguments that the oath violates their constitutional rights to freedom of expression and religion.  As is customary, the Supreme Court did not provide reasons. Last August, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled the group was wrong to take the oath literally. The decision, citing previous rulings, says that would-be citizens are not actually swearing allegiance to the Queen herself because “the reference to the Queen is symbolic of our form of government and the unwritten constitutional principle of democracy.” Irish-born retired journalist Michael McAteer, one of those who challenged the oath, had argued that being forced to swear allegiance to the Queen would be a betrayal of his anti-monarchy views, calling the institution of monarchy an anachronism in a multicultural country like Canada. He has lived here since 1964. Another applicant claimed swearing an oath to the Queen would violate her Rastafarian religious beliefs, while another held that the Queen was a symbol of inequality. Lawyers for the group also argued that the citizenship oath requirement was unfair since native-born Canadians, many of whom also oppose the monarchy, are not required to swear it. Lawyers for the federal government argued that those who refuse to support Canada’s “foundational constitutional structure” are not entitled to the benefits of citizenship, such as the right to vote, and that the Queen and the constitution protect the right to dissent.

 

^ I've written about this before and agree with the Supreme Court's decision to not hear this case. ^

 

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/supreme-court-wont-hear-oath-to-queen-challenge/article23211504/