British Columbians tend to support the British Crown more than other Canadians, but less than one in three would retain a system of government with a monarch as its formal head of state.
Those are among the findings of a new poll from Research Co. asking Canadians about their perceptions of the Royal Family.
The poll released Wednesday (March 20) found 27 per cent of British Columbians favour Canada remaining a monarchy, down seven per cent from a similar poll conducted in September 2022 following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
But British Columbians are practically Royalists compared to Canadians at large. Less than one in four in Canada — 23 per cent — support the current constitutional system. Support for the monarchy is the lowest in Quebec (15 per cent), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (18 per cent each). The most supportive province is Alberta, where 30 per cent favour retaining the monarchy.
Part of the monarchy’s perception problem might be the current sovereign. King Charles III had a poll favourability rating of 38 per cent, up six per cent from early March, a bump likely related to public sympathies following news of his cancer diagnosis on Feb. 5.
But King Charles III’s favourability is nowhere his late mother’s. In February 2022, 64 per cent of Canadians held a positive view of Queen Elizabeth II.
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About 48 per cent of Canadians have a favourable view of Prince Harry (up two per cent) while 42 per cent feel the same way about Duchess Meghan (up one per cent). Canadians continue to have a favourable opinion of both Prince William and Princess Kate (both at 54 per cent, unchanged). The survey happened before Princess Kate said she had manipulated a family photo amidst uncertainties about her health and prolonged absence from public view.
These figures appear against the backdrop of some Commonwealth countries moving toward a republican government with an elected head of state.
According to Research Co., 46 per cent of Canadians said they would prefer to have an elected head of state, up two points since a similar poll in early March. Support for an elected head of state is lower in British Columbia with 43 per cent. It is the highest in Quebec and Alberta with 53 and 50 per cent respectively.
But if support for republicanism is growing, Canadians do not think it will happen any time soon.
More than half of Canadians (52 per cent, plus five per cent ) believe Canada will still be a monarchy two decades from now. Only a third (33 per cent, minus three per cent) think the country will have an elected head of state by then.
The introduction of an elected head of state would require a change to Canada’s constitution, approval of both houses in Canada’s Parliament, the unanimous support of all 10 provinces and, in all likelihood, widespread consultations with First Nations.
The failed constitutional amendment process known as the Charlottetown Accord of the early 1990s also established the precedent of holding a non-binding national referendum prior to sending any major constitutional amendments through the formal constitutional amendment process.