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November 30th, 2015
A Toronto man has recanted his oath of allegiance to the Queen, moments after becoming a Canadian citizen.
Dror Bar-Natan, from Israel, withdrew his mandatory pledge immediately after the ceremony this morning, handing the citizenship judge a letter outlining his decision.
He was required, along with 80 others, to swear the oath during the event.
Bar-Natan was one of three permanent residents who previously challenged the constitutionality of the oath. The Supreme Court dismissed their appeal last February.
The court’s decision means the oath remains a requirement in order to receive Canadian citizenship.
Bar-Natan was joined in the constitutional challenge by Simone Topey, a Jamaican Rastafarian who says her religion forbids such an oath, and Michael McAteer, an Irish man who says the pledge violates his conscience.
Obtaining Canadian citizenship is conditional on pledging to be “faithful and bear true allegiance to Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, her heirs and successors.”
The court ruled the oath to Queen Elizabeth II was a “symbolic commitment to be governed as a democratic constitutional monarchy unless and until democratically changed.”
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