You must have known that sa国际传媒 has strong ties to the Queen.If you don鈥檛 like the way things are done here, then why did you come to sa国际传媒? I really don鈥檛 get it.
I鈥檓 referring to the case that was heard Friday before the Ontario Superior Court, in which three permanent residents of this country argued that the Canadian citizenship oath must not include any reference to the Queen.
Take the case of one of the applicants 鈥� Michael McAteer. He is 79. He came here almost half a century ago. His affidavit states that 鈥淭aking an oath of allegiance to a hereditary monarch who lives abroad would violate my conscience, be a betrayal of my republican heritage, and impede my activities in support of ending the monarchy in sa国际传媒.鈥�
Mr. McAteer, why on Earth did you come to sa国际传媒 then, and stay for half a century? You must have known that sa国际传媒 has strong ties to the Queen. Or, if you came here and found out later about the words in the oath, why didn鈥檛 you move somewhere else, like the U.S.?
Just because you are antimonarchy and your family history is Irish republican does not mean the oath should be changed to suit you. Leave the history at home.
The universe does not revolve around you.
Then there鈥檚 McAteer鈥檚 fellow plaintiff, Dror Bar-Natan, 47, who came here 11 years ago, and who believes taking an oath to the Queen is 鈥渞epulsive.鈥� He says 鈥渉aving royalty is a bit much.鈥� Did you not think of this before you chose sa国际传媒? Did you not notice anything ahead of time, or connect the dots when you saw references to such things as Court of Queen鈥檚 Bench? Move someplace where they don鈥檛 have royalty and you won鈥檛 feel so put upon.
Last, there is the third plaintiff, Simone Topey, a Jamaican who moved to sa国际传媒 in 1978. She claims that as a Rastafarian, it would violate her beliefs to take an oath mentioning the Queen, because the Queen is the 鈥渉ead of Babylon.鈥� Rastafarians believe Babylon is a 鈥渄egenerate society of materialism, oppression and sensual pleasures.鈥� Which raises the question: Why did Topey move to this degenerate, materialistic, oppressive and sensual Babylonic place called sa国际传媒 if she holds it in such scorn?
sa国际传媒 is the best country in the world in which to live, but if repeating a brief citizenship oath is so abhorrent to them, they can always choose not to live here. It is not like taking the oath means you have to do anything about, for or with the Queen. Take the oath, and you never have to think about the Queen again.
But you don鈥檛 have any right to come here, where swearing allegiance to the Queen is a tradition that dates back to Confederation times, and then suddenly declare that the citizenship oath must be changed because you don鈥檛 like it.
These three argue that the oath discriminates against them and breaches their constitutional rights on religious and conscientious grounds. I would argue that it is they who are discriminating 鈥� against sa国际传媒鈥檚 history, tradition and national identity by trying to expunge a huge chunk of it for purely selfish reasons.
They complain that because of their beliefs about the oath, they can鈥檛 vote or get a passport.
Here is the federal government鈥檚 succinct position on the matter: 鈥淭he swearing of an oath to sa国际传媒鈥檚 head of state has been a constant regardless of other legislative changes that have been made over time in the process for becoming a naturalized Canadian.鈥�
And, the government adds: 鈥淚t is not constitutionally inconsistent that the applicants who find sa国际传媒鈥檚 foundational democratic political structure to be 鈥榬epugnant,鈥� at least in parts, are not accorded the right to vote within that political system 鈥� the inability to enjoy the benefits of citizenship 鈥� to hold a Canadian passport and to vote 鈥� are amongst the costs reasonably borne by individuals whose personal beliefs run counter to sa国际传媒鈥檚 foundational heritage.鈥�
This is sa国际传媒 and the tradition of the monarchy is bound up with its history and identity. Love it or leave it. And if you don鈥檛 want to take the citizenship oath, then leave sa国际传媒. You won鈥檛 be missed.
