Richard Mostyn, Yukon’s minister of community services, said the change “allows elected municipal officials to take the oath of allegiance in a way that is consistent with the broader values and cultural identity of the community.”
In Canada, a commonwealth country and former British colony, most elected officials must take an oath in which they swear or affirm that they “will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III” and his “heirs and successors according to law “.
There have been questions about whether the new Dawson City Council, which was elected in late October, will be able to sit if they refuse to take the oath of office.
Under Yukon law, a newly elected official must accept it within 40 days of being elected or his victory “is deemed null and void.”
That gave officials until Dec. 9 to find a solution.
Councilor Darwin Lin, a member of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation, said he was hesitant to take the oath because of Canada’s rich history with Indigenous peoples.
“I’ve read it maybe 15 times and it doesn’t get any easier to do,” Lin said at a press conference announcing the change.
“With the history that Corona has had in Canada and elsewhere, I thought there might be another option.”
In Dawson City, a town of 2,400 people, as well as the wider Yukon Territory, questioning the requirement has sparked a “wonderful conversation” about Canadian history, he said.
That conversation was “very balanced,” he said, with some people supporting the alternative and others hesitant to remove it.
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and choice, and that’s a big part of our country,” Lynn said.
He and other Dawson City deputies will be sworn in in the coming days.
This is not the first time a Canadian province or territory has amended its oath of allegiance requirement.
In 2022, the French-speaking province of Quebec passed a law that removed the requirement that elected officials take the oath of office of the monarchy. One lawmaker called it a “relic of the past.”
The oath, however, remains a mandatory requirement for members of Canada’s national parliament and most members of provincial legislatures.
