What will happen to Canadians after the Queen’s death?

The Queen who ruled the United Kingdom and served as Canada’s head of state for seven decades was carried to her resting place on Sept. 19 in presence of political leaders and witnessed by people around the globe. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau along with other world leaders did not leave the chance to discuss politics with their British counterparts. The war in Ukraine was also part of it.

Canadians worry about the future of the monarchy in our country, whereas Trudeau’s popularity is at stake after singing Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ last weekend and hashtags like #TrudeauMustGoToJail and #justinflation continue to hit the top five on Twitter.

Prime Minister Trudeau takes part in a news conference. Photo credit: Reuters

Debates on how this move has affected the PM’s reputation still unfold. Was this to blow off some steam or another questionable move? There has not been any evidence of alcohol consumption or too many drinks, yet the backlash has been off the charts.

Amid these situations, Canadians face a stage to have an honest debate on dissolving the monarchy, ending ties with Great Britain, and taking steps on our journey to possibly become a republic country.

A week after the Queen’s death, an Ipsos poll found that half (54 per cent) of the country says to end the monarchy. This poll conducted on behalf of Global News mentions Canadians see both positives and negatives to having the monarchy as our head of state. But a constitutional change based on these mixed emotions would not be conclusive enough to achieve an exact consensus.

There are mixed emotions regarding this poll, yet it secures a majority of about 58 per cent of Canadians who wants their voices to be heard by Trudeau. This majority of poll takers believe there should be a referendum to decide the future of monarchy and support for this referendum has been up by five per cent after her majesty’s death.

About 63 per cent agrees that the King and Royal family should not have any formal role in Canadian society as they are perceived as celebrities and nothing more.

With only 44 per cent favourable to King Charles III, people are taking a wait-and-see approach to how he will handle himself as a monarch.

We will have to address the existential question of how we organize ourselves now, which also relies on an important consideration of how the Indigenous communities across the communities feel. Will the opinions of millions of immigrants residing in Canada belonging to countries where the monarchy has caused damages centuries ago will also matter? How will the postage stamps or even the currency change in the coming years? We have to wait for all these questions to be answered after the majority of Canadians pose these questions.