Activist fights oath to Queen

Black community activist Charles Roach says he’s escalating his 24-year legal

battle to have an allegiance to the Queen dropped from the Canadian Oath of

Citizenship.

Roach, 78, a long-time Toronto lawyer, has been waging a legal challenge

since 1988 to have the oath changed.

The permanent resident of Canada chose not to become a citizen because of a

refusal to swear the Oath of Citizenship because it contains a promise to bear

allegiance to the Canadian monarch.

He and his supporters are staging a protest on Tuesday at noon outside an

Citizenship office, at 55 St. Clair Ave. E., as new Canadians

are being sworn inside.

He claimed many new immigrants are forced take the oath without fully

understanding its meaning or may have strong feelings against colonialism.

“Some new Canadians don’t understand what they’re saying when they recite

the oath,” he said. “This case is still alive and proceeding before the

courts.”

Roach, who unsuccessfully filed a class action suit over the issue, took his case to the Federal Court of Canada in 1992 claiming the oath was a violation of the

Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The court ruled against his motion and an

appeal to the Supreme Court was dismissed.

He said the case will be heard on May 28 at the Ontario Superior Court of

Justice, on University Ave.

But, Robert Finch, chair of the The Monarchist League of Canada, accused

Roach of conducting a publicity stunt.

“This issue is not even on the radar of most Canadians,” Finch said on

Monday. “This is a distraction and at the end of the day, Canadians love

their Queen and will be celebrating her diamond jubilee.”

He said the monarchy is popular with new Canadians who have fled war-torn or

non-democratic regimes.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Stephen Harper marked Commonwealth Day on Monday by

extending friendship to other countries that celebrate the day.

“This day provides us with the opportunity to celebrate the strong bonds of

cooperation and friendship that exist among the 54 countries that form the

Commonwealth,” Harper said.