Canadians stuck by Elizabeth II, their queen, to the last, but relations with the monarchy have grown increasingly strained and the sovereign’s death on Thursday will reopen a debate about the political system, experts believe.

“Canada is a monarchist exception in the middle of a more republican continent,” recalls Marc Chevrier, professor of political science at the University of Quebec in Montreal.

In a few weeks, after the mourning period, “the debates about the relevance of the monarchy will flare up again, Pandora’s box is open,” adds the latter.

To honor the one who was its “queen for almost half of Canada’s existence,” as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recalled, the country entered a 10-day period of mourning on Thursday.

All flags have been lowered across the country and a national memorial service is planned in the capital Ottawa on the day of the funeral in London.

But behind the official pomp, the country has an increasingly ambivalent relationship with the monarchy. “Even in English-speaking Canada, respect for the monarchy is declining over the years,” explains Philippe Lagassé, a professor at Carleton University in Ottawa and an expert on the role of the monarchy in Canada.

According to a poll last April, a small majority of citizens — a percentage that reached 71% in Quebec — would even like to put an end to royalty, whose role is now largely ceremonial.

And they were 67% of Canadians who said they were against Charles becoming King of Canada. His visit to the country last May went almost unnoticed.

As head of state, the monarch has less authority in Canada than in Britain. It is the governor-general, the sovereign’s representative in the country, who holds the powers.

But he is appointed by the Prime Minister – Mary Simon, an Inuk from northern Quebec, currently holds the post. She is Canada’s first indigenous governor-general.

– Delete connections to the monarchy –

However, to follow the example of Barbados, which chose to secede from the British Crown and become a republic in 2021, Canada should consider major reform of institutions and constitutional law.

Founding argument at the birth of Canada in 1867, “the monarchy is the keystone of all constitutional law,” emphasizes Marc Chevrier. For example, he continues, “the office of prime minister doesn’t even exist in Canada’s constitution, which only mentions the monarch.”

Changing the constitution and abolishing the monarchy represents a huge effort and potentially years of political negotiation, as it requires the unanimous approval of Canada’s ten provincial parliaments and governments.

And the debate could be heated in an increasingly politically divided Canada.

All of the symbolism associated with royalty will be debated and likely to be reviewed if and when ties with the British monarchy are to be further erased, Philippe Lagassé believes.

Like the presence of the monarch’s effigy on the currency. Today, Queen Elizabeth II is featured on $20 coins and bills.

Certain ceremonies could also evolve: notably the civic oath. Until now, every new Canadian citizen had to ‘swear an oath of sincere allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, her heirs and successors’ during a ceremony.

A provision of the Citizenship Act that has been challenged in court by permanent residents for a number of years.

In an increasingly diverse and multicultural Canadian population, the connection with the monarchy seems less and less relevant given full reflection on the role of colonization.