Bill C-210 Constitution Act Amendment

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C-210 An Act to Amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (Oath of Office)

Bill Type:  Private Member’s Bill

Bill Sponsor:  Xavier Barsalou-Duval (Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères)

Status:  First Reading: June 16, 2025

Estimated Read Time:  2 minutes

What is this Bill for?

This Bill is about the Oath MPs and Senators take before they can serve. Right now the only option is an Oath of Allegiance to the King. This Bill would let them choose a different Oath — one about doing their job — without swearing loyalty to the Monarchy.

WHO GAINS POWER

  • Members of Parliament and Senators — gain the option to swear an Oath to their duties and constituents rather than — or in addition to — an Oath to the Crown
  • Bloc Québécois and sovereigntist MPs specifically — can now take their seats without swearing Allegiance to the King

WHO LOSES POWER

  • The Crown — the Oath of Allegiance to the King is no longer the sole mandatory requirement to take a seat in Parliament
  • Parliament as an Institution — the symbolic unity of a single Oath is replaced with individual choice

WHO GAINS MONEY

  • No direct financial impact

WHO LOSES MONEY

  • No direct financial impact

THE CATCH

  • This is a Constitutional Amendment — it amends the Constitution Act, 1867 directly, which is significant
  • The Bill is sponsored by a Bloc Québécois MP — the political motivation is transparent: allow sovereigntist MPs to serve without swearing loyalty to a Monarchy they reject
  • The new Oath of Office commits to executing "powers and trusts" as a Member — but contains no reference to Canada, Canadians or the Constitution
  • MPs could take only the Oath of Office and skip the Oath of Allegiance entirely

ADDENDUM

REAL-WORLD CONTEXT

The Oath issue is no longer theoretical. In 2022, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and two other Parti Québécois MNAs refused to swear Allegiance to King Charles III and were initially barred from taking their seats. Quebec later changed its Law so the Oath to the King was no longer required. 

After Quebec's 2026 election, newly elected PQ members took an oath to the people of Quebec instead of the King. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has also publicly stated his Government intends to abolish the Monarchy's role in Quebec's democratic institutions. 

That Quebec Law is now being challenged in Court on Constitutional grounds, including the argument that section 128 of the Constitution Act, 1867 still requires the Oath of Allegiance. 

Why it matters to C‑210: Bill C‑210 addresses the same constitutional Oath requirement at the Federal level by proposing that MPs and Senators be allowed to take an Oath of Office instead of the Oath of Allegiance.