oath
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Truth about Allegiance
At last, a Canadian court declares an oath of allegiance unconstitutional — for all the wrong reasons Continue reading
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Why Couldn’t They?
Quebec probably can abolish the requirement that Members of the National Assembly swear allegiance to the King Continue reading
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One’s Own Self, Like Water
The Law Society’s demand for a “Statement of Principles” is a totalitarian values test Continue reading
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New Swearwords
The Prime Minister wants to make a meaningless addition to our unconstitutional citizenship oath Continue reading
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State v. Conscience
Freedom of conscience, state authority, and the case of the citizenship oath As I had already mentioned, last week I spoke at a discussion on freedom of conscience that the Runnymede Society organized at McGill on Tuesday. It was a lot of fun, and as always at McGill there were some great questions from the Continue reading
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Events Next Week
I’ll be visiting McGill and Yale next week. Come say hello! Next Tuesday, the 29th, I’ll be taking part in a discussion on “Conscience and the Constitution in Canada” at the McGill Faculty of Law (specifically, in NCDH 101). I will be speaking on the conflict between freedom of conscience and state authority, in particular as Continue reading
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The Swearing Show
Niqabs at citizenship oath swearing ceremonies are a big deal. Not really a big deal, mind you, because, as Radio-Canada reports, according to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, there have been exactly two women since 2011 who refused to go through with the oath because of the ban on the niqab which the government had illegally Continue reading
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No Blurred Lines
Last week, I published a lament for the Charter challenge to the Canadian citizenship oath, which the Supreme Court refused to hear, over at the Policy Options blog. Philippe Lagassé has published a thoughtful response, arguing that contrary what I have been saying all along, the case really was about “the legitimacy of the Crown” as Continue reading
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What Does This Mean?
Those of you who have been following this blog for a while will recall that I take a lot of interest in oaths; especially, but not exclusively, citizenship oaths. A paper of mine arguing that the Canadian citizenship oath is unconstitutional as an unjustified infringement of the freedom of conscience came out in the last Continue reading
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A Monarchist’s Lament
If you’ve read my bitter vituperations against the decisions of the Ontario courts upholding the constitutionality of the citizenship oath, which requires would-be Canadians to swear “true allegiance to Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, her heirs and successors,” you might have concluded that I am a flaming republican. But I am, in fact, a monarchist; Continue reading
Double Aspect 