Canada has deep historical ties to Britain and many Canadians generally liked Queen Elizabeth II. But a growing number of Canadians do not want the British monarch to represent them. The risks that come with constitutional reform, however, mean there is little political wish for change. Britain colonized Canada beginning in the late 1500s. The country formally remained part of the British empire until 1982. Now it is a member of the Commonwealth of former empire countries that have the British monarch as head of state. A public opinion study by Canada’s Angus Reid Institute in April found that 51 percent of Canadians do not want the monarchy to continue as its head of state. That is up from 45 percent in January 2020. Only 26 percent said it should continue. In addition, a new opinion study by the group Leger found that about 77 percent of Canadians said they feel no attachment to the British monarchy. Many Canadians felt sorry for the royal family after the death of the queen. But many find their relationship with the British monarch to be strange. Those from Quebec, the mostly French-speaking province, feel even less connection with Britain. In the Angus Reid study, 71 percent of people living in Quebec said they no longer see a need for the monarchy. Twenty percent of Canada's population is new to the country with little connection to Britain. And indigenous, or native, people usually feel little warmth for the colonial power.
