Monarchy obsolete: Canadians' opinion after interview with Prince Harry and his wife
According to an online poll, Quebecers were the most negative about the monarchy.
A new poll shows that after Prince Harry and Meghan's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, just over half of Canadians believe the British monarchy is a relic that Canada should abandon.
53% of respondents to an online survey by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies said the British monarchy no longer has a place in 21st-century Canada, but one-third said they would prefer to keep that part of their heritage.
Leger executive vice-president Christian Bourque said the interview and how Canadians are reacting to it should be seen as a blow to the monarchy and those who believe in the importance of the role it plays in Canada.
"I think it probably didn't happen a few weeks ago," Bourque said.
The poll also found that 59% of respondents are more sympathetic to Harry and Meghan, while 26% say they are more sympathetic to the royal family.
There were 1,512 Canadian adults who participated in the online survey.
52% say recent events involving the couple, including stories of the Duchess of Sussex being driven to suicidal thoughts and a member of the royal family asking how dark her son Archie's skin might be, are a fundamental problem in the institution of the monarchy.
A negative view of the monarchy in Quebec
43% of respondents say recent events show that the royal family holds racist views, which Burke says is damaging to its reputation.
Negative attitudes toward the monarchy were higher in Quebec, where 71% of respondents said it was outdated, which Bourque said was not surprising.
"Even if you exclude the numbers in Quebec, about half of Canadians would still say whether we really need royalty in Canada," he added.
An earlier poll of 2,122 Canadian adults conducted Feb. 5-7 found that 46 per cent of respondents said the monarchy was outdated and that Canada should get rid of it, so the number of adherents to that view increased after interviews with Harry and Meghan.
According to a recent poll, Canadians are divided on what could replace the monarchy.
36% of respondents said they would prefer to have the prime minister as head of state, without another representative such as the governor general. 16% said they would like Canada to be a republic with an elected president, while 20% said they would like to maintain the current order.
