A man who refused to take the oath of citizenship, because of his opposition to the monarchy, has died with his decades-long dream of becoming a Canadian unfulfilled.
Toronto civil-rights lawyer Charles Roach, who immigrated from Trinidad more than half a century ago, died yesterday of brain cancer at age 79.
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Roach had fought to change the country’s citizenship requirements and allow people to swear an oath to Canada instead of the throne.
He said the monarchy represented a legacy of oppression, imperialism and racism.
A New Democrat MP is now calling on Ottawa to make Roach a Canadian citizen posthumously.
Andrew Cash says he tried urging Immigration Minister Jason Kenney last week to fulfil Roach’s dying wish to become a Canadian citizen by pledging allegiance to Canada. He says Kenney denied the request.
Roach, a prominent community activist, launched several legal challenges to remove the mandatory oath from the law.
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