Trudeau faces barrage of questions about Canada’s ties to monarchy

By News staff

Canada’s ties to the monarchy amid allegations of royal family racism infiltrated the question portion of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s COVID-19 update on Tuesday.

While Trudeau was keen to keep the focus solely on Canada’s rapidly expanding vaccine rollout, he couldn’t avoid a barrage of questions about the explosive Oprah Winfrey interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.

In one of the most damning portions of the interview, Meghan revealed that an unnamed member of the royal family expressed concerns while she was pregnant with Archie about “about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”

“I will not comment on the royal family,” Trudeau responded when the first question he faced Tuesday was focused on the unfolding U.K. scandal.

“We have been very clear as a government that we will always stand up against systemic racism and intolerance in all its forms.”

“I understand some people are looking for constitutional conversations,” he added. “I’m not going to engage in those right now, I am focused on getting us through this pandemic.”

When Trudeau was later asked how he reconciles his support for the monarchy with his stated desire to dismantle the legacy of colonialism in Canada, he said “improving and transforming our institutions” is better than abandoning them.

“There are many institutions that we have in this country … that (have been) built around a system of colonialism, discrimination, of systemic racism. But the answer is not to suddenly toss out all our our institutions and start over. The answer to look very carefully at those systems and listen to Canadians who face discrimination every single day … and to understand the barriers that exist within our institutions that need to be addressed.”

“If people want to later talk about constitutional change and shifting our system of government that’s fine, they can have those conversations, but right now I’m not having those conversations, I’m focused on getting through this pandemic.”


RELATED: ‘Concerning:’ Buckingham Palace responds to race issues brought up in Meghan and Harry interview


Trudeau wasn’t the only world leader to dodge direct questions about the royal family.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also refused to comment, saying “when it comes to matters to do with the royal family the right thing for a prime minister to say is nothing.”

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern added: “These are matters about their personal lives and their personal decisions, and I don’t think it deserves a commentary from anyone else.”

Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace finally broke its silence on the matter Tuesday, releasing a brief statement on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II.

“The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning,” the statement said “While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”

“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”

With files from The Associated Press

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