Editing the oath: Calls grow for Ontario to mention treaty rights in municipal oath of office

Several city and town councils in northeastern Ontario want to edit the oath of office mayors and councillors say before they take their seats.

They have passed motions in recent weeks calling on the provincial government to change the oath to include mention of Indigenous and treaty rights.

The proposed rewording is:

"I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to his majesty King Charles III. And I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada, including the Constitution, which recognizes and affirms the aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples."

Wawa Mayor Melanie Pilon, who is Anishinaabe, said she was happy to see her council vote for that new oath earlier this month. 

"I personally feel it will act as a reminder for those pledging oaths in the future to consider and recognize treaty rights," she said. 

"I think words matter. That's what I think it boils down to. And I think it's a small step in keeping the conversation going and moving."

However, Pilon said that personally, she would choose not to read that new oath if the province makes the change.

When she was sworn in as mayor last fall, she chose to read an alternative oath that does not include a loyalty pledge to the Crown.

That alternative oath was developed in 2018, when a Hearst town councillor, Gaetan Baillargeon, refused to read the regular oath and was initially not allowed to take his seat at the council table.

A week later, the Ontario government allowed him to be sworn in with the words: "I identify as an Indigenous person and I assert that making the declaration of allegiance to her majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second would be inconsistent with my views regarding the relationship between the Crown and Indigenous peoples."

Baillargeon used the same oath when he was sworn in this fall for another term on Hearst council. 

He said they approved the new proposed oath earlier this spring, although he feels it isn't "ideal."

Baillargeon, a citizen of Constance Lake Fist Nation, says he'd like to see references to the monarchy completely removed from the municipal oath, but admits his feelings are a bit "confused" now that Inuk woman Mary Simon is the Governor General 

Any changes to the oath would have to be approved by the provincial government and this lobbying effort comes as some cities and towns in Ontario are wondering if they should drop the loyalty pledge to the Crown altogether.