More than two and a half years after Queen Elizabeth II's passing, the oath sworn by some B.C. police officers has not been changed to reflect King Charles III's succession.
While Charles became king on Sept. 8, 2022, and was crowned on May 6, 2023, an order for the necessary amendment to the B.C. Police Act regulation for the oath wasn't made until this past May 6.
That change was to come after Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Garry Begg signed a ministerial order to amend the legislation.
But, as of May 23, the wording had not been changed online where the regulation is listed as current to May 13.
That amendment strikes out the section saying “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors” and substitutes “His Majesty King Charles the Third, King of Canada, His Heirs and Successors.”
It further strikes out, “Her Majesty’s subjects” and substitutes “His Majesty’s subjects.”
B.C. is somewhat lagging here.
For example, with England’s North Yorkshire Police, Chief Const. Lisa Winward welcomed new officers on Sept. 26, 2022 as they swore an oath to the King.
The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General said in a statement to Lodestar Media that the purpose of the ministerial order was to simplify the filing of officer oaths/affirmations within police units such as such as the Metro Vancouver Transit Police, the Stl’atl’imx Tribal Police Service and the Organized Crime Agency of B.C.
The ministry said the change allows such agencies to file their oaths or affirmations directly with their chief officers rather than with the minister, creating a much more streamlined process consistent with other B.C. municipal police departments.
“For efficiency purposes, the updating of references to King Charles the Third were completed in conjunction with Ministerial Order 129 and will be reflected online soon,” the ministry said.
“These updates are being managed by King’s Printer, and we recommend contacting them directly for information on specific timelines,” the ministry said.
RCMP spokesperson Robin Percival said the oath of allegiance is made to the current monarch.
"At present, that is King Charles III," Percival said. "This change was made shortly following the Queen’s passing."
The Vancouver Police Department did not respond to a request for comment.
In the courts, all lawyers previously designated as Queen's Counsel immediately became King's Counsel.
The name of a case, called a style of cause, in the current situation changed from Regina v. (name of accused) to Rex v. (name of accused), Regina meaning a female monarch, Rex a male one.
For money, the Royal Canadian Mint began circulating coins with Charles’ likeness in 2023.
“All coins currently in circulation remain legal tender, regardless of the fact that our monarch has changed,” the mint’s website said.
“As coins have a life span of over 20 years, Canadians can expect to see ‘Queen’ coins in circulation for many more years.”
