The Canadian province of Quebec has passed a law making it optional for local members of parliament to swear allegiance to King Charles III.
The bill was introduced when three MPs refused to swear allegiance to Charles after he was declared king.
In October, Canadian federal MPs voted overwhelmingly against severing ties with the British crown.
In Canada, Quebec is the most supportive of the idea of abolishing the constitutional monarchy.
The bill was introduced on Tuesday by Quebec Prime Minister François Legault.
In October, after the county held elections, 14 politicians refused to swear allegiance to King Charles. After being told they could not sit in the Legislative Council without doing so, 11 of them withdrew.
But three lawmakers have not, and have been banned from sitting in the National Assembly since late November, pending the introduction of a bill to that effect.
In Quebec, members of the legislature were required to take two oaths, both to the people of Quebec and to the British crown. The latter has long been controversial.
The new provincial law modifies legislation dating back to 1867, adding a clause that exempts Quebecers from swearing allegiance to the king. The oath of allegiance is a requirement for all members of local legislatures across Canada.
“I think it’s a relic,” said Gabriel Nadeau-Dupois, co-spokesman for the Quebec Solidere party, of the oath of allegiance to King Charles in early December.
He added: “I think there is strong support in Quebec to modernize our institutions, to make sure that in 2022, the people’s representatives won’t be forced to take the oath of office to a foreign monarch.”
Constitutional scholar Philippe Lagasse told the BBC in an email that Quebec does not have the power to amend the constitution through a bill alone.
He said such a change would need the support of seven provinces, which together account for more than 50% of Canada’s population, or the federal parliament would have to settle with Quebec to allow the change only in Quebec.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau can challenge this new law in court.
Canada considers anyone who sits on the throne of England as head of state. But the role of the monarchy is mostly symbolic, with the Canadian government holding the power.
Opinion polls indicate that Canada as a whole remains divided over the monarchy. In an Ipsos poll conducted after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, half of Canadian respondents — about 54 percent — said their country should sever ties with the crown.
A large majority, about 79%, of Quebecers support this trend.
