Succession to the Throne Act, 2013
| Succession to the Throne Act, 2013 | |
|---|---|
 |
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| An Act to assent to alterations in the law touching the Succession to the Throne | |
| Citation | S.C. 2013, c. 6 |
| Enacted by | Parliament of Canada |
| Date of Royal Assent | 27 March 2013 |
| Date commenced | 26 March 2015 |
| Legislative history | |
| Bill | C-53 |
| Bill published on | 31 January 2013 |
| Introduced by | Rob Nicholson, Minister of Justice |
| First reading | Commons: 31 January 2013; Senate: 5 February 2013 |
| Second reading | Commons: 4 February 2013; Senate: 7 March 2013 |
| Third reading | Commons: 4 February 2013; Senate: 26 March 2013 |
| Committee report | Presented: 26 March 2013 |
| Status: In force | |
The Succession to the Throne Act, 2013, which has the long title An Act to assent to alterations in the law touching the Succession to the Throne (Bill C-53), was passed by the Parliament of Canada to give assent to the Succession to the Crown Bill, which was intended to change the line of succession to the Canadian throne and was passed with amendments by the UK parliament on 25 April 2013. Bill C-53 was presented and received its first reading in the House of Commons on 31 January 2013 and received Royal Assent on 27 March of the same year. The act was brought into force by the Governor General-in-Council on 26 March 2015.
Some academics disagreed over the act's constitutionality and effectiveness on altering the line of succession to the Canadian throne. A court motion filed in Ontario for the law to be found unconstitutional has been dismissed. Another court motion filed in Quebec was heard in June 2015 with a ruling issued in February 2016 upholding the act, a decision that is currently under appeal.
After questions from the media were prompted in April 2011 by the introduction to the British parliament of a private member's bill seeking to change British royal succession from agnatic to absolute, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was criticised for his ambivalence toward amendment of the line of succession in Canada, being contrasted with Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key and Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Nick Clegg. Harper stated: "The successor to the throne is a man. The next successor to the throne is a man... I don't think Canadians want to open a debate on the monarchy or constitutional matters at this time. That's our position. I just don't see that as a priority for Canadians right now at all."
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