Toronto, ON, March 18, 2021 – Following Oprah Winfrey’s explosive interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Global News has found that a majority (58%) of Canadians agree (18% strongly/40% somewhat) that the royal family has treated Meghan unfairly because of her race. Women (62%) are more likely than men (54%) to believe this is the case, as are those aged 18-34 (66%) compared to Canadians aged 35-54 (57%) and 55+ (54%).
There is a growing sentiment within Canada that the Queen and royal family should not have any formal role in Canadian society as they are simply celebrities and nothing more, with two in three (66%) Canadians agreeing (30% strongly/36% somewhat), up 4 points since last year and 6 points since 2016.
Moreover, six in ten (59%) agree (26% strongly/33% somewhat) that when Queen Elizabeth’s reign ends, Canada should cut its formal ties to the British monarchy, although this sentiment has held steady (down 1 point) since last month amid the resignation of Julie Payette as Governor General of Canada. Similarly, the recent interview has not shaken confidence in the Queen herself, with eight in ten (79%) agreeing (28% strongly/51% somewhat) that Queen Elizabeth has done a good job in her role as monarch, statistically unchanged (down 2 points) from a year ago.
Despite these republican musings, Canadians are split on whether anything should be done about it. Roughly…
