Canada does not have a pledge of allegiance. In place of one, the country uses two formal oaths sworn to the reigning monarch: a short Oath of Allegiance taken by legislators, public officers, and military members, and a longer Oath of Citizenship taken by people becoming Canadian citizens. Both are currently sworn to King Charles III as King of Canada.
The Oath of Citizenship
New Canadians recite the Oath of Citizenship at the end of the citizenship process. It goes beyond loyalty to the Crown and adds a promise to follow Canadian law and carry out the duties of citizenship. The full wording is:
“I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles the Third, King of Canada, His Heirs and Successors, and that 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, and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen.”1Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Discover Canada – The Oath of Citizenship
The reference to Aboriginal and treaty rights is recent. Parliament amended the Citizenship Act in 2021 to align the oath with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action.2Justice Laws Website. An Act to Amend the Citizenship Act (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Call to Action Number 94) Before that change, the oath said nothing about Indigenous peoples. It was only the second time the citizenship oath had been modified since 1977.
The oath can be recited in English or French. Applicants officially become Canadian the moment they take and sign it.3Canada.ca. The Canadian Citizenship Ceremony: What You Need to Know
The Oath of Allegiance for Officials and Military
People entering public office take a much shorter oath focused solely on loyalty to the sovereign. Under the Oaths of Allegiance Act, the wording is: “I, [name], do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles the Third, King of Canada, His Heirs and Successors. So help me God.”4Justice Laws Website. Oaths of Allegiance Act (RSC, 1985, c. O-1)
The Constitution Act, 1867 requires every member of the Senate and House of Commons to swear this oath before the Governor General or an authorized representative before taking their seat. The same rule applies to members of every provincial legislative council and legislative assembly, who swear before their province’s lieutenant governor.5Justice Laws Website. Constitution Act, 1867 – Oath of Allegiance, etc. There is no workaround. A Member of Parliament who refuses cannot take their seat, cannot vote, and may be deprived of their salary and other entitlements.6Parliament of Canada. The House of Commons and Its Members – The Oath or Solemn Affirmation of Allegiance
The Oaths of Allegiance Act also lets the Governor in Council require any federal officeholder to take the oath, even when no other statute demands it.4Justice Laws Website. Oaths of Allegiance Act (RSC, 1985, c. O-1) Members of the Canadian Armed Forces swear allegiance to the monarch on enrollment under the National Defence Act, and in some provinces lawyers take the oath when admitted to the bar.
Affirming Instead of Swearing
Neither oath requires religious belief. Anyone who objects to swearing can make a solemn affirmation instead, and it carries identical legal weight. For officials, the affirmation replaces “I do swear” with “I do solemnly, sincerely, and truly declare and affirm,” and drops the closing “So help me God.”7Parliament of Canada. The Oath or Solemn Affirmation of Allegiance The citizenship oath builds the choice directly into its text with the parenthetical “(or affirm).”1Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Discover Canada – The Oath of Citizenship
Who Can Skip the Citizenship Oath
Not every applicant has to take the oath. Children under 14 are automatically exempt and do not need to apply for a waiver.8Government of Canada. Waiver for Citizenship Requirements: Who Qualifies For applicants 14 and older, waivers are narrow:
- Adults 18 and older can be waived only when a mental disability, such as an intellectual or developmental condition, prevents them from understanding what the oath means.
- Minors aged 14 to 17 may qualify on broader grounds, including severe medical conditions lasting at least one year, trauma from war or refugee experiences, and very low education or literacy in their first language.
Time pressure and cost are not accepted reasons.8Government of Canada. Waiver for Citizenship Requirements: Who Qualifies The bar is deliberately high because the oath is treated as a meaningful legal act, not paperwork.
Why the Oath Now Names King Charles III
When Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022, every oath of allegiance in Canada immediately applied to King Charles III. The Oaths of Allegiance Act provides that the new monarch’s name automatically replaces the previous one in the oath text.4Justice Laws Website. Oaths of Allegiance Act (RSC, 1985, c. O-1) No one who had already sworn the oath had to swear it again. The phrase “His Heirs and Successors” ties allegiance to the Crown as a continuing institution rather than to any single monarch, so the transition needed no new legislation and no mass re-swearing across government or the military.
Published versions of some older statutes still show Queen Elizabeth II’s name in the printed text, but the automatic-substitution rule means the current sovereign is always the person named when the oath is actually taken.