Coronation of King Charles III sparks joy, draws indignation from former Caribbean nationals in Ontario
CBC
Gary Williams watched the coronation of King Charles III on YouTube while working at his business in downtown Toronto on Saturday.
The owner of The Jerk Spot, who is originally from Jamaica, said he became a Canadian citizen in June 2022.
While Jamaica has signalled its intention to ditch the monarchy, Williams is not so sure that's the best move, and he wants to see the monarch and royal family remain in place for years to come.
"I think it's necessary … I really think it's a good establishment, like, something to keep going," Williams told CBC Toronto.
"King Charles is actually someone that I have always followed. I wondered when was he going to become king. Finally his day has come."
Williams said Jamaica has been in "turmoil" since gaining independence in 1962, and he believes the country should take this into account when deciding whether or not to leave the monarchy.
Like Williams, Yvonne Grant is also from Jamaica. But that's all they have in common where the monarchy is concerned.
Grant — who operates a store called Caribbean Corner — says she has no interest in the monarchy and chose not to watch the coronation.
She said Jamaica should do like Barbados and cut ties with the monarchy.
"I am not interested in watching the coronation because I don't agree with their behaviour and the way that they treated the colonies, so-called colonies," Grant said.
"What they did to Jamaica was very bad because they gave the people that owned the slaves, the slave masters, compensation. For what? For owning the slaves? And the people that worked didn't get anything."
Under the Slavery Compensation Act of 1837, the British government paid out £20 million — nearly $30 billion in today's money — to slave owners for their loss of human property. The enslaved got nothing.
On Nov. 30, 2021, Barbados shifted from a constitutional monarchy into a republic, to become the first country to remove the head of the British monarchy as sovereign since Mauritius did the same 30 years prior.
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