Heritage Minister Melanie Joly is facing criticism after claiming that the Queen doesn't have the health "capacity" to travel to Canada.
On CTV's "Power Play," Joly was asked if there's a possibility that the monarch will accompany Prince Charles during his visit to Canada this summer.
"I understand that, of course, the Queen is ill," Joly said during the live interview on Tuesday evening, then quickly clarified. "Well, not necessarily ill, but doesn't have the capacity, the health, to come to Canada."
Joly faced ire online for commenting publicly on the 90-year-old Queen's health — a matter the Royal Family, and members of the Privy Council of Canada, almost never discuss.
Twitter users accused the Liberal minister of overstepping, and possibly upsetting the British monarchy.
The Queen's health was the source of major speculation earlier this year, when she and her husband Prince Philip cancelled several back-to-back events. The monarch, however, appeared in seemingly good health at Easter celebrations in Windsor, England.
When host Don Martin asked to clarify her comment, Joly responded that the royal is cutting back on international travels and passing duties to other members of the family. It's a move that Buckingham Palace formally announced in 2013.
While the Queen won't be on Canadian soil for the country's 150th birthday celebrations, she has already sent her well wishes through a video on New Year's Eve in 2016.
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