Ottawa (AFP) – King Charles III is to deliver a historic speech to open Canada’s parliament on Tuesday, with the nation, of which he is head of state, facing unprecedented threats from US President Donald Trump. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he intends to use the king’s first visit to the British Commonwealth nation since his coronation to highlight Canada’s sovereignty. “This historic honor matches the weight of our times,” Carney said.
It was at the prime minister’s invitation that the 76-year-old monarch, who is battling cancer, traveled to the Canadian capital, accompanied by Queen Camilla. King Charles has never publicly commented on Trump’s repeated talk of making Canada the 51st US state, but his speech will be closely watched for any comments on the topic. Trump has also ripped up the world trade order and launched tariff wars against friends and foes alike, particularly targeting northern neighbor Canada.
The so-called “throne speech” will be delivered in the Senate — a former railway station that has been converted while parliament undergoes major renovations. Although it will be read by the king as if it were in his own words, it was, in fact, written by the prime minister’s office and will set out the government’s priorities to “build Canada strong” and how it aims to achieve them. Canada’s Liberal Party, led by Carney, a technocrat with no prior political experience, won legislative elections on April 28, after a campaign entirely focused on who would be best to deal with Trump. Carney has vowed to oversee the biggest transformation of Canada’s economy since the end of the Second World War to enable it to “stand up” to Trump.
In cautious diplomatic language, the throne speech should also contain a reaffirmation of Canada’s sovereignty, which Trump has threatened repeatedly by suggesting the country should be annexed by the United States.
– ‘Extraordinary’ symbolism –
“In terms of symbolism, it’s extraordinary because this is only the third time the sovereign has read this speech,” said Felix Mathieu, a politics professor at the University of Quebec in Outaouais. The throne speech has only twice before been personally delivered by Canada’s monarch, in 1957 and 1977, both by Charles’s mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II. “What will also be interesting is everything surrounding the speech from the throne,” Mathieu added, in reference to the “message to Donald Trump” to show him that “Canada is not alone in this fight.”
Thousands flocked to the capital on Monday to greet the king and queen on their first day of the brief visit. For Shrikant Mogulala, 32, the king was here to deliver “a clear message to Trump that we are not for sale.” Retiree Dave Shaw, 60, said it was “a great time for (the king) to be here now at this particular time given the geopolitical circumstances, given the circumstances of our country right now.”
On Monday, the monarchs visited a farmer’s market and were treated to Indigenous music and military honors before the king held private audiences with Carney and Indigenous leaders. They were scheduled to ride to the Senate Tuesday morning in a four-wheeled carriage escorted by 28 horses from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s fabled “Musical Ride” unit. There will be a 21-gun salute and a flypast by fighter jets, and the monarchs will also lay a wreath at a war memorial.
© 2024 AFP
