King says 'strong and free' Canada is a force for good in historic throne speech
Charles says he's heartened to see revival of 'national pride, unity and hope' in Canada
LIVE: King and Queen travel to airport after Parliament opens | CBC NewsKing Charles delivered a historic speech from the throne Tuesday and he used that platform to praise Canada as a force for good that will remain "strong and free" as its relationships with longtime partners are "changing."
Charles, who delivered the speech while seated next to Queen Camilla in the Senate, the royal chamber, laid out the new Liberal government's agenda for the parliamentary session ahead but also subtly addressed the issue that's on the minds of many Canadians in the portion of the speech that he himself crafted: U.S. President Donald Trump, his tariffs and the 51st state taunts.
"When my dear late mother addressed your predecessors seven decades ago, she said that in that age, and against the backdrop of international affairs, no nation could live unto itself," Charles said, referencing Queen Elizabeth's 1957 throne speech to Parliament.
"It is a source of great pride that, in the following decades, Canada has continued to set an example to the world in her conduct and values, as a force for good," he said. "As the anthem reminds us: The True North is indeed strong and free!"
'The true north is, indeed, strong and free,' says King Charles in throne speechCharles, who prominently wore an Order of Canada medal around his neck for the occasion, noted that he's witnessed a renewal of "national pride, unity and hope" in Canada in recent weeks and he has "the greatest admiration for Canada's unique identity," which he said is known the world over for bravery, sacrifice, diversity and kindness.
"Every time I come to Canada a little more of Canada seeps into my bloodstream — and from there straight to my heart," the head of state said.
This is only the third time in the country's history that a monarch has delivered the throne speech, which must be read before the House of Commons or the Senate can go ahead with any of its legislative business. In addition to her 1957 address, the Queen delivered one in 1977 — nearly 50 years ago.
Charles is here at Prime Minister Mark Carney's request, an invitation the head of government has framed as a way to assert Canada's sovereignty as a constitutional monarchy founded by the British, French and Indigenous Peoples — a place that's inherently quite different from the republic to the south.
FULL SPEECH | King Charles delivers speech from the throneCharles is enjoying something of a revival in Canada, with polls suggesting his popularity has soared and a majority of people now support maintaining ties to the Crown in the wake of Trump's annexationist musings.
The King nodded to the stability the institution provides in a tumultuous era.
"The Crown has for so long been a symbol of unity for Canada. It also represents stability and continuity from the past to the present. As it should. It stands proudly as a symbol of Canada today, in all her richness and dynamism," he said, as senators, MPs, former prime ministers including Justin Trudeau, Stephen Harper and Kim Campbell, Supreme Court justices and senior military leaders, among others, looked on in a packed Red Chamber.
In the portion of the speech written by Carney and his team, Charles said Canada's relationship with the U.S. is changing.
King Charles delivered the speech from the throne on Tuesday, only the third time the sovereign has done so in Canada. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
"Many Canadians are feeling anxious and worried about the drastically changing world around them. Fundamental change is always unsettling. Yet this moment is also an incredible opportunity. An opportunity for renewal. An opportunity to think big and to act bigger. An opportunity for Canada to embark on the largest transformation of its economy since the Second World War," Charles said.
"Canadians can give themselves far more than any foreign power on any continent can ever take away. And that by staying true to Canadian values, Canada can build new alliances and a new economy that serves all Canadians," the monarch said.
King Charles reflects on his mother and a changing worldIn addition to a commitment to reassess the longstanding Canada-U.S. relationship, Charles said the government will be seized with other matters: building a more affordable Canada by cutting income taxes and the GST on homes for first-time buyers, knocking down internal trade barriers to promote free trade in Canada, fast-tracking projects of national significance — there will be a new, federal "major project office" to get them through — and building a safer, more secure country by toughening the border and hiring more police officers to tamp down on crime.
Carney's government is also promising to "rebuild the trust of Canadians in immigration by restoring balance to the system" and promote Indigenous reconciliation.
Prime Minister Mark Carney sat to Charles's right as the King delivered the speech from the throne. (Victoria Jones/Pool/Reuters)
Thousands of people lined Wellington Street to see Charles and Camilla travel through the parliamentary precinct in Canada's royal landau to the Senate for the speech — easily one of the largest crowds for a royal visit in this country in years.
Some people in the crowd shouted "God save the King,""Thank you for coming, sir" and "We love you Charles," as he inspected the smartly dressed 100-member military guard of honour — the troops were from the 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment — that was assembled to greet him and Camilla, who was dressed in blue and wearing a Canadian brooch from the royal jewlery collection.
The Royal Canadian Air Force band played O Canada as the crowd sang along and then clapped and cheered the royal party.
King Charles inspected the guard of honour before reading the throne speech. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
After leaving the Senate, a smiling and seemingly jovial Charles plunged into the crowd, personally shaking dozens of hands and greeting people along the rope line — some of whom started gathering in the early morning hours for a prime position to see the head of state on this historic occasion.
The King and Queen were greeted by a spontaneous rendition of God Save the King and repeated cheers of hip, hip hooray. The prime minister was shown some affection by the crowd with one man shouting, "We love you Carney!" as he accompanied Charles.
In his last act of this two-day visit, Charles took in a bugler's rendition of Last Post and a bagpiper playing the Lament before laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Canada's National War Memorial — a recognition of Canada's military sacrifice in the world wars and other conflicts.
King
Charles and Queen Camilla took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the
National War Memorial in Ottawa after the throne speech. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
Charles has done this many times on his past 19 visits to this country — members of the royal family rarely make a stop in Canada without some sort of acknowledgement of the country's military personnel, veterans and war dead.
The royal couple was then whisked away to the airport in an electric BMW sedan and not the American-made Lincoln town car that was used the last time they were in the nation's capital — a symbolic gesture as Canada grapples with Trump's auto tariffs.
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Bloc Québécois slam Carney for inviting ‘foreign’ King to open Parliament, opt out of attending Throne Speech
Bloc Québécois MPs will be reading the speech from their offices, absent ‘on principle’ in response to a move they say is ‘disrespectful to a lot of Quebecers.’
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How do you feel about King Charles’s visit to Ottawa? Share your thoughts
Britain's
King Charles and Queen Camilla leave after visiting the Canada House
Trafalgar Square in London on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.Arthur Edwards/The Associated PressKing Charles III is set to have his first official visit to Canada as monarch next week, after Prime Minister Mark Carney invited him to deliver the Throne Speech to open up Parliament.
Senior Canadian government officials have said the King’s speech will be a show of Canada’s sovereignty, at a time where Canadians feel threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump’s 51st State comments.
Pageantry, spectacle and hockey to mark King Charles’s visit to Ottawa
Throne speeches, setting out the government’s priorities, are usually delivered by the governor-general, the monarch‘s representative in Canada. Tuesday will mark the third time in Canadian history that a monarch has delivered the Throne Speech in Ottawa. The last time was in 1977, when Queen Elizabeth II read the speech as part of her Silver Jubilee tour. In 1957, she did so to mark her first visit to Canada as Queen.
And while some Canadians are planning to welcome the King when he arrives in Ottawa, others don’t feel the same way. This week, the Bloc Québécois is planning to once again table a bill to scrap the centuries-old requirement to pledge loyalty to the monarch before they take their seats in Parliament.
How do you feel about King Charles III’s visit? Is it a show of force against Mr. Trump’s attacks on Canadian sovereignty? Or is it an outdated custom that Canada should have dropped years ago?
Send us your thoughts in the form below, or by sending us an e-mail at audience@globeandmail.com.
Share your thoughts on King Charles' visit to Canada
King Charles III is making his first official visit to Canada as monarch next week, and is set to deliver the Throne Speech to open Parliament. We want to know your thoughts. Are you welcoming the visit with open arms, do you think it's an outdated custom, or are you somewhere in the middle? Let us know.
Chapter 15 Special Debates
Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne
The Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne has been adopted with an amendment on only six occasions.50 In the first two instances, an amendment moved by a Member of the opposition was itself amended by a subamendment moved by a Member of the government party.51
In the next two instances, the House voted in favour of the subamendment moved by the second largest party in opposition and concurred in the amendment and the main motion, as amended. In recent instances, the House has concurred in the amendment moved by the Official Opposition and then in the main motion, as amended.52 Concurrence in these amendments was not deemed to be a test of the confidence of the House in the government of the day,53 as the government was in agreement with the amendments.
Furthermore, the Address adopted in 2004 during the First Session of the Thirty-Eighth Parliament asked the government to consider the advisability of giving orders of reference to three standing committees, instructing each to make recommendations on specific matters. The House concurred in this suggestion shortly after it was made, and adopted a Special Order to this effect for each of the three committees.54
Engrossing of Address
Immediately after the adoption of the motion for the Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne, the House adopts a motion without debate or amendment that the Address be engrossed, that is, reproduced in larger print on parchment-like paper, and presented to the Governor General in person by the Speaker of the House of Commons.55 It is customary for the Speaker to be accompanied by the Speaker of the Senate, a few invited Members (including the mover and seconder of the Address, the House Leaders and the party Whips), and the Clerks of both Houses.
- 52.
The most recent instances occurred during the Thirty-Eighth, Thirty-Ninth and Fortieth Parliaments, when the government was in a minority situation. See, for example, Journals, October 7, 2004, p. 58; October 18, 2004, pp. 101–2; October 20, 2004, pp. 125–6, Debates, p. 635; Journals, April 6, 2006, pp. 28–9; April 10, 2006, p. 41; April 11, 2006, p. 48; April 24, 2006, pp. 51, 53–4; November 20, 2008, p. 17; November 24, 2008, pp. 29–30, 33–5; November 25, 2008, p. 39; November 27, 2008, p. 48.
- 53.
For further information on the confidence convention, see Chapter 2, “Parliaments and Ministries”.
- 54.
Journals, October 20, 2004, pp. 125–6; November 25, 2004, pp. 260–1.
- 55.
See, for example, Journals, February 17, 2004, pp. 90–1. In this case, the motion was agreed to on division. In the First Session of the Fortieth Parliament, the motion for the Address in Reply was adopted on November 27, 2008 (Journals, p. 48). The motion to engross the Address was moved and adopted by unanimous consent the following day (Journals, November 28, 2008, p. 52).
https://www.ourcommons.ca/
2. Parliaments and Ministries
The Confidence Convention
An essential feature of parliamentary government is that the Prime Minister and the Cabinet are responsible to, or must answer to, the House of Commons as a body for their actions and must enjoy the support and the confidence of a majority of the Members of that Chamber to remain in office. This is commonly referred to as the confidence convention. This complex constitutional subject, a matter of tradition that is not written into any statute or Standing Order of the House, is thoroughly reviewed in other authorities more properly concerned with the subject. [4]
Simply stated, the convention provides that if the government is defeated in the House on a confidence question, then the government is expected to resign or seek the dissolution of Parliament in order for a general election to be held. This relationship between the executive and the House of Commons can ultimately decide the duration of each Parliament and of each Ministry. The confidence convention applies whether a government is formed by the party or the coalition of parties holding the majority of the seats in the House of Commons, or by one or more parties holding a minority of seats. Naturally, it is more likely that the government will fail to retain the confidence of the House when the government party or parties are in a minority situation.
What constitutes a question of confidence in the government varies with the circumstances. Confidence is not a matter of parliamentary procedure, nor is it something on which the Speaker can be asked to rule. It is generally acknowledged, however, that confidence motions may be:
- explicitly worded motions which state, in express terms, that the House has, or has not, confidence in the government;
- motions expressly declared by the government to be questions of confidence;
- implicit motions of confidence, that is, motions traditionally deemed to be questions of confidence, such as motions for the granting of Supply (although not necessarily an individual item of Supply), motions concerning the budgetary policy of the government and motions respecting the Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne.
LIVE: King Charles presents the speech from the throne in Ottawa | CTV News Special Coverage
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