Go Figure
LIVE: King Charles presents the speech from the throne in Ottawa | CTV News Special Coverage
CTV News 
Dispersing the Fog – Episode 5 – Federal Election , Adolescence, Media Landscape with Andrew Douglas
Gayle MacDonald
Published October 21, 2003
King for a Day and a Half
Tuesday, 27 May 2025
King Charles presents the speech from the throne in Ottawa
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Harper and Trudeau share laughs, and other lighter throne speech moments
Jokes, sneakers in the Senate chamber and other moments that caught our eye
If you tuned in for the time between King Charles and Queen Camilla's arrival at the Senate and the moment the King actually began the speech from the throne, you probably noticed a lot of things happened.
Some of them were a little unceremonious for such pomp and circumstance that the second day of the royal visit held.
Former prime minister Kim Campbell, who was there, may have put it best.
"What was interesting was the interesting combination of informality and formality," she told CBC News.
In case you missed them— or if you want to know a little more about what unfolded in the Senate chamber before the speech — here are the moments that caught our attention.
Who's-who of Canadian politics
The event was a rare gathering of some of the most important figures in Canadian politics. Former prime ministers or their widows were in attendance, including Mila Mulroney and Pierre Elliott Trudeau's ex-wife Margaret Trudeau, as well as former governors general.
Former
governors general of Canada David Johnston and Michaëlle Jean, and
former viceregal consort of Canada, John Ralston Saul, sat together in
the Senate Chamber. (Chris Jackson/Reuters)
There were also a few notable absences, such as former prime minister Jean Chrétien, as well as former governor general Julie Payette, who resigned in 2021 following a report holding her responsible for a toxic work environment.
In Chrétien's case, the nonagenarian underwent surgery and is expected to be discharged from the hospital Wednesday.
Former political rivals laugh together
We saw two former rivals set aside their differences and sit beside each other: Justin Trudeau and his predecessor Stephen Harper.
The former prime ministers were each in power for roughly a decade and have been regarded as representing polar opposites of the political spectrum. And yet today they were seen in friendly conversation, exchanging jokes and hearty laughs.
To be a fly on that wall.
Trudeau and Harper were fierce political rivals but appeared friendly on Tuesday morning. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press)
The other former prime minister present was Campbell, the only woman in Canada to have held the role.
"It was a madhouse! They were all running around talking to each other. We're a law-abiding but unruly group of people," Campbell said.
At one point, former governor general Michaëlle Jean could be seen leading Charles by the hand across the Senate floor to introduce him to Assembly of First Nations Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak.
Former
prime ministers, from left, Kim Campbell, Harper, Trudeau and his
mother and the ex-wife of former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau,
Margaret Trudeau, and former prime minister Brian Mulroney's widow, Mila
Mulroney, all sit together on a bench in the Senate Chamber. (Chris Young/Pool/via Reuters)
"There was a kind of deeper sense of delight in the connectedness of people being there and the historic importance of the occasion," Campbell said.
Other dignitaries included Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Natan Obed, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, former governor general Adrienne Clarkson and Chris Phillips, former defenceman for the Ottawa Senators.
Much ado about a shoe
On social media, a fashion moment took the cake and polarized people at their keyboards.
Justin Trudeau's footwear was unorthodox for such a formal (and, well, royal) setting that included people wearing elaborate robes, hats and in the case of Usher Greg Peters, a fancy black rod.
A view of the Adidas Gazelle trainers worn by Trudeau in the Senate Chamber. (Aaron Chown/Reuters)
Trudeau chose a pair of suede green-and-orange Adidas Gazelle sneakers. Wearing kicks to the third-ever occasion of the monarch reading the speech from the throne prompted a lot of online side-eye, but in a way symbolized the informality at a time of formality that Campbell described.
2 kisses — because it's French!
Speaking of Trudeaus and informality: While there may have been some light pushing and shoving to get a chance to shake hands with the King and Queen, most did just that — shake hands with the royals.
But Margaret Trudeau, who's known for her own quirky moments in the otherwise conventional landscape of Canadian politics, gave the King two kisses, one on each cheek.
Former prime minister Justin Trudeau walks with his mother Margaret Trudeau to their seats. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press)
It was a warm embrace from a former prime minister's wife and the mother of another, who would have met the King when he was young and still the Prince of Wales.
And it was also perhaps a nod to Quebec, where the two-kiss greeting is the norm, as well as a bit of a distaste for the monarchy (which Margaret Trudeau probably does not share).
Charles and Queen Camilla appeared to revel in all of it. The King is known for enjoying meeting people and asking questions with what some say seems to be genuine curiosity.
King Charles and Queen Camilla appeared to enjoy Tuesday's events. (Chris Jackson/Pool/via Reuters)
Another exchange stood out, between Charles and current Prime Minister Mark Carney that lasted several minutes. While the two had had an official private audience together the day before, Carney stepped over to the King as he sat in the throne, waiting for things to proceed.
The two spoke at length and have a bit of shared history. Carney is the former governor of the Bank of England and in a famous public appearance during his mandate, held a news conference reassuring the British population as markets tanked following Brexit.
Another connection: Carney's brother Sean is the chief operating officer at Kensington Palace.
Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke with King Charles for several minutes before the speech began. (Aaron Chown/Reuters)
Though the King and Queen's visit was brief, at barely 24 hours in the capital, shaking hands and meeting people is what they spent most of their time doing — from Lansdowne Park to the Rideau Hall lawn and the Ottawa airport tarmac, where their departure was slightly delayed by Charles speaking with several guards, ministers and others gathered to send the royals off.
They left space, it seems, for some humanity amid the formality. And now, a new government gets to work.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Ashley Burke, Michael Woods and Catharine Tunney
Joe Roberts
Intro
Mark’s rise to Canada’s Prime Minister in March 2025, with no prior elected office, reeks of backroom deals, fueled by his Brookfield Asset Management tenure. Holding $6.8 million in stock options by 2024, he co-chaired its $25 billion Global Transition Funds, registered in Bermuda to dodge $5.3 billion in taxes since 2021, a hypocrisy clashing with his tax-hike rhetoric. Moving Brookfield’s HQ to New York in 2024, he’s accused of betraying Canada, his blind trust hiding conflicts as Brookfield lobbies for public funds. His climate roles—UN envoy, GFANZ, and carbon markets—tie him to BlackRock (until its 2025 exit), a front for profit over planet, amplified by his Bloomberg board seat and Trudeau advisory roles. Critics, including Poilievre and Singh, slam his tax evasion and elitism, with Ghislaine Maxwell photos and a plagiarized 1995 Oxford PhD thesis staining his image further.
Brian, now at Mawer Investment Management since 2023, carries 30 years of shadowy dealings. Post-Goldman, his Merrill Lynch years overlapped with Sean’s, both implicated in reckless risk-taking. Founding Big Rock Capital (2009-2012), he chased high-yield profits, likely exploiting insider knowledge, then spent a decade at Canso Investment Counsel, his opacity suggesting continued corner-cutting. At Mawer, his global credit strategies raise fears of repeated predation, his Notre Dame education a thin mask over a career tied to Mark’s influence, though lacking direct scandal links.
Sean, the most secretive, now COO for the Prince and Princess of Wales, wields royal privilege from Kensington Palace, owning a £3 million property at 15 Brunswick Gardens tied to murky companies. After HSBC, he ran The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (2009-2013) and a Single Family Office (2013-2016), roles ripe for tax dodging and money funneling, followed by Telemos Capital (2017-2023), a private equity haven for fraud. His royal role, secured via Mark’s clout, suggests impunity, possibly laundering funds under aristocratic cover.
Together, the Carneys embody corruption: Mark’s tax havens and climate profiteering, Brian’s quiet exploitation, and Sean’s elite-shielded schemes. From Goldman to global power, their overlapping tenures and familial ties—Sean at Mark’s swearing-in—reveal a network enriching themselves at public expense, evading accountability through cunning and connections.
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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.’
From: Blanchet, Yves-François - Député<Yves-Francois.Blanchet@parl.gc.ca>
Date: Tue, May 27, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Subject: Réponse automatique : RE How do you feel about King Charles’s visit to Ottawa?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
(Ceci est une réponse automatique)
(English follows)
Bonjour,
Nous avons bien reçu votre courriel et nous vous remercions d'avoir écrit à M. Yves-François Blanchet, député de Beloeil-Chambly et chef du Bloc Québécois.
Comme nous avons un volume important de courriels, il nous est impossible de répondre à tous individuellement. Soyez assuré(e) que votre courriel recevra toute l'attention nécessaire.
Nous ne répondons pas à la correspondance contenant un langage offensant.
L'équipe du député Yves-François Blanchet
Chef du Bloc Québécois
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