King Charles uses throne speech to bolster Canada's autonomy against Donald Trump's threats

King Charles, the physical embodiment of the constitutional authority in a system distinct from the republicanism of the United States, arrived in the nation’s capital for a 24-hour whirlwind visit at what the Canadian government called a moment of crisis, when a powerful American president, Donald Trump, is engaged in a trade war and agitating for territorial expansion.

The simple fact of the monarch’s presence in Ottawa was meant to underscore the line between us and them.

All eyes and ears were on the King’s initial comments, written by the monarch in consultation with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office which used the rest of the speech to set out the new Liberal administration’s governing agenda.

The speech itself — and the pomp and circumstance that surrounds it — are an ongoing political commitment to constitutional monarchism, unlike the system in the U.S. which rejected the king in their revolutionary war of independence 250 years ago.

An event that opens a new Parliament, it was boycotted by the anti-monarchist separatist Bloc Québécois MPs, but drew former governors-general and prime ministers including a sneaker-clad Justin Trudeau. In large measure, the address re-capped the campaign promises of Carney’s minority Liberal government that was elected on April 28.

But the King’s statement, chock-a-block with declarations of Canada’s autonomy, did some heavy lifting for the Liberal government as it stares down the Trump administration and seeks to renegotiate Canada’s relationship with its largest ally and trading partner.

The King’s remarks started with a personalized reflection on the Crown and the country’s relationship with Indigenous Peoples, and his wish that Canada continue on a path “toward truth and reconciliation, in both word and deed.” 

In a remarkable moment, the King — the modern representative of the British Crown under whose authority this land was colonized — acknowledged the Canadian senate in which he sat stands on the “unceded territory” of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg people.

That was followed by a series of statements that underscored Canada’s distinct national character, with the King saying he admired Canada’s “unique identity, which is recognized across the world for bravery and sacrifice in defence of national values, and for the diversity and kindness of Canadians.”

In a nod to representatives who attended from all parts of Canada, the protective military and police services, as well as the newly-elected and appointed legislators of 2025, the King said, “I see the guardians of the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed in the Canadian Charter and, as King, I thank you for your service to your fellow Canadians, across the length and breadth of this vast and great nation.”

The King made a distinct pitch for civilized discussions in the Parliament to come, and concluded his personal portion of the speech with a declaration that Canada has “dramatically changed” over the 70 years since his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, opened a session of Parliament.

Canada repatriated its Constitution from Britain, “achieving full independence, and witnessing immense growth,” the King said, a reference to the creation of the Charter and Constitution in 1982.

“Canada has embraced its British, French, and Indigenous roots, and become a bold, ambitious, innovative country that is bilingual, truly multicultural, and committed to reconciliation,” the King said.

The King asserted that the Crown is 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.”

Afterwards, ministers, MPs and Carney thrilled to the king’s statements.

Carney, speaking with the British press before his motorcade pulled up at the National War Memorial, said the day was “about Canadian institutions.”

The prime minister said Indigenous Peoples, the Senate, Parliament and the Supreme Court were all represented at the throne speech which was “delivered — brilliantly, I might add — by His Majesty.”

“You see the enthusiasm for those institutions, and even for me,” he said, laughing and waving as the crowd nearby started to cheer. The reporter asked if the King reinforced Canada’s sovereignty, and Carney said “Our sovereignty is strong, yeah.”

Former prime minister Kim Campbell told CBC the throne speech and the welcome for the King and Queen was a “delightful” mix of informality and formality, saying that afterward inside the chamber as everyone talked about the speech, “it was a madhouse.” Six of nine Supreme Court judges attended, as elected MPs stood ceremonially at the Senate bar to listen to the speech that would guide their work over the coming months and possibly years.

“It was so un-American,” said Campbell. , calling the staging of the royals visit “a very interesting snapshot of Canada today.”

Under a bright and clear spring sky, thousands had descended on downtown Ottawa to witness King Charles and Queen Camilla’s arrival. Later, at a wreath-laying at the Cenotaph, there were cheers, spontaneous outbursts of “God Save the King” and “hip-hip-hurrays” after a Royal Canadian Air Force flypast of CF-18 fighter jets over the National War Memorial.

But it remains to be seen what impact it all will have on Trump — who has expressed deep admiration for the British monarchy and whom the King has invited to London for a state visit.

After the King’s opening remarks, the bulk of the speech reprised the commitments that Carney and his Liberal party made during this spring’s general election.

In broad strokes, and some specific promises, it surveyed the government’s major priorities, including finding a new footing for the Canada-U.S. relationship amidst Trump’s tariffs, as well as efforts to strengthen the Canadian economy.

“Many Canadians are feeling anxious and worried about the drastically changing world around them,” the King said.

“Fundamental change is always unsettling. Yet this moment is also an incredible opportunity … to embark on the largest transformation of its economy since the Second World War.”

The speech ran through Liberal pledges to remove internal trade barriers, fast-track major development projects — while respecting environmental commitments and Indigenous rights — and reduce the government’s operational spending by capping the public service and through other means.

It emphasized Carney’s previous commitment to join the “re-arm Europe” project, in order to diversify Canada’s security alliances. 

The speech also outlined the government’s plan to trim income taxes, slash the sales tax on new homes, and double the pace of housing construction, among other commitments. 

The King and Queen later departed Ottawa aboard Royal Canadian Air Force One, a Polaris plane emblazoned below the cockpit with the slogan “The True North Strong and Free.” 

Outside the House of Commons, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who lost his seat but was in attendance at the throne speech, welcomed the King’s presence but criticized the speech as lacking in specific solutions. He said his party would propose amendments when the speech is voted on in the House, to scrap the federal law governing project assessments and adopt Conservative crime proposals. 

A vote on the throne speech is typically a confidence vote, meaning its failure could trigger another federal election and topple Carney’s minority government. 

Poilievre, asked about the theme of the speech in asserting Canada’s sovereignty, said Canadians have long debated the country’s relationship with Britain and the U.S., but that it was important to see Canada’s centuries-old traditions of parliamentary democracy underscored on Tuesday.

“I think it’s important that the world recognize that we have those ancient traditions, and the Americans recognize that we are an independent and free country, that will make its own decisions.  

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet told reporters the speech didn’t explicitly outline the threat Canada faces in Trump even though the election campaign was ostensibly about that and how Parliament should respond. Instead, he said, it showed the Carney government intends to centralize power as it fails to take account of Quebec’s interests.

“I believe that Mr. Carney sees himself, culturally, as the CEO of Canada, and he will make decisions, and he will have his decisions being implemented by everybody. And he seems to see that Quebec and provinces are merely region offices.” Blanchet suggested, but did not clearly specify, that his party might vote against the speech which could pass with NDP support alone. 

NDP Interim Leader Don Davies, meanwhile, welcomed some elements of the speech, like expressions of support for Canadian companies and goods, as well as Carney’s familiar commitment to deepen non-U.S. trading partnerships. But he bemoaned how some NDP priorities were absent, like changes to improve jobless benefits and details on policies to fight climate change.

“This is not a worker-centred throne speech,” Davies said, adding that, for the most part, it could have been written by a Conservative government.

Davies said the NDP caucus of seven MPs will decided in the coming days whether to vote in support of the government’s agenda in the speech.