King Charles III has delivered a rare royal speech from Canada’s Parliament, emphasising the country’s sovereignty in a new era of “dangerous and uncertain” times.
The so-called “Speech from the Throne” on Tuesday was historic. It represented both the first time Charles had given an address from Canada since becoming king and only the third time the annual speech kicking off the parliamentary session had been delivered by a British monarch, not a lower representative of the Crown.
Speaking from the Senate in Ottawa, Charles sought to ground the event as taking place during an equally historic “epoch”. During the statements, the disruptive policies of United States President Donald Trump, who has launched a trade war with Canada and threatened to make the country the US’s “51st state”, loomed large.
The king recalled his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, giving the first “Speech from the Throne” in 1957, in the wake of World War II and as the Cold War intensified.
“In the decades since, history has been punctuated by epoch-making events: the Vietnam War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the start of the war on terror,” he said.
“Today, Canada faces another critical moment. The world is a more dangerous and uncertain place than at any point since World War II. Canada is facing challenges that are unprecedented in our lifetimes.”
Here were the key takeaways from the speech:
Sovereignty
The Trump administration was only directly mentioned once during the speech, but the policies pursued since Trump took office on January 20 loomed large.
In his opening statements, Charles said he felt a “deep sense of pride” as he and his wife, Camilla, witnessed “Canadians coming together in a renewed sense of national pride, unity and hope”.
“Democracy, pluralism, the rule of law, self-determination and freedom are values which Canadians hold dear, and ones which the government is determined to protect,” he said, later adding that the government was rebuilding, rearming and reinvesting in the Canadian Armed Forces – and strengthening alliances with Europe – to “protect Canada’s sovereignty”.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Justin Vovk, a royal historian at McMaster University in Ontario, said the speech puts further weight behind Canada as it faces pressure from the US. While the address was actually written by Canada’s government, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, Charles would have had to “approve the speech”.
“He would have acknowledged his comfort with saying all of the things he said,” said Vovk. “So it reaffirmed the fact that Canada does have its own identity on the world stage – that Canada is not abdicating its place and its role in international alliances.”
Trade war
But far from a tirade against Trump, Vovk noted that Charles’s speech was especially significant for the careful tone it took towards the US. That was particularly true when it came to references to Trump’s tariffs on Canada, and the tensions they have created for the longtime trading partners.
“The system of open global trade that, while not perfect, has helped to deliver prosperity for Canadians for decades, is changing,” Charles acknowledged early on. “Canada’s relationships with partners are also changing.”
But moments later, Charles hailed shifting Canada-US ties as an example of the new opportunities created by change, in his only direct reference to Trump.
“The prime minister and the president of the United States, for example, have begun defining a new economic and security relationship between Canada and the United States,” he said, “rooted in mutual respect and founded on common interests to deliver transformational benefits for both sovereign nations.”
In striking that balance, the speech was “actually quite remarkable”, historian Vovk said.
“There was really that emphasis on cooperation between Canada and the United States,” he said. “I think there was a lot in that speech that Donald Trump should or will likely be happy about.”
Border issues
One notable message to Trump came in a reference to US-Canada border issues.
Prior to imposing 25 percent tariffs on many Canadian goods, Trump had called on Canada to crack down on immigration and drug trafficking – particularly fentanyl – at the border.
Critics derided the pressure campaign as exceptionally misguided, as only 27kg (59 pounds) of fentanyl were seized at the US-Canada border from 2022 to 2024, accounting for 0.1 percent of the seizures of the drug by US authorities during that period, according to Canadian government data.
Nevertheless, Charles hailed soon-to-be-introduced legislation that would seek to “enhance security at Canada’s borders”.
“Law enforcement and intelligence agencies will have new tools to stop the flow of fentanyl and its precursors,” he said.
Charles also referenced immigration, saying Canada’s government would “bring balance” to the issue.
That echoed a campaign promise from Carney, who had contended with pushback over former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s immigration policies.
Domestic front
Other key issues for the newly elected prime minister – whose Liberal Party won the most seats, 170, in the 343-member House of Commons in April – also got mention in the speech.
Charles pointed to the country’s housing crisis, and Carney’s plan to surge construction of prefabricated and modular housing. He pointed to efforts to remove “barriers to trade and labour mobility” across Canada’s 13 provinces.
He also referenced plans to speed up energy projects, saying the changes will “unleash a new era of growth that will ensure we don’t just survive ongoing trade wars, but emerge from them stronger than ever”.
Charles also pointed to the unique relationship with Indigenous groups like the Inuit and Metis peoples, with many treaties with the Crown predating the 1867 founding of Canada. He supported efforts for “reconciliation” – or repairing historical harm – ongoing between the groups and the Canadian government.
“It is my great hope that in each of your communities and collectively as a country, a path is found towards truth and reconciliation in both word and deed,” the monarch said.
