King Charles Praises "Strong, Free" Canada Amid Trump's Annexation Threats
Ottawa:
King Charles III calls Canada a "strong and free" nation in a major speech at the opening of parliament in Ottawa amid annexation threats from US President Donald Trump. The King, Canada's head of state, noted that the relationships of the North American country with partners, including the US, were changing, and he stressed the sovereignty of both nations.
"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," the monarch said, adding that Ottawa was facing a "critical moment."
"The True North is indeed strong and free," he said, referring to Canada's national anthem.
The speech of King Charles, who had never publicly commented on Trump's repeated threats of making Canada the 51st US state, was closely watched for veiled references on the issue. Tensions with America were a theme throughout the King's speech, though the US president was never mentioned by name. The king referred to "the country that Canadians and I love so much" but did not name Trump, who has imposed tariffs on Canadian exports.
"The system of open global trade that, while not perfect, has helped to deliver prosperity for Canadians for decades, is changing," Charles said, in cautious words.
"We must be clear-eyed: the world is a more dangerous and uncertain place than at any point since the Second World War."
The 76-year-old king is the first British monarch in almost 70 years to preside over the opening of the Canadian parliament. As Canada is a Commonwealth member, the king was invited by Prime Minister Mark Carney as the country's head of state for the opening of the new parliamentary session. His address at the Senate -- a former railway station that has been converted while parliament undergoes renovations -- was attended by past prime ministers, Supreme Court justices and Indigenous leaders in feather headdresses.
"Every time I come to Canada ... a little more of Canada seeps into my bloodstream - and from there straight to my heart...Canada has continued to set an example to the world in her conduct and values, as a force for good," he, accompanied by his wife, Queen Camilla.
The monarchy is not a major factor in Canadian daily life, even though coins and bank notes feature the monarch's head and the country is defended by the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Canadian Navy.
Trump's Threats
The British monarch's move to open parliament - a role traditionally left to the governor general, who is the monarch's top representative in Canada - is seen as a symbolic show of support for the Commonwealth nation, especially as Trump launched tariff wars, particularly targeting Canada.
Not to be outdone, Trump on Tuesday posted on his TruthSocial platform about annexing Canada -- eliding mention of King Charles -- by offering protection from his proposed "Golden Dome" missile defence system.
"I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State," Trump said, adding: "They are considering the offer!"
There was no immediate response from Canada to Trump's claims.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
27 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
NATO ministers to discuss defence spending hike ahead of key summit
BRUSSELS, - NATO defence ministers will gather in Brussels on Thursday to discuss how to meet Donald Trump's demand for significant increases in spending, less than three weeks ahead of a key summit of the alliance in The Hague. The U.S. president has said NATO allies should boost investment in defence to 5% of gross domestic product, up from the current target of 2%. Diplomats say the European allies understand that hiking defence expenditure is the price of ensuring a continued U.S. commitment to the continent's security and that keeping America on board means allowing Trump to be able to declare a win on his 5% demand during the summit, scheduled for June 24-25. "We have to go further and we have to go faster," NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters on Wednesday. "A new defence investment plan will be at the heart of the NATO summit in The Hague," he added. In a bid to meet Trump's 5% goal, Rutte has proposed alliance members boost defence spending to 3.5% of GDP and commit a further 1.5% to broader security-related spending, Reuters has reported. But details of the new investment plan will likely continue to be negotiated until the very eve of the NATO summit. "We have to find a realistic compromise between what is necessary and what is possible really to spend," German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Wednesday. Countries remain divided over the timeline for a new pledge. "There's not unlimited time," U.S. ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker told reporters on Wednesday. Rutte has proposed reaching the 5% by 2032 – a date that some eastern European states consider too distant but which some others see as too early and unrealistic given current spending and industrial production levels. A 2032 target is "definitely too late", Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said on Wednesday, arguing for a target of 2030 at the latest. There is also an ongoing debate over how to define "defence-related" spending, which might include spending on cybersecurity and certain types of infrastructure. "The aim is to find a definition that is precise enough to cover only real security-related investments, and at the same time broad enough to allow for national specifics," said one NATO diplomat.
Hindustan Times
27 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Trump suspends entry of international students studying at Harvard
BOSTON -U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday suspended for an initial six months the entry into the United States of foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in exchange programs at Harvard University, amid an escalating dispute with the Ivy League school. Trump's proclamation cited national security concerns as a justification for barring international students from entering the United States to pursue studies at the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based university. Harvard in a statement called Trump's proclamation "yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard's First Amendment rights." "Harvard will continue to protect its international students," it added. The suspension can be extended beyond six months. Trump's proclamation also directs the U.S. State Department to consider revoking academic or exchange visas of any current Harvard students who meet his proclamation's criteria. The directive on Wednesday came a week after a federal judge in Boston announced she would issue a broad injunction blocking the administration from revoking Harvard's ability to enroll international students, who make up about a quarter of its student body. The administration has launched a multifront attack on the nation's oldest and wealthiest university, freezing billions of dollars in grants and other funding and proposing to end its tax-exempt status, prompting a series of legal challenges. Harvard argues the administration is retaliating against it for refusing to accede to its demands to control the school's governance, curriculum and the ideology of its faculty and students. Harvard sued after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on May 22 announced her department was immediately revoking Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, which allows it to enroll foreign students. Her action was almost immediately temporarily blocked by U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs. On the eve of a hearing before her last week, the department changed course and said it would instead challenge Harvard's certification through a lengthier administrative process. Nonetheless, Burroughs said she planned to issue a longer-term preliminary injunction at Harvard's urging, saying one was necessary to give some protection to Harvard's international students. In an internal cable seen by Reuters that was issued a day after that court hearing, the State Department ordered all its consular missions overseas to begin additional vetting of visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard for any purpose. Wednesday's two-page directive said Harvard had "demonstrated a history of concerning foreign ties and radicalism," and had "extensive entanglements with foreign adversaries," including China. The FBI had "long warned that foreign adversaries take advantage of easy access to American higher education to steal information, exploit research and development and spread false information," the proclamation said. It said Harvard had seen a "drastic rise in crime in recent years while failing to discipline at least some categories of conduct violations on campus," and had failed to provide sufficient information to the Homeland Security Department about foreign students' "known illegal or dangerous activities."
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
'We don't want them': What prompted Donald Trump's travel ban on 12 nations; Is a rollback on the table?
Donald Trump Six months into his presidency, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a far-reaching travel ban, saying, "we don't want them." This travel ban, impacting a total of 19 countries, can majorly reshape immigration policy of the United States. It was put forth through a presidential proclamation, the proposed restrictions introduce a three-tiered system of escalating barriers targeting nationals from more than a dozen countries. The measure is among the most aggressive in modern US history regarding global mobility. It has the potential to impact millions of people seeking entry to the United States for purposes including work, study, tourism, and relocation. What is a travel ban? A travel ban is a government-imposed restriction that prohibits or limits entry to the United States for citizens of specific countries. These restrictions may include total visa suspensions or targeted limitations on certain visa categories. Trump's first executive order directed the State Department to identify nations where vetting procedures are inadequate, potentially justifying a full or partial suspension of entry for their nationals. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Secure Your Child's Future with Strong English Fluency Planet Spark Learn More Undo The current proclamation builds on that order and cites a recent attack by an Egyptian national in Colorado's Boulder as additional justification. What is a presidential proclamation? A presidential proclamation is a formal announcement by the President. While some proclamations are ceremonial, others --especially during national emergencies, can carry legal and policy weight. Unlike executive orders that direct federal agencies, proclamations often signal sweeping policy shifts. In this case, the White House said, 'The Proclamation fully restricts and limits the entry of nationals from 12 countries found to be deficient with regard to screening and vetting and determined to pose a very high risk to the United States.' Bans go into effect from Monday As per the White House's statement travel ban announced by Trump administration will go into effect from Monday. "The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted," Trump said in a video message from the Oval Office posted on X. "We don't want them." Countries under full restriction (As per statements released by White House) Afghanistan - "The Taliban, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, controls Afghanistan. Afghanistan lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures." Myanmar ( Burma ) - "According to the Overstay Report , Burma had a B‑1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 27.07 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 42.17 percent. Additionally, Burma has historically not cooperated with the United States to accept back their removable nationals." Chad - "According to the Overstay Report, Chad had a B‑1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 49.54 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 55.64 percent. According to the Fiscal Year 2022 Overstay Report, Chad had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 37.12 percent. The high visa overstay rate for 2022 and 2023 is unacceptable and indicates a blatant disregard for United States immigration laws." Republic of the Congo - "According to the Overstay Report, the Republic of the Congo had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 29.63 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 35.14 percent." Equatorial Guinea - Recorded a 21.98% overstay rate for B1/B2 visas and 70.18% for student/exchange visas. Eritrea - "The United States questions the competence of the central authority for issuance of passports or civil documents in Eritrea. Criminal records are not available to the United States for Eritrean nationals." Haiti - "Hundreds of thousands of illegal Haitian aliens flooded into the United States during the Biden Administration. This influx harms American communities by creating acute risks of increased overstay rates, establishment of criminal networks, and other national security threats." Iran - "Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism . Iran regularly fails to cooperate with the United States Government in identifying security risks, is the source of significant terrorism around the world, and has historically failed to accept back its removable nationals." Libya - "There is no competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents in Libya. The historical terrorist presence within Libya's territory amplifies the risks posed by the entry into the United States of its nationals." Somalia - " Somalia lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures." Sudan - "Sudan lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures." Yemen - "Yemen lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures." Countries under partial restriction The proclamation also imposes partial restrictions on citizens from seven additional countries identified as posing elevated risks: Burundi Cuba Laos Sierra Leone Togo Turkmenistan Venezuela Why were these countries chosen? The proclamation outlines various justifications for including these countries: Lack of document integrity & vetting systems: Nations like Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, and Venezuela are cited for lacking competent or cooperative authorities to issue credible documents or vet travellers. High visa overstay rates: Burma, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Burundi, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Turkmenistan were flagged for significantly high rates of visa overstays in the US. Terrorist threats and state-sponsored terrorism: Countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Cuba, and others were included due to their ties to terrorism or designation as state sponsors of terrorism. Exemptions for Olympics, World Cups The travel ban will not apply to athletes participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, or the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, according to Trump's order.
