Canada is ‘strong and free', King Charles says amid Trump row
Amid increasingly tense relations between Canada and the American president, who has repeatedly expressed a desire to make it the 51st US state, the King said Canada was facing a 'critical moment' and praised the unique 'identity' of the country four times during the 26-minute speech.
Charles spoke of a 'renewed sense of national pride and hope' and of defending 'values', adding: 'As the anthem reminds us, the 'true north' is indeed strong and free.'
While the speech was written by the Canadian government to introduce its policies to the 45th parliament, it was a chance to reinforce the message to Trump that Canada was not for sale. The King spoke while seated on a throne that had been specially crafted from the wood of a walnut tree gifted to the country by the late Queen.
Charles said: 'The government will protect Canada's sovereignty by rebuilding, rearming and reinvesting in the Canadian armed forces. It will boost Canada's defence industry by joining ReArm Europe, to invest in transatlantic security with Canada's European partners. And it will invest to strengthen its presence in the north, which is an integral part of Canada, as this region faces new threats.'
It is the third time a monarch has addressed the Canadian parliament, the last being the late Queen in 1977. It is only the second time that a sovereign has opened parliament, which last occurred in 1957.
Back then, Charles said, the Second World War was a 'fresh, painful memory'. Now, 'Canada faces another critical moment'. He added: '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.'
While largely drafted by the Canadian government it was embroidered with some personal flourishes from the King. He said: 'As I have said before, every time I come to Canada … a little more of Canada seeps into my bloodstream — and from there straight to my heart. I have always had the greatest admiration for Canada's unique identity, which is recognised across the world for bravery and sacrifice in defence of national values, and for the diversity and kindness of Canadians.'
It was also an opportunity for Charles to promote the importance of the monarchy at a time when younger Canadian generations were increasingly ambivalent about the country's connection to the Crown.
He said: '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 acknowledged the country faced 'unprecedented' challenges, but that while 'many Canadians are feeling anxious and worried about the drastically changing world around them', it also presented an 'opportunity to think big and to act bigger'.
In a message that seemed pointed at Trump in particular, the King said: 'All Canadians can give themselves far more than any foreign power on any continent can ever take away.'
In a bilingual speech, the King also praised the diversity of the country: 'The French language and the Quebec culture are at the heart of the Canadian identity. They define the country that Canadians and I love so much. Canada is a country that respects and celebrates its official languages and Indigenous languages. The government is determined to protect the institutions that bring these cultures and this identity to the world.'
Crowds turned out in Ottawa to see a relatively new King and a new prime minister. When Mark Carney arrived he waved from the dais and a man in the crowd shouted: 'We love you, Carney.'
Justin Trudeau, the former prime minister, stood out by wearing a pair of green trainers in a chamber of polished dress shoes. The King and Queen travelled to the Senate building in the State Landau, an open-topped carriage built in Australia in the 1890s and bought by Earl Grey, Canada's ninth governor-general.
Before entering the Senate, Charles inspected a 100-person guard of honour from the 3rd battalion of the Royal Canadian regiment and received a 21-gun salute.
The Queen had a military note in her outfit. She wore a diamond brooch fashioned in the shape of the Queen's Own Rifles cap badge, a gift previously presented to Camilla as the regiment's colonel-in-chief.
The usher of the black rod led dignitaries into the chamber where 338 MPs joined a total of 470 guests gathered to hear the speech. Ben Woodfinden, a commentator for Canada's National Post newspaper, described the pomp and tightly controlled customs, conventions and rituals as 'strikingly odd and weird', adding: 'This isn't a knock against the monarchy; it's a visible reminder that part of what makes our unique form of government worth preserving are all the strange idiosyncrasies that come along with it.'
There were some changed made to reflect the diversity of modern-day Canada.
Indigenous elements were incorporated into the ceremony, with representation from the three distinct Indigenous groups: First Nation, Métis and Inuit.
Leonard Weasel Traveller, a traditional elder of the Blackfoot confederacy who was in the Senate for the King's speech, said: 'He has been chosen and his family goes all the way back. He's special and I recognise that.'
The Senate commissioned four sketch artists to capture the key moments during the speech.
Steven Guilbeault, Canada's minister of identity and culture, described the King's speech from the throne as a 'momentous occasion' and 'one that brings Canadians together in celebration of our rich history, our democracy and the institutions that serve us all'.
There were those, however, who felt that a foreign monarch being used to reinforce a country's independence was an unwelcome contradiction. Don Davies, interim leader of the New Democratic Party, said: 'Inviting a hereditary monarch who is the head of state of a foreign country is not necessarily the best way for a modern democracy to express its independence and sovereignty.'
Tom Freda, the director of Citizens for a Canadian Republic, said: 'It disturbs me that Canadians think that strengthening our ties with the monarchy actually protects us from outside threats.'
After the speech, the King and Queen walked over to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for a sombre ceremony in which Charles laid a wreath and Camilla laid flowers handed to her by Olivia Vernelli, whose father, Master Corporal Scott Vernelli, was killed while serving in Afghanistan in 2009.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier contains the remains of an unidentified Canadian soldier who had been buried near Vimy Ridge in France, the site of a famous Canadian victory in the First World War. This year, Canada marks the 25th anniversary of the repatriation of the soldier's remains.
After a whirlwind 24 hours of political rhetoric and a King's speech designed to promote both Canadian sovereignty and the importance of the monarchy, it was a chance to reflect.
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