Affirming Canada's sovereignty and other throne speech takeaways
In Speech to the Throne delivered by King Charles, Canada sought to define its place in an uncertain world and its relationship to the US. It also laid out priorities for Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose Liberals won the country's general election in April - from building new trade ties to bolstering its military and developing major infrastructure projects. Here are five takeaways from Tuesday's speech.
A direct message to the US on sovereignty
Carney's invitation to King Charles to visit Canada was in part a message to US President Donald Trump, who has made repeated remarks undermining its sovereignty. Tensions with the US were a theme throughout, though Trump was never mentioned by name. The speech opened with a wave of patriotism as a trade war with the US, Canada's largest economic partner, looms. The King spoke of the "pleasure and pride" of being in the country "as we witness Canadians coming together in a renewed sense of national pride, unity, and hope". He expressed his "admiration for Canada's unique identity" and its growth since the last time a Sovereign opened parliament - Queen Elizabeth II in 1955. (She gave a second throne speech 20 years later). It has become "a bold, ambitious, innovative country". "The Crown has for so long been a symbol of unity for Canada," the King said. "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." The speech concluded on a similar note: "As the anthem reminds us: The True North is indeed strong and free!"The King's decision 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 country.The speech was written by Canada's government in consultation with Buckingham Palace.
Canada in an uncertain world
Another major theme of the speech is how Canada will face a world with "unprecedented challenges, generating uncertainties across the continents". Another nod to the US and tensions between the two countries followed:"The system of open global trade that, while not perfect, has helped to deliver prosperity for Canadians for decades, is changing. Canada's relationships with partners are also changing," the King said. The speech underscored the need for the country to reinforce its established trading relationships, notably with European allies. During the recent election campaign, Carney repeatedly said the country was at a pivotal moment in its history. The speech Tuesday emphasised that, "this moment is also an incredible opportunity"."An opportunity to think big and to act bigger. An opportunity for Canada to embark on the largest transformation of its economy since the Second World War."
Plans for the trade war and economic growth
King Charles also focused directly on domestic policy and plans set out by Carney's Liberals to address the country's economic headwinds. There was a commitment to speed up major national infrastructure projects and to double a loan programme that would enable more indigenous ownership of major projects. The government also said it would introduce legislation by 1 July to remove federal barriers to internal trade within the country. According to the government, interprovincial trade and labour mobility barriers cost the country as much as C$200bn each year.
Tackling housing, affordability and crime
Canada faces housing affordability crises as housing prices have skyrocketed across the country in the last decade. Alongside the US-Canada relationship, it was one of the top issues on the campaign trail. Carney's Liberals promised to double the rate of building to 500,000 new homes a year.The speech underscored the government's other plans to address the issue, including investing in prefabricated and modular housing, and cutting municipal development charges in half for housing with multiple units. There was a pledge to deliver on another campaign promise - to end a goods and services tax for first-time homebuyers on houses costing less than C$1m. The King highlighted other plans to drive down costs for Canadians, including a tax cut for the lower middle-class. Another major issue during the campaign was crime. The speech contained promises to address tougher penalties for car thefts, home invasions, human trafficking and drug smuggling.
Why is King Charles in Canada, and what is the throne speech?King Charles and Queen Camilla welcomed in Ottawa amid US tensions
A boost to defence and border spending
Canada has been under mounting pressure from the US and other Nato partners to increase its military spending, as it continues to fall short of the 2% of GDP on military spending target set out for alliance members.Carney has committed to hitting that benchmark by 2030. Tuesday's speech contained commitments to "rebuilding, rearming, and reinvesting" in its military; reinforcing defence relationships with European allies, including by joining Rearm Europe, a plan to dramatically increase defence spending on the continent; and to strengthen Canada's Artic presence. Last week, Carney also said that "high level" talks are taking place with the US about joining its proposed "Golden Dome" missile defence system, aimed at countering futuristic threats.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
42 minutes ago
- The Sun
Donald Trump slams ‘big-time drug addict' Elon Musk as toxic feud intensifies
DONALD Trump called Elon Musk a 'big-time drug addict' as his spat with the world's richest man intensified. The US President is said to have blasted his billionaire ex-backer as reliant on ketamine in phone calls. 2 It came after the Tesla billionaire linked Mr Trump to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Their feud went public on Thursday night as both men used their own social media platforms — X and Truth Social — to insult each other. Mr Musk, 53, turned on the US leader, calling his Congressional spending bill a 'disgusting abomination' on Wednesday. The President, 78, has called it his 'big, beautiful bill', but Mr Musk believes it will increase national debt by an unsustainable amount. It triggered the ugly public bust-up, with Musk calling for Trump to be impeached and accusing him of being a close associate of Epstein. Yesterday, Mr Musk deleted the post, which was seen hundreds of millions of times. The Washington Post reported Mr Trump used private calls to urge his allies not to pour fuel on the fire and told Vice President JD Vance to be cautious. But the President, whose campaign took £250million from Mr Musk, is also said to have become weary with the tycoon's alleged drug use. He called Mr Musk an 'addict' in the calls and claimed he 'lost his mind' after leaving the administration. The businessman previously admitted using ketamine, but it is alleged he became so hooked last year it affected his kidneys. Trump insists Elon Musk is lashing out at 'big beautiful bill' for personal reason as he admits he's 'disappointed' in Tesla boss Mr Musk officially left the government last week but said he would remain as a 'friend and adviser' to Mr Trump. The President last night said he had 'no intention' of speaking to Mr Musk, adding: 'I think it's a very bad thing because he's very disrespectful'.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Trump-Musk row fuels 'biggest crisis ever' at Nasa
The row between Donald Trump and Elon Musk over a major spending bill has exacerbated uncertainty over the future of Nasa's budget, which is facing deep cuts. The space agency has published its budget request to Congress, which would see funding for science projects cut by nearly a science missions, which are in development or in space already, are in line to be stood president has threatened to withdraw federal contracts with Musk's company, Space X. Nasa relies on the firm's Falcon 9 rocket fleet to resupply the International Space Station with crew and supplies. The space agency also expects to use its Starship rocket to send astronauts to the Moon and eventually to Mars once it has been Simeon Barber, a space scientist at the Open University said that the uncertainty was having a "chilling impact" on the human space programme."The astonishing exchanges, snap decisions and U turns we've witnessed in the last week undermine the very foundations that we build our ambitions on."Space science and exploration relies upon long term planning and cooperation between government, companies and academic institutions." Aside from the feud between the President and Mr Musk, there is also concern about deep cuts requested by the White House to Nasa's budget. All sectors have been earmarked for savings, apart from an effort to send astronauts to Mars, which has received a $100m (£736,000) to Casey Dreier, chief of space policy for the Pasadena-based Planetary Society, which promotes space exploration, the potential cuts represent "the biggest crisis ever to face the US space programme". Nasa has said that its request to reduce its overall budget by nearly a quarter "aligns (its) science and technology portfolios to missions essential for the exploration of the Moon and Mars".Dr Adam Baker, a space analyst at Cranfield University told BBC News that if these proposals are approved by Congress, it would fundamentally shift the agency's focus."President Trump is repurposing Nasa for two things: to land astronauts on the Moon before the Chinese and to have astronauts plant a US flag on Mars. Everything else is secondary." Those who back the proposals say the White House's budget has given Nasa a clear purpose, for the first time since the days of the Apollo Moon landings of the 1960s and 70s, when the aim was to beat the Soviet Union to the Moon. Nasa's critics say that since then the space agency has become a bloated, unfocussed bureaucracy which routinely goes massively over budget in its space missions and wastes taxpayer's money. One of the most egregious examples of this is Nasa's new rocket for its plans to return American astronauts to the Moon, the Space Launch System (SLS). Its development has been delayed, and costs have spiralled such that it costs $4.1bn (£3.3bn) for each and every launch. By contrast, SpaceX's equivalent rocket system, Starship, is estimated to cost around $100m (£80m) per launch because it is designed to be reusable. Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin space company promises similar savings for its proposed New Glenn no one's surprise, SLS will be phased out under the White House proposals, in the hope that Starship and New Glenn can take its place. But the past three development launches of Starship have been unsuccessful, and Blue Origin has only recently begun to test its Moon rocket."The worry is that Nasa may be jumping out of the frying pan, into the fire," says Dr Barber."The development of these alternatives to SLS is being bankrolled by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. "If they lose their appetite for this endeavor and SpaceX or Blue Origin say they need more money to develop their systems, Congress will have to give it to them," says Dr Barber. Of greater concern, says Dr Barber, is the potential loss of 40 missions to explore other planets and to monitor the impact of climate change on Earth from space, many of which involve collaborations with international partners."I think it is very sad that what has taken so long to build can be knocked down with a wrecking ball so quickly with no plan to rebuild it afterwards."The projects facing the axe include dozens of planetary missions already in space for which most of the development and launch costs have already been paid for, with relatively small savings proposed on their operating costs. Also under threat are two collaborations with the European Space Agency: An ambitious plan to bring martian rocks collected by Nasa's Perseverance Rover back to Earth and a mission to send Europe's Rosalind Franklin Rover to the red planet to search for signs of past Sir Martin Sweeting, head of the UK space firm Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, and co-author of a Royal Society report on the future of space says that while the development was "unwelcome", there may be an upside for Europe as it takes greater responsibility for its own space exploration programme."Maybe we have been too reliant on Nasa the big player to carry a lot of the emphasis in space," he told BBC News."It is an opportunity to think about how Europe wants to get a better balance in its space activities."But there is much more downside for Europe in the short term. As well as the return of Mars samples and its Rover, ESA risks reduced access to the International Space Station if it is wound down, and the budget cuts cancel Nasa's extensive contributions to its successor, the Lunar Gateway, a multinational space station planned for orbit around the Moon. In its recently published strategy ESA stated it "will be seeking to build a more autonomous space capability, and to continue being a reliable, strong and desirable partner with space agencies from around the globe," with the implication that it would do so with or without facing cuts are numerous current and proposed Earth Observation programmes according to Dr Baker."These Earth observation programmes are our canary in the coal mine," he told BBC News."Our ability to predict the impact of climate change and mitigate against it could be drastically reduced. If we turn off this early warning system it is a frightening prospect".The budget proposals have yet to be approved by Congress. The planetary Society's Casey Dreier has told BBC News that many Republicans have told lobbyists privately that they are prepared to vote against the Mr Dreier worries that there is a strong possibility that political gridlock might mean that no budget will be agreed. It is likely that the reduced White House budget would be put in place as an interim measure, which could then not easily be reversed, because once space missions are turned off it is hard, if not impossible, to start them up again.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Crunch talks with President Trump over a US-UK trade deal in doubt over new Chinese ‘super-embassy' in London, with the White House said to be 'very concerned'
Crunch talks over a UK trade deal with Donald Trump have been thrown into jeopardy by plans for a new Chinese 'super- embassy' in London, diplomatic sources have revealed. White House sources said the US Government was 'very concerned' about the risk the embassy posed to America's interests in the City as a result of Beijing 's spies potentially tapping into sensitive financial cables. As a result, Washington's trade deal negotiators are understood to have asked for a ' China lock' as part of the talks, which would guarantee the development will not present a security threat to the US. American officials are now also more concerned about the risk of sharing high-grade intelligence with Britain. A source said: 'The issue has led to undoubted tension during the talks. The British have been desperate to play down the concerns, even though their own intelligence services have made their worries clear.' It comes as British negotiators are racing to implement the trade deal struck in principle between Mr Trump and Sir Keir Starmer, which would exempt the UK from crippling steel tariffs imposed by the US President. No 10 controversially revived plans for the new development on the site of the Royal Mint buildings by the Tower of London, despite them being blocked by the previous government after warnings from MI5 and Scotland Yard. The Bank of England has also warned No 10 about the risks of allowing it to be built close to sensitive financial centres in the City. Mapping data shows that the proposed site for the embassy lies directly between financial hubs in the City and Canary Wharf and close to three major data centres, including the Stock Exchange. Earlier this year, The Mail on Sunday revealed that planning documents for the embassy included 'spy dungeons' – two suites of anonymous basement rooms and a tunnel, with their purpose redacted for security reasons. The Government has refused to disclose whether it is backing the plans in order to boost trading relations with the Chinese. Within a fortnight of Rachel Reeves returning from an official visit to China earlier this year, both Scotland Yard and Tower Hamlets Council mysteriously dropped their objections to the project. Shadow levelling up secretary Kevin Hollinrake has said the lack of information about the 'dungeons' was 'striking', adding: 'There is a chilling prospect that it could be used for the abduction, intimidation or torture of anti-Chinese dissidents living in the UK.' The Chinese have dismissed claims the embassy could be an espionage hub, saying: 'Anti-China elements are always keen on slandering and attacking China.' Intelligence activity by Chinese spies is said to be at an all-time-high in the UK, with agents believed to be eavesdropping on political figures by bugging buildings in Whitehall and park benches.
