The symbolism of the King opening Parliament in Ottawa on Tuesday amid sovereignty threats from the United States is highly significant, says the former chair of the Victoria Branch of the Monarchist League of Canada.
On Tuesday, the King will read the speech from the throne in the Senate to open the 45th parliament, at the invitation of Prime Minister Mark Carney.
It will mark the third time a Canadian and British monarch has read the throne speech, something Queen Elizabeth II did in 1957 and 1977.
Bruce Hallsor, a Victoria lawyer and spokesperson for the western branch of the Monarchist League of Canada, said the King reading the throne speech is a reminder that Canada has an association with 54 Commonwealth countries around the world, and a history that’s unique in North America. “I think the symbolism is really important,” he said.
The throne speech, about 20-25 minutes, is set to begin at 8 a.m. Pacific on Tuesday and will lay out the Liberal government’s goals and how it plans to achieve them.
Philippe Lagassé, an associate professor and Barton Chair at Carleton University, noted that the other title for a monarch is sovereign, which “really hits the nail right on the head, that this is a demonstration of sovereignty, to have the embodiment of Canada’s sovereignty read the throne speech.”
Lagassé points out that the King is as much Canada’s monarch as he is the U.K.’s — when he reads the throne speech, he will do so as King of Canada.
The King arrives with Queen Camilla on Monday and will be greeted by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, Carney and his wife, Diana Fox Carney.
Several Indigenous leaders will also greet the King, including National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak of the Assembly of First Nations; Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami; and Victoria Pruden, Métis National Council president.
Beyond all the pomp and ceremony, the royal couple will meet with community members at Landsdowne Park in Ottawa, drop a ceremonial puck at a street-hockey demonstration, and participate in a ceremonial tree planting on the grounds of the Governor General’s official residence.
Closer to home, the Society Barbershop and Café on Herd Road near Duncan is hosting a celebration and toast to the King and Queen at noon Monday.
Organizers are inviting community members to wear “anything Brit” and gather for “a jolly good time” with complimentary finger sandwiches and treats, saying: “We are grateful for the opportunity to celebrate and show we stand together in protecting our communities and countries.
The King had planned an extensive visit to Canada that was curtailed when he was diagnosed with cancer, for which he has been undergoing treatment since February 2024.
Despite having restricted his travel, even within the United Kingdom, the King agreed to go to Ottawa at the government’s request, said Hallsor. “So I think that’s something very significant for the King to be doing this, it shows a real commitment to Canada and to his role in Canada.”
While it’s his first visit to Canada as King, it’s his 20th trip to Canada and Queen Camilla’s sixth.
The couple will travel to the Senate in a ceremonial carriage drawn by 28 horses of the RCMP Musical Ride and used for royal and vice-regal transportation in Ottawa.
Before they return to the airport there will be a flypast by the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Hallsor said Canadians tend to rally around the Crown at times of both great national celebration, remembrance, and national crisis.
“I think at this particular time when Canadians are reflecting on the importance of our being a sovereign nation and our difficult relationship with our neighboring president, there’s a role for the Crown,” said Hallsor.
“Prime Minister Carney has seen that Canadians are responding and are going to respond to that.”
Lagassé said the United States’ vaunted system of checks and balances isn’t looking great right now.
By comparison, Canada’s system with its hereditary head of state, appointed head of government, and executive branch that must hold the confidence of elected legislators is not looking so bad, he said.
“Our system, for all its quirks and oddities and strange workarounds, including sharing a monarch, looks pretty good.”
