King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in Ottawa on Monday to open the 45th Parliament of Canada along with Prime Minister Mark Carney.
A throne speech opens a new session of parliament, and even though the King is the head of state, the throne speech is regularly read by the Governor General, the King’s representative in Canada. However, this time, the Majesty himself is participating in the ceremony.
Liberal Studies professor at Fanshawe College, Glen Morgan, had this to say about the royal speech:
“A lot of this has to do with the current relationship between Canada and the United States and Trump’s trade war. But I think this is just a little bit of a show to the United States, and maybe specifically to Donald Trump, that we have our unique political system and our unique political head of state within our system. And I think that’s pretty much why the King and the Queen are coming to Canada. ”
Meanwhile, Londoners had mixed reactions regarding the visit of the Royal Family to Canada.
“I think it’s stupid that we have to pay as Canadians for their security when they’re one of the richest families in the world.” Says one Londoner interviewed by The X.
“I think the royal Family coming to Canada will be great. It’s a good way to keep the connection between the Canadian government and the United Kingdom.” Says another
The Royal Family last visited Canada on May 17, 2022. However, the previous occasion on which His Majesty opened a session of the Canadian Parliament was in 1977, when Queen Elizabeth II performed the ceremony.
