By Rob Gillies | Associated Press
OTTAWA, Ontario — King Charles III said Canada is facing unprecedented challenges in a world that’s never been more dangerous as he opened the Canadian Parliament on Tuesday with a speech widely viewed as a show of support in the face of annexation threats by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump’s repeated suggestion that the U.S. annex Canada prompted Prime Minister Mark Carney to invite Charles to give the speech from the throne outlining his government’s priorities for the new session of Parliament. The king is the head of state in Canada, which is a member of the Commonwealth of former colonies.
“We must face reality: since the Second World War, our world has never been more dangerous and unstable. Canada is facing challenges that, in our lifetimes, are unprecedented,” Charles said in French.
He added that “many Canadians are feeling anxious and worried about the drastically changing world around them.”
The king said the “True North is indeed strong and free” and reaffirmed Canada’s sovereignty.
A rare moment
It’s rare for the monarch to deliver what’s called the speech from the throne in Canada. Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, did it twice before
The king noted that it has been nearly 70 years since his mother first opened Parliament. The visit makes it the 20th time that Charles has visited Canada, the first as monarch.
“Canada has dramatically changed: repatriating its constitution, achieving full independence, and witnessing immense growth. Canada has embraced its British, French, and Indigenous roots, and become a bold, ambitious, innovative country that is bilingual, truly multicultural,” the monarch said.
He said when his late mother opened a new session of Canadian Parliament in 1957, World War II remained a fresh, painful memory and said the Cold War was intensifying.
“Freedom and democracy were under threat,” he said. “Today, Canada faces another critical moment.”
The king’s speech
The speech isn’t written by the king or his U.K. advisers as Charles serves as a nonpartisan head of state. He read what was put before him by Canada’s government, but makes some remarks of his own.
Canadians are largely indifferent to the monarchy, but Carney has been eager to show the differences between Canada and the United States.
Britain’s King Charles III reviews the departure guard as he walks to board an aircraft to depart after a two-day visit in Ottawa, Canada, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Patrick Doyle/Pool/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)
After the United States gained independence from Britain, Canada remained a colony until 1867 and afterward, continued as a constitutional monarchy with a British-style parliamentary system.
The king’s visit clearly underscores Canada’s sovereignty, Carney said.
”I have always had the greatest admiration for Canada’s unique identity, which is recognized across the world for bravery and sacrifice in defense of national values, and for the diversity and kindness of Canadians,” the king said.
Carney won the job of prime minister by promising to confront the increased aggression shown by Trump and made his first trip to London and Paris, the capital cities of Canada’s two founding nations.
Carney is eager to diversify trade, and the king said that Canada can build new alliances. More than 75% of Canada’s exports go to the U.S.
Tense relationship with the U.S.
The new U.S. ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, said that sending messages to the U.S. isn’t necessary and Canadians should move on from the 51st state talk, telling the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. that if there’s a message to be sent, there are easier ways to do that, such as calling him or calling the president.
The king said that among the priorities for the government is protection of the French language and Quebec culture, which are at the heart of Canadian identity. He also said the Canada must protect Quebec’s dairy supply management industry. Trump attacked the industry in trade talks.
And he said that the Canadian government will protect Canada’s sovereignty by reinvesting in the Canadian Armed Forces. Trump has complained that Canada doesn’t spend enough on its military.
The king said that Canada would look to the European Union to purchase military equipment by joining the “REARM Europe” plan — a major defense procurement project to ramp up arms production in Europe. The speech made no mention of buying from the U.S.
Pomp and ceremony
A horse-drawn carriage took Charles and Queen Camilla to the Senate of Canada Building for the speech. It was accompanied by 28 horses, 14 before and 14 after. After inspecting a 100-person honor guard and receiving a 21-gun salute, King Charles entered the Senate building as the crowd cheered.
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Former Canadian Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper were among those in attendance.
The king returned to the U.K. after the speech and a visit to Canada’s National War Memorial.
“Thank you for coming,” one voice called out from the crowd as the royal couple moved toward their motorcade.
Justin Vovk, a Canadian royal historian, said the king’s visit reminds him of when Queen Elizabeth II opened the Parliament in Grenada, a member of the commonwealth, in 1985.
A U.S.-led force invaded the islands in October 1983 without consulting the British government following the killing of Grenada’s Marxist prime minister, Maurice Bishop.