| 2025 Speech from the Throne | |
|---|---|
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← 2021 Next → | |
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| Legislative body | Parliament of Canada |
| Meeting place | Senate Chamber |
| Date | 27 May 2025 (2025-05-27) |
| Government | 30th Canadian Ministry |
TheSpeech from the Throne of theParliament of Canada took place on May 27, 2025, whenCharles III,King of Canada, opened the newsession of the45th Canadian Parliament, which was the first after the2025 federal election. Charles delivered the Throne Speech, his first as King of Canada, and the first for any Canadian monarch since 1977. He set out theCanadian government's legislative priorities for the following parliamentary session.[1]
Along withQueen Camilla, Charles travelled to the Senate throughWellington Street inCanada's state landau. They were accompanied by theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). At the Senate of Canada Building, the King read the speech from the throne in the temporarySenate chamber. The addresses to be directed to the King to thank him for the speech were then debated by Parliament. It markedMark Carney's first speech from the throne since becomingPrime Minister of Canada after theLiberal Party won the election in the previous month. The title of the throne speech was "Building Canada Strong: A bold, ambitious plan for our future".
Beginning in late 2024, after his election asPresident of the United States,Donald Trump began musing about annexing Canada, calling it the "51st state" and referring to then Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau as "Governor of Canada". He also spoke about using "economic force"[2] to get Canada to join the US, and soon after imposed punishing tariffs[3] on Canadian exports, under the guise of national security. This led to an increase inCanadian patriotism,[4][5] and also calls for the King to get more involved in diplomatic affairs.[6] The King was seen to subsequently be more active in Canadian affairs, meeting two prime ministers in short order, publicly presenting a sword to theUsher of the Black Rod, and wearing more red than usual.[7]
On May 2, 2025, following the2025 federal election, it was announced that there would be a speech from the throne on May 27, accompanied by aroyal tour.[8] The election, held on April 28, was won by the Liberal Party, withMark Carney continuing as prime minister; he was elected by his party as leader in March.
This was the third time a monarch has read the throne speech and the second such time a reigning monarch has opened a new parliament. Charles's mother,Elizabeth II, opened the23rd Parliament and read the speech in 1957, and also read the throne speech to open the 3rd session of the30th Parliament in 1977. Accompanied byQueen Camilla,[9][10] Charles became the first monarch to use thenew throne in theSenate building.
The King and Queen entered theSenate of Canada, in its temporary home in theSenate of Canada Building, where the King would read the speech from the throne.Members of Parliament (MPs) from theHouse of Commons were summoned to attend the Senate byJ. Greg Peters, who holds the office ofBlack Rod. As a symbol of the House of Commons' independence from the reigning monarch, the doors to the chamber were closed upon Peters' approach, requiring him to knock three times for it to be opened. Once MPs had assembled in the Senate entrance, Charles then read the King's Speech. The speech, prepared by the government, set out its planned priorities of legislation for the next session of parliament, and was read by the King in a neutral tone so as not to show any appearance of political support. MPs listened to the speech in mostly silence, before returning to the Commons, where a debate on the address in reply to the speech began.[11][12]
I wish to express to you and to the people of Canada, myheartfelt gratitude, and that of my wife, for the warmthof the welcome which we have received.
As theanthem reminds us, The True North is indeed strongand free!
The speech began with an Indigenousland acknowledgement. Officially starting the newsession of the Canadian Parliament, the King received an unusualstanding ovation from the chamber after stating "The True North is indeed strong and free." This broke with tradition, as standard protocol dictates that members of parliament should remain silent and refrain from reacting during addresses by the monarch or the governor general. The speech was mostly centred on economic reforms, housing, and border security. Legislation to remove all internal trade barriers byCanada Day was announced during the speech. The former prime ministersJustin Trudeau,Stephen Harper, andKim Campbell, as well as the former governors generalDavid Johnston,Michaëlle Jean, andAdrienne Clarkson, were in attendance. The incumbent governor general,Mary Simon, was also present.[14] The 91-year-old former prime ministerJean Chrétien was expected to attend, but was unable to because he was recovering from heart surgery.[15] The King and Queen, accompanied by the prime minister, greeted crowds outside the Senate building.[16] At 2,500 words, it was slightly shorter than the one delivered to Parliament in 2021.[17][18]
Responding to the speech,Pierre Poilievre, the leader of theConservative Party of Canada, said his party would not oppose the government on every measure, but would hold them to account on their election promises. He described the government's proposed spending as "morbidly obese". The speech was also reacted to byDon Davies of theNew Democratic Party,Yves-François Blanchet of theBloc Québécois, andElizabeth May of theGreen Party.[19] The address in reply (to thank the King for the speech) was adopted by the House of Commons, with the addition of several amendments to the original text of thanks, without a recorded vote on June 4.[20] The NDP caucus voted against the text of the address in reply, while the Liberal,Bloc, and Green caucuses voted in favour. The Conservatives had an unclear position.
The government's invitation to the King to read the Throne Speech was criticized by theBloc Québécois, which referred to Charles as a "foreign monarch" and called the move "disrespectful" of theQuébécois. The Bloc protested against the invitation by boycotting the throne speech and announcing that they would table aprivate member's bill to end the requirement for MPs to swear allegiance to the monarch.[21]
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