King Charles II will address Canada’s Parliament on Tuesday, a rare gesture that comes as Canada grapples with tariffs and annexation threats by President Trump.
The British monarch, who formally serves as Canada’s head of state, arrived in the capital of Ottawa on Monday, part of a two-day visit that’s widely viewed as a form of pushback against Mr. Trump’s calls to make Canada the 51st state.
Why is King Charles speaking to Canada’s parliament?
The king is delivering a “Speech from the Throne,” which marks the start of a new session of Parliament after the center-left Liberal Party won last month’s federal election. The speech — written by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office, not the king — will lay out the new government’s agenda and priorities.
Marking the start of Parliament with a speech is a longstanding tradition in Canada and other former parts of the British Empire — but it’s highly unusual for the king to deliver the speech himself. Instead, the king’s representative in Canada, the governor-general, normally speaks on his behalf. The last time the monarch personally gave the speech was in 1977, when Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, traveled to Canada’s capital for the event.
The speech will take place at 11 a.m. EDT on Tuesday.
Is King Charles’ visit to Ottawa related to Trump?
Some watchers of Canadian politics think so, especially as Mr. Trump has repeatedly mused about the United States annexing Canada, stirring strong backlash.
Jared Wesley, a political science professor at the University of Alberta, says the royal visit could be “an indication that the king takes Canada’s sovereignty seriously.”
“The explicit threats to Canada’s sovereignty probably got the attention of the king and his advisers,” Wesley told CBS News.
The visit could also play to domestic politics, Wesley says. Mr. Trump’s comments have “stirred up patriotism in some odd corners of Canada,” and the country’s status as a constitutional monarchy where the king is still technically the head of state is one major difference between Canada and its neighbor to the south. And even though most Canadians are fairly indifferent toward the monarchy, visits by royals always draw interest.
“It’s seen as a point of pride and distinction between Canada and the U.S.,” said Wesley, who previously served in several roles for Alberta’s provincial government.
University of Toronto political science professor Elizabeth McCallion said the visit is likely intended as a “reminder that we are an independent country” and a “rallying together of Canadians.”
Earlier this month, Carney told Sky News the invitation to Charles was “not coincidental.” In a statement welcoming Charles on Monday, the prime minister didn’t mention Mr. Trump, but did hint at Canada’s “distinct identity” and “historic ties that crises only fortify.”
Charles also has a longstanding relationship with Canada, visiting the country over a dozen times before ascending to the throne. Amid a rocky relationship with the United States, many Canadians have looked for signs of support from Charles, taking note of symbolic gestures like the crown’s decision to plant a maple tree at Buckingham Palace earlier this year, McCallion said.
McCallion says some Canadians also believe Mr. Trump’s longstanding fascination with the British royal family could play to the country’s benefit.
“There’s hope that when he’s visiting, Trump will take notice and respect the fact that Canada has connections to the British monarchy,” McCallion told CBS News.
Charles is the head of state for both Canada and the U.K., putting him in an unusual position as the U.K. seeks a stronger trade relationship with the Trump administration. Earlier this month, Carney criticized the U.K. government for inviting Mr. Trump to a state visit earlier this year, presenting Mr. Trump with an invitation from the king. The Canadian leader told Sky News most Canadians “weren’t impressed by that gesture.”
What could King Charles say in the speech — and will he mention Trump?
McCallion thinks the speech to Parliament is unlikely to name Mr. Trump overtly — but it could mention Canada’s sovereignty. “Everybody knows what it means in this context,” she said.
The speech could have more explicit references to the U.S.-Canada trade relationship, though, as Mr. Trump threatens steep tariffs on Canadian goods.
“I’m not saying that there should be a drinking game attached to it, but if there were … I think every time you heard the term ‘reset’ in relation to the relationship between Canada and the United States, [that] would be deserving of a drink,” Wesley said.
The speech could also reference other parts of Carney’s agenda, with nods to his promise to make Canada an “energy superpower” and his plans around affordability, Wesley notes.
Also worth watching: After the speech, Parliament will hold a debate and an up-or-down vote on the government’s agenda. If the vote fails, another federal election could be necessary — but both McCallion and Wesley said that’s highly unlikely.
What has Trump said about Canada — and how has Carney responded?
Mr. Trump has repeatedly floated annexing Canada in recent months, rattling Canadian politics.
The 51st-state jabs sometimes appear tongue-in-cheek: Mr. Trump referred to Carney’s predecessor — who stepped down as prime minister ahead of new elections this year — as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” In other cases, Mr. Trump has cast absorbing Canada as a tidy way of resolving the U.S.’s trade deficit with its northern neighbor.
But Trudeau has reportedly called Mr. Trump’s talk of absorbing Canada “a real thing,” telling business and labor leaders in a private meeting that he sees taking over Canada as a way of getting access to the country’s mineral wealth, according to the public broadcaster CBC. Many Canadian voters hold the same view, according to McCallion.
“I think maybe the first or second time, people were offended but thought he was kidding. And at this point, certainly no Canadians think he’s kidding,” McCallion said. “Most Canadians are taking it as a serious threat.”
When asked whether he would use military force to take over Canada, Mr. Trump said earlier this month, “I don’t see it.” But in a White House meeting with Carney days later, the U.S. leader still called the idea of annexing Canada a “wonderful marriage” that would deliver “tremendous” benefits to Canada, and referred to the border between the two countries as “artificial.”
Carney said in the meeting Canada “won’t be for sale, ever.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs on many Canadian goods, leading Canada to hit the U.S. with retaliatory levies.
Last month’s Canadian elections were dominated by Mr. Trump’s tariffs and annexation comments, and the race was widely seen as a referendum on who Canadians trusted more to deal with the Trump administration.
Carney’s Liberal Party — which has held power for almost a decade — previously trailed the Conservatives in polling, but its fortunes rebounded after Mr. Trump’s jabs at Canada. In a victory speech, Carney said the country’s “old relationship with the United States … is over,” and argued Mr. Trump is “trying to break us so that America can own us.”
“Our national identity is at times muddied because it’s made up of so many different cultures that have come together,” McCallion told CBS News. “Often, Canadians primarily express their national identity as not being American.”
