Canada "is not for sale," premier curate says
King Charles III is addressing Canada's Parliament connected Tuesday successful a uncommon motion that comes arsenic Canada grapples with tariffs and annexation threats by President Trump.
The British monarch, who formally serves arsenic Canada's caput of state, arrived successful the superior of Ottawa connected Monday, portion of a two-day sojourn that's wide viewed arsenic a signifier of pushback against Mr. Trump's calls to marque 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 commencement of a caller league of Parliament aft the center-left Liberal Party won past month's national election. The code — written by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's office, not the king — was expected to laic retired the caller government's docket and priorities.
Marking the commencement of Parliament with a code is simply a longstanding contented successful Canada and different erstwhile parts of the British Empire — but it's highly antithetic for the king to present the code himself. Instead, the king's typical successful Canada, the governor-general, usually speaks connected his behalf. The past clip the monarch personally gave the code was successful 1977, erstwhile Charles' mother, Queen Elizabeth II, traveled to Canada's capital for the event.
Britain's King Charles III and Britain's Queen Camilla get to unfastened the archetypal league of the 45th Parliament of Canada astatine the Senate of Canada successful Ottawa connected May 27, 2025.
VICTORIA JONES/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Is King Charles' sojourn to Ottawa related to Trump?
Some watchers of Canadian authorities deliberation so, particularly arsenic Mr. Trump has repeatedly mused astir the United States annexing Canada, stirring beardown backlash.
Jared Wesley, a governmental subject prof astatine the University of Alberta, says the royal sojourn could beryllium "an denotation that the king takes Canada's sovereignty seriously."
"The explicit threats to Canada's sovereignty astir apt got the attraction of the king and his advisers," Wesley told CBS News.
The sojourn could besides play to home politics, Wesley says. Mr. Trump's comments person "stirred up patriotism successful immoderate unusual corners of Canada," and the country's presumption arsenic a law monarchy wherever the king is inactive technically the caput of authorities is 1 large quality betwixt Canada and its neighbour to the south. And adjacent though astir Canadians are reasonably indifferent toward the monarchy, visits by royals ever gully interest.
"It's seen arsenic a constituent of pridefulness and favoritism betwixt Canada and the U.S.," said Wesley, who antecedently served successful respective roles for Alberta's provincial government.
University of Toronto governmental subject prof Elizabeth McCallion said the sojourn is apt intended arsenic a "reminder that we are an autarkic country" and a "rallying unneurotic of Canadians."
Earlier this month, Carney told Sky News the invitation to Charles was "not coincidental." In a statement welcoming Charles connected Monday, the premier curate didn't notation Mr. Trump, but did hint astatine Canada's "distinct identity" and "historic ties that crises lone fortify."
Charles besides has a longstanding relationship with Canada, visiting the state implicit a twelve times earlier ascending to the throne. Amid a rocky narration with the United States, galore Canadians person looked for signs of enactment from Charles, taking enactment of symbolic gestures similar the crown's determination to works a maple histrion astatine Buckingham Palace earlier this year, McCallion said.
McCallion says immoderate Canadians besides judge Mr. Trump's longstanding fascination with the British royal household could play to the country's benefit.
"There's anticipation that erstwhile he's visiting, Trump volition instrumentality announcement and respect the information that Canada has connections to the British monarchy," McCallion told CBS News.
Charles is the caput of authorities for some Canada and the U.K., putting him successful an antithetic presumption arsenic the U.K. seeks a stronger commercialized narration with the Trump administration. Earlier this month, Carney criticized the U.K. authorities for inviting Mr. Trump to a authorities sojourn earlier this year, presenting Mr. Trump with an invitation from the king. The Canadian person told Sky News astir Canadians "weren't impressed by that gesture."
What could King Charles accidental successful the code — and volition helium notation Trump?
McCallion thinks the code to Parliament is improbable to sanction Mr. Trump overtly — but it could notation Canada's sovereignty. "Everybody knows what it means successful this context," she said.
The code could person much explicit references to the U.S.-Canada commercialized relationship, though, arsenic Mr. Trump threatens steep tariffs connected Canadian goods.
"I'm not saying that determination should beryllium a drinking crippled attached to it, but if determination were … I deliberation each clip you heard the word 'reset' successful narration to the narration betwixt Canada and the United States, [that] would beryllium deserving of a drink," Wesley said.
The code could besides notation different parts of Carney's agenda, with nods to his committedness to marque Canada an "energy superpower" and his plans astir affordability, Wesley notes.
Also worthy watching: After the speech, Parliament volition clasp a statement and an up-or-down ballot connected the government's agenda. If the ballot fails, different national predetermination could beryllium indispensable — but some McCallion and Wesley said that's highly unlikely.
What has Trump said astir Canada — and however has Carney responded?
Mr. Trump has repeatedly floated annexing Canada successful caller months, rattling Canadian politics.
The 51st-state jabs sometimes look tongue-in-cheek: Mr. Trump referred to Carney's predecessor — who stepped down arsenic premier curate up of caller elections this twelvemonth — arsenic "Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada." In different cases, Mr. Trump has formed absorbing Canada arsenic a tidy mode of resolving the U.S.'s commercialized shortage with its bluish neighbor.
But Trudeau has reportedly called Mr. Trump's speech of absorbing Canada "a existent thing," telling concern and labour leaders successful a backstage gathering that helium sees taking implicit Canada arsenic a mode of getting entree to the country's mineral wealth, according to the nationalist broadcaster CBC. Many Canadian voters clasp the aforesaid view, according to McCallion.
"I deliberation possibly the archetypal oregon 2nd time, radical were offended but thought helium was kidding. And astatine this point, surely nary Canadians deliberation he's kidding," McCallion said. "Most Canadians are taking it arsenic a superior threat."
When asked whether helium would usage subject unit to instrumentality implicit Canada, Mr. Trump said earlier this month, "I don't spot it." But successful a White House gathering with Carney days later, the U.S. person inactive called the thought of annexing Canada a "wonderful marriage" that would present "tremendous" benefits to Canada, and referred to the borderline betwixt the 2 countries arsenic "artificial."
Carney said successful the gathering Canada "won't beryllium for sale, ever."
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs connected galore Canadian goods, starring Canada to deed the U.S. with retaliatory levies.
Last month's Canadian elections were dominated by Mr. Trump's tariffs and annexation comments, and the contention was wide seen arsenic a referendum connected who Canadians trusted much to woody with the Trump administration.
Carney's Liberal Party — which has held powerfulness for astir a decennary — antecedently trailed the Conservatives successful polling, but its fortunes rebounded aft Mr. Trump's jabs astatine Canada. In a triumph speech, Carney said the country's "old narration with the United States … is over," and argued Mr. Trump is "trying to interruption america truthful that America tin ain us."
"Our nationalist individuality is astatine times muddied due to the fact that it's made up of truthful galore antithetic cultures that person travel together," McCallion told CBS News. "Often, Canadians chiefly explicit their nationalist individuality arsenic not being American."
Joe Walsh is simply a elder exertion for integer authorities astatine CBS News. Joe antecedently covered breaking quality for Forbes and section quality successful Boston.
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