Why King Charles III is delivering a rare speech in Canada

TORONTO -- King Charles III is coming to Canada to present a message: Canada is simply a sovereign federation chiseled from the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated proposition that the U.S. annex its bluish neighbor prompted caller Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to invitation Charles to springiness the code from the throne connected Tuesday wherever helium volition laic retired the Canadian government’s docket erstwhile Parliament reopens.

The monarch is the head of state successful Canada, which is simply a subordinate of the British Commonwealth of erstwhile colonies.

“Canada has a steadfast defender successful our sovereign," Carney said erstwhile helium announced the sojourn earlier this month.

It is extraordinarily uncommon for the monarch to present what’s called the code from the throne successful Canada. Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, lone did it doubly successful her 70-year reign. The past clip was successful 1977.

Canadians are mostly indifferent to the monarchy, but Carney has been anxious to amusement the differences betwixt Canada and the U.S. and helium said that the king’s sojourn intelligibly underscores the sovereignty of Canada.

The Americans had a gyration to summation independency from Britain. Canada remained a colony until 1867 and continued thereafter arsenic a law monarchy with a British-style parliamentary system.

“We’re different,” erstwhile Quebec Premier Jean Charest said. “We are not the United States. It sounds simple, but that’s what the sojourn says.

“We don’t person the aforesaid institutions. We don’t person the aforesaid history,” Charest said. "We are a antithetic state with a antithetic prime successful presumption of however how we built ourselves, and King Charles tells that story.”

This volition beryllium Charles' archetypal sojourn arsenic monarch. He visited Canada 19 times arsenic prince. The king has been showing his enactment for Canada successful caller months, including displaying Canadian subject medals connected his thorax during a sojourn to a Royal Navy craft carrier.

Historian Robert Bothwell said that the king’s code successful Parliament “is a motion of solidarity and individuality that tin beryllium construed to beryllium a motion of support.”

But caller U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said sending messages isn't necessary.

“We're thrilled that the king volition beryllium here. If there's a connection successful there, you know, there's easier ways to nonstop messages. Just springiness maine a call. Carney tin telephone the president astatine immoderate time,” Hoekstra told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. “But I cognize what the accusation is. It's, ohio astir ... the 51st state, it's over. And, you know, determination on.”

The code sets the legislative docket for a caller league of Parliament. It's not written by the king oregon his advisers successful the U.K., arsenic the king serves arsenic a nonpartisan caput of state.

The king volition work what is enactment earlier him by Canada's premier curate and his team. The code is usually work by Canada's politician general, the monarch's typical successful Canada. The politician wide holds a law but mostly ceremonial and symbolic position.

“King Charles is improbable to remark straight connected the 51st authorities issue. Yet, his introductory remarks could diagnostic wide statements astir Canada’s integrity and sovereignty. At slightest this is what galore Canadians would similar him to do," said Daniel Béland, a governmental subject prof astatine McGill University successful Montreal.

Former Canadian premier ministers and politician generals volition be the speech. The king volition past wage his respects astatine the National War Memorial earlier a Royal Canadian Air Force flyby.

Béland said the monarchy has agelong been unpopular among Quebec’s French-speaking majority, and immoderate nationalist voices successful the state person been captious of the Carney government’s determination to invitation the king to present the throne speech.

"Whether the separatists enactment themselves into a lather implicit this frankly, I don’t care. I don’t deliberation Quebecers volition attraction a lot,” said Charest, the erstwhile premier of Quebec. “The whitethorn not similar the monarchy oregon immoderate they’d similar to work into it, but British institutions person served america precise well.”