Some monarchists are calling it the royal event of the century as King Charles III delivered the throne speech in Ottawa, kicking off Canada’s new parliamentary session.
Until Tuesday, the last time a speech like this one was given by the Crown was in 1977, marking May 27, 2025, as a new date for the history books.
“We know that this is a particularly important moment for Canada geopolitically and I suspect that (Prime Minister Mark) Carney was very keen to use this opportunity to leverage Canada’s system of government to its sort of ultimate purpose, and that is to demonstrate to the world who we are and in a very strong way,” said Barry MacKenzie, a royal historian based in Antigonish, N.S.
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In Halifax, a group of royal watchers gathered to hold a viewing party, including former Nova Scotia lieutenant-governor Dr. Mayann Francis.
“When I was a child, I saw (Queen Elizabeth II) when she was visiting Cape Breton where I’m from. And I was always just staring at her and thinking, ‘She’s so beautiful,’ and everything else. But did I know that I would be representing her as an adult at some point? No,” she said.
“I respect the family. And so I was just determined to be here, and to sit here and to watch this.”
And with U.S. President Donald Trump’s taunts of Canada being the 51st state, monarchists say there was no better time for asserting Canada’s connection to the Crown.
“You have all the symbolism and the messages that it’s sending to the world — that the country has connections and also about our sovereignty and history — to a certain neighbour to the south,” said Aron Sidle, the Monarchist League of Canada’s Nova Scotia branch chair.
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