2025 Speech from the Throne

2025 Speech from the Throne
King Charles III and Queen Camilla in the Senate of Canada
Legislative body	Parliament of Canada
Meeting place	Senate of Canada
Date	27 May 2025 (2025-05-27)
Government	30th Canadian Ministry

The Speech from the Throne of the Parliament of Canada took place on May 27, 2025, when Charles III, the King of Canada, opened the new session of the 45th Canadian Parliament, which was the first after the 2025 federal election. Charles III delivered the Throne Speech, his first as King of Canada, and the first for any Canadian monarch since 1977. The King set out the Canadian government's legislative priorities for the following parliamentary session.

Along with Queen Camilla, Charles III travelled to the Senate through Wellington Street in Canada's state landau. They were accompanied by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). At the Senate of Canada Building, the King read the speech from the throne in the temporary Senate chamber. The speech was then debated by Parliament. It marked Mark Carney's first speech from the throne since becoming Prime Minister after the Liberal 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".

Background

Beginning in late 2024, after his election as president, Donald Trump began musing about annexing Canada, calling it the "51st state" and referring to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "Governor of Canada". He also spoke about using "economic force" to get Canada to join the US, and soon after imposed punishing tariffs on Canadian exports, under the guise of national security. This led to an increase in Canadian patriotism, and also calls for the King to get more involved in diplomatic affairs. The King was seen to subsequently be more active in Canadian affairs, meeting two Prime Ministers in short order, publicly presenting a sword to the Usher of the Black Rod, and wearing more red than usual.

On May 2, 2025, and following the conclusion of the 2025 federal election, it was announced that there would be a speech from the throne on May 27, accompanied by a royal tour. The election, held on April 28, was won by the Liberal Party, with Mark 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 parliament. Charles' immediate predecessor Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, opened the 23rd parliament and read the throne speech in 1957, and also read the throne speech during the 3rd session of the 30th parliament in 1977. Accompanied by Queen Camilla, King Charles III also became the first monarch to use the new throne in the Senate building.

Speech

The King and Queen entered the Senate of Canada, where the King would read the speech from the throne. MPs from the House of Commons were summoned to attend the Senate by J. Greg Peters, who holds the office of Black 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 III 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 speech began.

I wish to express to you and to the people of Canada, my heartfelt gratitude, and that of my wife, for the warmth of the welcome which we have received.
As the anthem reminds us, The True North is indeed strong and free!

Charles III, King of Canada,
Speech from the Throne 2025

The speech began with an Indigenous land acknowledgement. Officially starting the new session of the Canadian Parliament, the King received an unusual standing 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 by Canada Day was announced during the speech. Former Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau, Stephen Harper, and Kim Campbell, as well as former Governors General David Johnston, Michaëlle Jean, and Adrienne Clarkson, were in attendance. Incumbent Governor General Mary Simon was also present. 91-year-old former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien was expected to attend, but was unable to because he was recovering from heart surgery. The King and Queen, accompanied by the Prime Minister, greeted crowds outside the senate building. At 2,500 words, it was slightly shorter than the one delivered to Parliament in 2021.

Response

Responding to the speech, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre 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 by Don Davies of the New Democratic Party, Yves-François Blanchet of the Bloc Québécois, and Elizabeth May of the Green Party.

The government's invitation to the King to read the Throne Speech was criticized by the Bloc Québécois which referred to Charles as a "foreign monarch" and called the move "disrespectful" of the Québécois. The Bloc protested the invitation by boycotting the throne speech and announcing that they will table a private member's bill to end the requirement for MPs to pledge loyalty to the monarch.