Canada invites King Charles III to open Parliament in rare move: sources
EDITOR’S NOTE: The last time Queen Elizabeth II opened a session of a Canadian Parliament was 1977, not 1957 as the article previously stated. In 1957, she had opened a new Parliament, rather than a session of an existing one. This has been updated.
Canada has extended an invitation to King Charles III to open Parliament in the coming weeks, multiple sources tell Global News.
If accepted, it would be the first time that a sovereign has opened Parliament since Queen Elizabeth II last did so in 1977.
Sources tell Global News he is likely to attend, but Buckingham Palace has not officially accepted and, due to protocol, confirmation would need to be provided by the Palace.
When a sovereign opens Parliament, they are the one who delivers the Speech from the Throne that outlines what the government plans for its mandate and immediate priorities.
The Liberals are set to form a minority government after Monday’s election, and are projected to hold 168 seats, though two recounts are still pending. The Conservatives will form the Official Opposition with a projected 144 seats, while the Bloc won 23, the NDP seven and the Greens securing one.
The date the King could potentially open Parliament is not yet known.
However, the House of Commons sitting calendar currently has May 26 listed as the first sitting date for MPs, though that could still change.
The return of a new Parliament will see the election of the Speaker, followed by the Speech from the Throne, normally delivered by the governor general as representative of the Crown.
The King’s potential visit also comes at a time when Canada’s sovereignty has been repeatedly threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said multiple times since his re-election that Canada should be the “51st state.”
That rhetoric, as well as Trump’s tariffs, became a key focus of the federal election campaign with party leaders raising the question of who could best stand up to and negotiate with the president.
In the days since the election, Trump congratulated Carney on his win and said he expects to meet with the prime minister at the White House in the coming days, adding he believed a “great relationship” with Canada was possible under Carney.
globalnews
