King charles signals canadian strength to trump

King Charles III is not just monarch of the United Kingdom, he is also the putative ruler of 14 other Commonwealth realms—including Canada. In that role, he paid a heavily freighted visit to

his northern realm this week to deliver a message to the leader of the republic to the south.  In an act of prime ministerial ventriloquism, Prime Minister Mark Carney had Charles deliver

Canada’s throne speech, a ceremony in which elected politicians sit humbly in the presence of a ceremonial figurehead who reads words written by the politician who is actually in charge.

Advertisement Advertisement Normally, this duty is discharged by the governor general, a Canadian who represents the monarch in Canada. Mary Simon—Canada’s first Indigenous governor

general—would, in the normal course of events, read the speech in a little-noticed event in the sleepy Senate chamber. But these are not normal circumstances. Rather than having Simon do the

job, Carney had Charles and Queen Camilla fly in, travel to Parliament Hill in a horse-drawn carriage behind an honour guard of Mounties in a show of regal pageantry not seen in the capital

since Charles’ late_ _mother, Elizabeth, opened Parliament in 1977.   Charles’s presence in Ottawa was unusual. It was his 21st trip to Canada, but the first time in which he appeared in

Parliament to kick off a parliamentary session with a throne speech. There was a happy and friendly crowd there to greet the royal visitors, breaking out into impromptu rounds of “O Canada”

as they waited for the royal procession, but the monarchical fever has not spread far beyond the parliamentary precinct. Most Canadians have apathetic, if not negative, feelings about the

monarchy, an institution that seems increasingly distant as the country’s cultural links to Great Britain grow weaker. A poll this week found that 83% of Canadians “don’t really care,” about

Charles’s visit. But the seemingly archaic constitutional structures suddenly looked useful to the people running the country.  Because President Donald Trump has been threatening to annex

Canada, something that he seems to believe was possible given Canada’s comparatively small military, Canadians have been by turns fretful and intent on showing their resolve. Inevitably,

they looked for support from the mother country, home of their head of state. But UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer has been criticized for repeatedly failing to speak up for Canadian

independence. His ministers apparently pleaded with Canada to keep Charles from saying anything that might damage the relationship with the UK. But Charles is the king of Canada, as well as

the UK, and Starmer could not have stopped him from going, even if he wanted to do so. When Starmer himself visited the White House in February, hunting for a trade deal, his perfunctory

gift was an invitation from the King for Trump, who described Charles as a “beautiful man, a wonderful man.” Having observed Trump's taste for all things gold and royal, Carney used

Charles to send a clear signal to Trump: the King is with us.  Charles, who is strictly limited by long constitutional tradition on what he can say about anything political (practically

nothing) repeatedly demonstrated his support for Canada with coded symbols—at least until he could show up in person and deliver the message in person. Carney, speaking through Charles,

acknowledged that “many Canadians are feeling anxious and worried about the drastically changing world around.”  Through his presence, Charles reminded Canadians that Canada has a different,

and independent, constitutional tradition. Through his words, he sent a signal to Trump, who Carney likely hoped was paying attention.  “We must be clear-eyed: the world is a more dangerous

and  uncertain place than at any point since the Second World War,” Charles said, switching easily between English and French. “Canada is facing challenges that are unprecedented in our

lifetimes." There followed a recitation of Carney’s to-do list—including faster approvals for energy projects and an ambitious home-building program—before he circled back to deliver

the main message again: "As the anthem reminds us: The True North is indeed strong and free." The words came from Carney, but the Canadians were hoping that the intended recipient

of the message, in the White House, will get the message: Canadians don’t want to be annexed. Early in his second term, Trump seemed to hope for a groundswell of annexationist sentiment

north of the border. However, there are now indications that Trump has realized that his northern neighbours would like to stick with their royal, perhaps albeit antiquated, traditions—and

with their sovereignty.  In a tense but successful visit to the Oval Office earlier this month, Carney pointed out that some properties never go on the market: "We're sitting in

one right now, Buckingham Palace that you visited, as well. And having met with the owners of Canada over the course of the campaign the last several months, it's not for sale, it

won't be for sale, ever." Trump responded by saying “never say never.” But his new ambassador to Ottawa, Pete Hoekstra, has said that his marching orders have nothing to do with

annexation, which suggests the American president may be ready to move on. It would be foolish to predict how Trump will respond, or whether he will even notice, but Canadians and their

monarch have done what they could to send the American president a clear message about their sovereignty.  Canada already has a King, and it’s not Trump.