King's invitation to Canada sends a message to Trump

A decade ago, a portrait of the British monarch caused a series of Canadian politics. Now the king is invited to keep the speech of the throne. What has changed?

In 2011 Prime Minister Stephen Harper caused a national turmoil shortly after a conservative government was founded by the majority when he tried to emphasize the Canadian connections to the British monarchy. In an example, he replaced two works of art with a painter in Quebec with a portrait of the queen.

Some blame the gesture as not in contact with modern times. In its 157-year history, Canada has applied for increasing independence from the British monarchy and at the same time remains part of the Commonwealth.

When Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came to Harper four years later, the Queen's portrait, the painting of Quebec, declined.

Fast lead to 2025 and a paradoxical shift occurred in Canada's relationship with the crown. In a transparent show of Canada's sovereignty and independence against threats of US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Mark Carney – a liberal – King Charles, III, invited to open the 45th Canadian parliament.

The step is “a great confirmation and statement about the uniqueness of Canada and his traditions,” said Justin Vovk, a Canadian royal historian, the BBC – “a theater edition that is supposed to show what makes the Canadians separated by Americans” and not, as Trump has often repeated, a “51st state”.

Both countries are former British colonies, but America's founding fathers separated all formal connections to the crown almost 250 years ago.

Canada's separation from the monarchy was gradually and his ties are never completely broken. Canada's parliamentary system is modeled according to the Westminster system. The British monarch is still officially the head of state, but her duties are often carried out by her Canadian representative, the general governor.

Loyalty to the crown was considered important in the 19th century for the Canadian politicians who wanted to maintain the separation from the United States, said Canadian royal historian and commentator Carolyn Harris.

This changed later in the 1960s when Quebec – Canada's French -speaking province – began to assert her own identity and threatened separation. This led to an era of politicians such as Lester B Pearson and Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who worked to disguise Canada from his British colonial past.

In 1982 Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau recovered the Canadian constitution, gave the Federal Government and the provinces full legislative authority and removed it from the British parliament.

Ms. Harris noticed that Canada remained a constitutional monarchy during these times. However, what fluctuated was how much the prime minister of the day decides for this connection.

Carney's invitation to King Charles III. Signal that his government will be one that supports the crown much more, said Vovk and marked “a completely different tone” of previous liberals.

A British monarch has not kept a Canadian throne speech since 1977 and has not opened a brand -new session of the parliament since 1957, making the upcoming visit to the king a really rare occasion.

There is a subsequent time for Canada.

Carney campaigned strongly to face Trump after the US President had spent months to undermine Canada's sovereignty by saying that it was better than US state.

Trump also imposed a number of tariffs that have threatened Canada's economic stability because the United States is far from the largest trading partner.

When Carney announced the visit last month, he called it “a historical honor that corresponds to the weight of our time”.

He added that the visit to the king “clearly underlines the sovereignty of our country”.

Both historians, Mr. Vovk and Ms. Harris, found that the majority of the Canadian modern population of the British monarchy is indifferent. Some even criticize it.

The crowning glory of King Charles III. In 2023, the historical abuse of the indigenous people in Canada in Canada took and ask whether the new monarch will move to reconciliation.

Quebec politicians still ask Canada to cut relationships with the monarchy. On Friday, the separatist Bloc Québécois Party said that she would try again to scrap the need for chosen civil servants to swear loyalty to the king.

Some Canadians will be fascinated by Pomp and Pageanry of King's visit, said Vovk, but his main purpose is to send a political message from Canada to the world.

It is also a way for Prime Minister Carney to improve the relationship with Trump, who is famous for a fan of the British monarchy and its history.

“The strengthening of the relationship to the monarchy makes a stamp for legitimacy that exceeds individual parties and the current political climate,” said Vovk. “Politicians come and go, but the monarchy has always remained.”

It also works to tie Canada closer to Europe – a main goal of Prime Minister Carney, a former governor of the Bank of England, who spoke about the need for Canada to find new allies while navigating changing relationship with the USA.

The visit is also remarkable for the crown.

It will be the first of the king in Canada as a reigning monarch. He and the queen had intended to visit last year, but canceled her plans due to his cancer diagnosis.

The palace has promised a throne speech that “marked a significant moment between the head of state and the Canadian people”.

And while it will be a short journey – the king and the queen will arrive on Monday morning and leave on Tuesday evening – said the palace, they hope that the journey will be “an effective”.