Tuesday May 27, 2025 | NATIONAL NEWS reporting from VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 12 noon PT | Updated 12:20 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Commentary is rolling in regarding the content of the Carney government Throne Speech that was delivered by King Charles III in Canada’s Senate chambers today May 27, 2025.
Both the King and the prime minister would have signed off on the full content of the speech that was alternatively titled Building Canada Strong: A bold, ambitious plan for our future. | See Throne Speech – May 27, 2025 – text in full.
The Throne Speech still requires approval in the House of Commons. The Liberals have 169 seats (three short of a majority) so they will need support from MPs from one or more of the other parties.
King Charles highlights:
“Every time I come to Canada… a little more of Canada seeps into my bloodstream – and from there straight to my heart,” said King Charles in the third paragraph of his speech.
The overall tone of the whirlwind 24-hour Royal visit was all smiles and positive energy.
Commentary on today’s speech content, delivery and context:
- Lori Turnbull, Chair, Public & International Affairs Department, Dalhousie University said (on CBC) that the King placed himself in the Canadian context. He showed how much he liked being here. The King is Canada’s head of state. He situated himself in the Canadian context. Themes included the passage of time between Canada and the Crown, with England and other allies, trying to paint a relationship with Canada in a positive light.
- Rosemary Barton, Chief Political Correspondent said the speech “reminded Canadians what they have to be proud of”.
- Rachel Doran, Executive Director at Clean Energy Canada: “Today’s Throne Speech hit on a number of familiar point for this new government, but we believe a common theme has emerged underneath this new vision for Canada: that it is a time for change, not status quo thinking.” She itemized change in “rethinking trade relationships, investing in new and growing industries, building faster and more efficiently, and ensuring that affordability and sustainability are written into the DNA of all these efforts from day one.”
- Pierre Poilievre, Conservative Leader: “We did see a lot of the right slogans and political talking points,” he says, “but no clear plans to get it done.” | “We pledge to work with the government to repeal the Energy Law C-69. Let’s get our pipelines working. Bring down taxes, debt and inflation.”
- Yves-Francois Blanchet, Leader of the Bloc Quebecois: It’s almost as if the threat from the US no longer exists, said Blanchet, noting what he calls centralized powers instead of respecting provincial jurisdictions. We will focus on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. As part of any trade negotiations that will be coming, it will be important for the economic difference in Quebec to be considered. The principle and substance of supply management need to be maintained. Carney is behaving like the CEO of Canada (i.e. a centralized business approach) with provinces and territories like “branch offices”, said Blanchet. He points out that the Bloc’s balance of power is in committee.
- Flavio Volpe, President, Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association: “Great to be at the Throne Speech today in the Senate. I love this country and its traditions.”
- Bea Bruske, President, Canadian Labour Congress: “Today’s Throne Speech offered no real plan to take on Trump’s trade chaos, fix our broken housing market, or invest in public services. Working people didn’t vote for austerity. They voted for bold leadership. Canada’s unions will hold this government to account.” And: “The Throne Speech was a chance to chart a bold path forward. Instead, workers got austerity, deregulation, and vague promises. Canada’s unions are calling for real investment in jobs, housing, and care.”
- Armine Yalnizyan, Canadian economist & Atkinson Fellow on the Future of Workers (on CBC today): Said there is “nothing new there” with regard to immigration. She points out that Bank of Canada yesterday released a study showing temporary foreign workes and Internaitonal students get paid 22% less than Canadian-born workers or landed immigrants.” It’s the very industries that we want more of — cheap food, more Uber and Amazon parcel delivery — all those jobs people born here don’t want to” … that’s a “big reckoning for cheapness and convenience for the consumer”. She urges quick action to revise the Employment Insurance program, i.e. “the automatic stabilizier (that we’ve had since 1941)”. EI is now providing less coverage… that will extend a recession, said Yalnizyan. She says that “individual owner-operator businesses are failing at a remarkable rate right now”.
- More to come
Short visit:
The King and Queen Camilla visited Canada yesterday and today for a whirlwind 24-hour trip, in part to to help them keep in synch with their UK time zone and otherwise busy pre-planned schedule.
While officially the trip to Canada by the King was requested by Mark Carney once he became prime minister, it is likely — given the level of coordination required — that the initial idea of an invitation was delivered by then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (who was also in attendance at today’s reading of the Throne Speech).
This is only the third time that the Throne Speech in Canada has been delivered by the Monarch (previously by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957 and 1977).
ALSO SEE: Day-before visit in Ottawa by King Charles and Queen Camilla | King Charles to read Throne Speech in the Senate | Full Text of the Throne Speech – May 27, 2025
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