The King

So the King arrives tomorrow. Before lunch on Tuesday he’ll read the Speech from the Throne, opening the new session of Parliament. Crowns, horses, pomp and ceremony will abound. If there’s any doubt remaining we’re not the 51st state-in-waiting, Chuck and Camilla will douse it.

That’s the point, after all. Carney engineered it.

It’s been a long time since a monarch sat in the House of Commons and delivered the government’s agenda. The Queen did it in 1977 for T1. She came again five years later when the Constitution was repatriated from the UK.

Then she visited Canada a decade after that to give me my flag.

Well, actually, she was here for other stuff, too. Like the 125th anniversary of Confederation. But she sat near me and listened to a Canada Day concert on Parliament Hill. It ended with a sassy rendition of the national anthem performed by pop stars of the day, like Randy Bachman and Maestro Fresh Wes.

My role (I was an MP then) had been to raise enough money from corporations to finance the whole thing, including sending a CD (remember those?) to every school in Canada. For my efforts I got the giant flag that flew that day on the Peace Tower, from her hand to mine.

Until the morning – Canada Day, eight years later – when it was stolen off my building by Indigenous sympathizers, this was my most meaningful possession. When the Queen died, and I set her portrait on my front step, the emotion returned.

But wait.

I’m not a monarchist. Or a Royal junkie. It’s easy to view that group as a dysfunctional family (like the rest of us) in a position of unearned power, wealth and influence. Hereditary leadership belongs in another century. But sometimes someone special, like Elizabeth, comes along. And for almost all of my life she helped define why a different kind of life starts at the 49th parallel.

Charles seems like a decent guy. His causes have gone from rescuing architecture to shepherding the environment. Quebeckers dislike the Royals. Albertans hate greenies. Ontarians are more worried about traffic flow on the 401. So this quickie visit is about perfect. Send a message to Trump. Get on the plane.

Brief or not, it’s a worthy visit, at a meaningful time. Canada is still part of the Commonwealth. We’re not a republic. Our prime minister is a representative, not a head of state. The country is a Parliamentary democracy. Cabinet ministers must be elected by the people, not appointed by one guy. We chose evolution over revolution. We’re not America – and have a King to prove it. So suck on that, Donald.

Well, the Throne Speech will set out the Carney priorities. As we all know, the Libs were handed an unprecedented fourth term because the former central banker and career finance guy was viewed as the best defence against incredulous US threats. Now he must deliver.

This session of Parliament will last less than a month. Poilievre won’t be there until he wins a seat in the safest of Con ridings in Alberta. So the headless Oppo will have to decide on supporting legislation to reduce the lowest tax bracket and also approve updated main estimates laying out the government’s fiscal position and borrowing needs. Parliament will be presented with a plan to finally end trade barriers between provinces, then split until the autumn.

That’s when the real meat happens. A budget. Confidence votes. Debate on (hopefully) a new trade deal with the evil Americans. A boost in defence spending and debate on the Golden Dome. Implementation of the new Lib housing strategy. Tax policy, including the carbon pricing and capital gains inclusion rate that Chrystia and Justin screwed up. New trading relations with the rest of the world. And actions to cut the legs out from under the noisy little pack of whiny Wexiters.

So the King thing is just symbolic. Carney will have to prove his mettle, standing solo on the floor of the House of Commons as Charles retreats to his palaces. We shall see.

But symbols matter. Indelibly.

About the picture: “We have followed along with your blog for years and are clients of Turner Investments,” writes Cathy. “I think the dog photos over the years have clearly worked their magic on us and a week ago we welcomed our first dog – a one year old potcake rescue named Cyrus. One of the best things we’ve ever done he’s just a delight. Here he is trying on his new raincoat. Feel free to use on the blog:).”

To be in touch or send a picture of your beast, email to ‘garth@garth.ca’.

Source: https://www.greaterfool.ca/2025/05/25/the-king/