Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is hitting back at President Donald Trump’s calls for Canada to be the 51st state by having King Charles deliver Canada’s throne speech later this month.
Every new session of Parliament in Canada is opened by a throne speech, but King Charles’ address on May 27 will be the first time it has been delivered by a monarch since 1977, Carney announced in a press conference Friday.
The move is a strong reminder that King Charles is Canada’s head of state for a president who has shown admiration for the royal family as he sets his sights on expanding the United States northward.
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Carney said he asked the king to deliver the throne speech, and he accepted. He said it “clearly underscores the sovereignty of our country.”
The royal family also posted on social media on Friday that both King Charles and Queen Camilla would attend the opening of parliament in Ottawa.
Carney is not the first world leader to call on the British royal family to assist in dealing with Trump. During his visit to the White House, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer presented Trump with an invitation letter from King Charles for a state visit to the United Kingdom.
Carney shared news of the royal visit during a press conference on Friday. It was his first since his Liberal Party secured enough seats in Parliament in Monday’s election to keep him in power as Canadians pushed back on Trump’s steep tariffs and attacks on the country’s sovereignty.
Carney repeated during the press conference that Canada would never a U.S. state.
The Canadian prime minister also revealed he will head to Washington, D.C., next week for what could be a contentious first meeting with the president.
“On Monday, Canadians elected a new government to stand up to President Trump and to build a strong economy,” Carney declared.
Carney said their meeting will focus on immediate trade as well as the future economic and security relationship between the two countries.
“I go there with the expectation of constructive–difficult but constructive—discussions,” Carney said.
The prime minister also made what appeared to be several pointed digs at the president while talking about international relations and trade.
“My government will fight to get the best deal for Canada,” he said. “In parallel, we will strengthen our relationships with reliable trading partners and allies.”
He also repeated that the old relationship between the U.S. and Canada built on integration is over. He also repeated that the old relationship between the U.S. and Canada, built on integration, is over.
