May 27, 2025
This week marks the occasion of King Charles III’s first trip to Canada as the reigning monarch. Of course, it is far from His Majesty’s first time in Canada—he has travelled to Canada twenty times—but it is the first trip he has made as the reigning monarch. A planned visit last year had to be postponed because of the King’s ill health, so we’re delighted that the King is now well enough to travel. And the opening of Parliament by the King with the Speech from the Throne makes this an especially special occasion; it is a function Queen Elizabeth II carried out in 1957 and 1977.
Members of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada welcome the opportunity this occasion affords to engage with the wider question of the sovereign’s place in Canada, and it is wonderful to see the lively media interest and public attention. Members of the Institute have done great service answering the many demands for commentary. Carolyn Harris, John Fraser, Justin Vovk, Patrice Dutil, and others associated with ISCC have seized the opportunity to engage with Canadians and international media on the role of the Crown in Canada.
Many media inquiries have focused on the current political climate, the threats made by the American president to annex Canada. Most Canadians found these comments deeply offensive and, despite the US Ambassador to Canada’s advice that we should “move on”, it is important that our American friends and neighbours realize fully that we are a sovereign nation with our own traditions that we wish to preserve. The King’s role is one important aspect of that distinct history and political culture. “The true north is indeed strong and free”, His Majesty reminded the world in the speech from the throne.
Not every Canadian agrees about the importance of the monarchy in Canada. Opinion fluctuates according to circumstances, and the expression of dissenting views is one of the wonderful things about the freedoms we enjoy. But it is gratifying to see the number of ordinary Canadians who have turned out to welcome the King and Queen during what is, by necessity, a brief trip and the enthusiasm with which they have done so. We don’t measure our system of governance by the yardstick of perfection, but Canada’s system works; the country is a beacon of peace and stability that has drawn people from around the world.
Our constitution makes it very difficult to contemplate any change to the monarchy in Canada; the Crown is at the centre of our system of governance and law. Any change would require a degree of unanimity that would be difficult to imagine. But, beyond the fact that change would be hard to do, I would suggest that there are more positive reasons to preserve the institutions that have been so important throughout Canada’s history. It can be hard for outside observers to contemplate that the British king is also the King of Canada, our head of state, with the duties of that role normally carried out by resident representatives, who are appointed by the monarch on the advice of Canada’s prime minister. The King, in coming to Canada, is carrying out his duties on the advice of Canadian ministers and is not in any way guided by Britain’s cabinet in this function. Our local viceregal representatives ensure the continuity of legitimate government, ensure that a ministry is in place that enjoys the confidence of the elected House of Commons or legislature. In this important function, there is no chain of command; the King does not direct the governor general or lieutenant governors in how to achieve this. The constitutional subtleties are intricate, but, in my view, our national identity would not be enhanced by scrubbing away elements of our history so that it makes more sense to others.
Those who drafted the Confederation agreement made it clear that they were not seeking to sever Canada from the Crown. The British North America Act (1867) was, of course, an act of the UK Parliament, but the legislation stuck closely to the terms Canadian statesmen themselves had worked out. Their Quebec Resolutions asserted that “the best interests and present and future prosperity of British North America will be promoted by a Federal Union under the Crown of Great Britain…”
One of the most important aspects of the Crown in Canada is the important function as a guardian of Canada’s treaty relations with Indigenous nations. The strong presence of Indigenous people as Canada stood by to welcome the King and Queen speaks to the multi-generational kinship between Indigenous communities and the Crown. Earlier this month, members of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, led by Chief Ogimaa-kwe Claire Sault, travelled to Britain and had the opportunity to meet the King. John Fraser and Nathan Tidridge of the ISCC accompanied the party. An important Mississauga ancestor, chief Kahkewāquonāby (Peter Jones), met with a young Queen Victoria almost two centuries ago. King Charles gives every signal that he takes this relationship very seriously.
We are deeply grateful to His Majesty the King for his ongoing service to Canada.
Barbara J. Messamore