Sarah Mills: Throne speech was a big moment for Canada - and King Charles
Sarah Mills says no monarch can ever surpass Queen Elizabeth II, but if there was moment to finally feel that King Charl...
OTTAWA — King Charles will read the speech from the throne this morning, which sets out the government’s priorities for the current session of Parliament.
Here are some facts about this historic event.
— King Charles III will be the first monarch to use the new throne in the Senate of Canada building.
— There have been 152 speeches from the throne since Confederation.
— Throne speeches in Canada were read by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957 and 1977.
— The first throne speech was delivered in 1867 by Viscount Monck, Canada’s first governor general.
— The first 10 throne speeches clocked in at an average length of 854 words, while the 2021 throne speech ran to 2,771 words.
— When the monarch or governor general arrives in Parliament for the ceremony, the Canadian flag on the Peace Tower is replaced with their flag.
— After the throne speech is read aloud, Bill S-1, An Act relating to railways, is introduced. This bill is never meant to pass into law and serves instead as a symbol of the Senate’s independence from the monarch. The Senate of Canada website says introducing the bill shows that the Senate is “able to deal with any matter of its choosing” without having to follow the throne speech.
– Source: Senate of Canada
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2025.
The Canadian Press
