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Key Points
- King Charles III arrived in Ottawa to open Canada’s parliament in a historic and symbolic visit.
- The visit is seen as a response to Donald Trump’s repeated threats to annex Canada and make it the 51st US state.
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged to reduce reliance on the US and strengthen ties with other allies.
King Charles III arrived in Ottawa for a historic visit to open Canada’s parliament, a brief trip seen as part of the pushback against US President Donald Trump’s annexation threats.
The 76-year-old monarch, who is Canada’s head of state as part of the Commonwealth, was greeted at the airport by Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has invited him to give an address opening Canada’s new legislature.
Charles, making his first visit to Canada since his coronation, has never commented on Trump’s repeated talk of making Canada the 51st US state.
But he will be closely watched for any comments on Canada’s sovereignty, and on trade.
Trump has slapped tariffs on Canadian goods including sector-specific levies on autos, steel and aluminium, rattling the Canadian economy, although he has suspended some of them pending negotiations.
Carney has said his newly-elected government has been given a mandate “to define a new economic and security relationship with the United States”, a neighbour he believes Canada “can no longer trust”.
He has promised to curb reliance on trade with the United States by boosting internal commerce while forging deeper economic ties with allies overseas.
The government’s path to build up Canada and create new relationships will be outlined in Charles’s speech, Carney said.
A government statement described the visit as “a momentous and historic occasion that underscores Canada’s identity and sovereignty as a constitutional monarchy”.
Trump repeatedly returned to his annexation musings during Carney’s Oval Office visit earlier this month, insisting it would be a “wonderful marriage”.
Carney stood his ground, saying Canada was “never for sale”.
Trump’s envoy to Canada, ambassador Pete Hoekstra, dismissed the notion that inviting Charles to open parliament was an effective way to make a statement on annexation.
“If there’s a message in there, there’s easier ways to send messages. Just give me a call. Carney can call the president at any time,” he told the public broadcaster CBC last week.
Hoekstra added that he sees the annexation issue as being “over”.
“Move on. If the Canadians want to keep talking about it — that’s their business.”
