King Charles called for building a united Canada as he delivered a speech from the throne on Tuesday to open the nation’s 45th Parliament.
The speech laid out the agenda for Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal government, while also focusing on the threats to Canadian identity, both internally with separation talks growing in Alberta, and externally with the annexation threats from the Trump administration.
"Many Canadians are feeling anxious and worried about the drastically changing world around them," read the King. "Fundamental change is always unsettling. Yet this moment is also an incredible opportunity. An opportunity for renewal. An opportunity to think big and to act bigger. An opportunity for Canada to embark on the largest transformation of its economy since the Second World War."
The Liberal government says it aims to transform the economy by strengthening relationships with "reliable trading partners." That work forming a coalition of like-minded countries that share its values will be strengthened at the upcoming G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta.
The speech also promised to spend less and invest more in Canadians, helping build a more affordable country, starting with tax cuts for the middle class.
"The government is responding, reducing middle class taxes and saving two-income families up to $840 a year. It will cut the GST on homes at or under $1 million for first-time homebuyers, delivering savings of up to $50,000. And it will lower the GST on homes between $1 million and $1.5 million," read King Charles.
Carney's government also pledged to follow up promises to remove interprovincial trade barriers across the nation and promote free trade within Canada.
While the speech suggested opening up provincial borders for Canadians, it also noted that border security would be beefed up and immigration would be limited in the coming years. The federal government suggested a cap on temporary foreign workers and students to less than five per cent of the population by 2027.
There will also be increased military spending under the Carney government, with a pledge to reinvest in the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as join the ReArm Europe plan.
"Today, Canada faces another critical moment. Democracy, pluralism, the rule of law, self-determination and freedom, are values which Canadians hold dear, and ones which the government is determined to protect," said King Charles.
The King's speech also said there would be "a new major federal project office created, to speed up approval from five years to two."
While the speech announced some new spending plans, it also pledged fiscal responsibility, saying Carney's government would introduce measures to keep operational budget increases to less than two per cent annually. Currently, the federal operational budget has been growing by nine per cent a year.
This is only the third time in the country's history that a monarch has delivered the throne speech, with the last time coming nearly 50 years ago, when Queen Elizabeth II delivered the address in 1977.