King Charles III of the United Kingdom said on Tuesday from Ottawa that Canada is “at a critical moment” and defended its right to “self-determination” following the repeated statements by Donald Trump to take away its sovereignty and turn it into a state of the American union.
Carlos III delivered the first State of the Nation address to the Canadian Parliament since 1977, in which he stated that the country “must be strong and free.”
Although Canada has been fully sovereign since 1982, they share the same monarch with the United Kingdom, who is also the head of state of Canada.
What did King Carlos III say in the Canadian parliament?
“Today Canada is facing another critical moment. Democracy, pluralism, the rule of law, self-determination, and freedom are values that Canadians deeply appreciate and that the Government is determined to protect,” said Carlos III.
The monarch pointed out that the “global open trading system”, which “has provided prosperity to Canadians for decades”, is “changing”, as well as relationships with historical allies, such as Washington. However, he stated that despite the “challenges”, it is a time of “opportunities”.
“A self-assured Canada, which has welcomed Canadians even from some of the most tragic conflict zones in the world, can seize this opportunity by recognizing that all Canadians can give themselves much more than any foreign power from any continent can take from them,” Carlos continued in his speech.
In any case, the monarch celebrated that the Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, and the US President, Donald Trump, have started to “define a new economic and security relationship” between the two countries, as these ties “are based on mutual respect and were founded on common interests to provide transformative benefits.”
It has also been emphasized that the Government is working to strengthen its relationships with “trusted trading partners” around the world, arguing that “it has the values that the world respects”, so “Canada is ready to lead”.
Trump’s expansionist endeavors
Since assuming the presidency of the United States for the second time on January 20th, Donald Trump began launching harsh attacks against Canada. He initiated a trade war against one of his main political allies and also made it clear that he intends to turn it into the 51st state.
Trump’s aggressiveness sparked a nationalist sentiment among Canadians and was crucial for the Liberal Party to retain the government with Mark Carney as the new prime minister.