King Charles will visit Ottawa to give May 27 throne speech

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OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney says King Charles will visit Ottawa to deliver the speech from the throne in Parliament on May 27.

“Their Majesties The King and Queen will visit Canada on May 26 and 27, 2025,” Carney said in a statement.  “We will have the privilege of welcoming His Majesty King Charles III, who will deliver Canada’s Speech from the Throne on May 27.

“This will be the first time in nearly 50 years that Canada’s Monarch takes part in the State Opening of Parliament. This historic honour matches the weight of our times. Canada has a steadfast defender in our sovereign.”

Carney says he will unveil his cabinet the week of May 12 and have Parliament recalled on May 26, with the King giving the speech the next day outlining the new government’s priorities.

The prime minister is holding a press conference this morning, four days after Canadians voted in the Liberals for a fourth mandate.

Carney says he wants to work constructively with other parties and is praising Canadians for sticking with the democratic process as democracies face strains elsewhere.

The prime minister says he will travel to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, May 6, to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump for the first time since the April 28 election.

Carney has not spoken publicly since election night, when he gave a victory speech at an Ottawa hockey arena promising to chart a new course for Canada away from its heavy dependence on the United States.

Elections Canada now reports the Liberal party won 168 seats, down one from the total on Monday, after a validation process showed the winner in the Quebec riding of Terrebonne was the Bloc Quebecois.

The Conservative party won 144 seats, while the Bloc Quebecois holds 23, the NDP has seven and the Green Party has one.

In the days since the election, Carney has spoken to multiple international leaders, including King Charles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European Council President Antonio Costa and Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres.