King Charles opens Canadian parliament with 'land acknowledgment'

King Charles III opened the new session of Canada’s Parliament by declaring that the ceremony was taking place on "unceded" Indigenous land. The British sovereign does not typically open Parliament in person, but did so this session in light of the recent tumult between Canada and the United States.

"I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg people. This land acknowledgement is a recognition of shared history as a nation," the King said at the start of his remarks in Ottawa.

Such acknowledgments have become standard at official events across Canada, their rise followed the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) final report in 2015—even though the TRC never explicitly called for them. 

The King’s comments came ahead of a formal speech outlining Prime Minister Mark Carney’s legislative priorities for the coming session. The agenda included promises to address trade tensions with the United States, tighten border security, and assert Canada’s sovereignty.

“Canada’s prime minister and the US president have begun defining a new economic and security relationship between the two countries,” King Charles said. He described the relationship as “rooted in mutual respect and founded on common interests.”

Without naming President Donald Trump directly, the speech referred to growing tensions between the two countries, particularly over trade. Carney has positioned his government as taking a stronger stance in defending Canada’s independence after Trump’s repeated comments about Canada potentially becoming the “51st state.”

Economic issues dominated the address, with the Carney government pledging to break down internal trade barriers, push forward infrastructure projects, and expand Canada’s role in both fossil fuel and renewable energy markets.

“We will unleash a new era of growth that will ensure we don’t just survive ongoing trade wars, but emerge from them stronger than ever,” the King read on behalf of the government.