Monarch’s Throne

The monarch’s throne is a reminder of the connection between Parliament and the British Crown; it represents the monarch’s symbolic presence in the Senate Chamber.

The monarch is Canada’s head of state and carries out their parliamentary duties — like turning bills into law and delivering the throne speech to open a new session of Parliament — in the Senate. That’s why the thrones live at the head of the Red Chamber. Usually, these duties are performed by the monarch’s representative in Canada, the governor general, who may sit in the monarch’s throne in their absence.

The monarch’s throne, as well as the accompanying consort’s throne and Speaker’s chair, were commissioned to mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation and the Senate’s move to the Senate of Canada Building. The monarch’s throne is adorned with maple leaves and symbols of the Crown, including a Tudor rose in the centre of the chair’s stretcher.

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