SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Commemoration of Speech from the Throne

Honourable senators, I rise today to mark the first anniversary of the Speech from the Throne delivered by His Majesty King Charles III to open the Forty-fifth Parliament of Canada. This marked only the third time a monarch has read the Speech from the Throne, after Queen Elizabeth II delivered it in 1957 and 1977.

As you may recall, the Senate of Canada commissioned four artists from the Ottawa-Gatineau region to commemorate this historic moment. Stationed at four distinct vantage points — opposite the Senate of Canada Building’s main entrance, within the Speaker’s suite, on the mezzanine overlooking the Senate foyer and inside the Senate Chamber — the artists captured both the grandeur of the ceremony, as well as the quieter exchanges that defined the occasion.

Colleagues would be pleased to know that the Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group, of which I am a member and Senator Cardozo is chair, formally acquired these important works of art in December 2025. The artworks are now on view in the Senate of Canada Building foyer across from the portraits of French kings and were officially unveiled yesterday. A commemorative parchment signed by Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla is also part of the display.

The primary objective of this initiative was to document the Speech from the Throne and to incorporate the resulting works into the Senate Artwork and Heritage Collection. In doing so, the project advances the Senate’s collection objectives by preserving and promoting the institution’s cultural and historical record not only for today’s public but also for future generations.

The artworks presented in this exhibition began not as finished compositions but as quick observations and sketches made in real time. Sketches in charcoal and ink, colour studies and annotated notes reveal the discipline behind the final works.

Three of the artists developed larger paintings from the preparatory material, refining composition and emphasis, while preserving the vitality of the moment. One artist chose, instead, to submit their entire sketchbook, which is also displayed in the exhibit and can be viewed online. Altogether, these drawings and sketches stand not simply as works of art but also as an important historical record of one of the most significant days in Canadian parliamentary history.

I invite colleagues and visitors to the Senate of Canada Building to check the display, which will be on view until early September of this year. Thank you.