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The Speech from the Throne marks the return of Parliament

At the opening of a session of Parliament, all eyes turn to the Red Chamber where an ancient tradition takes place. 

Read in the Senate Chamber, the Speech from the Throne is an integral part of the opening of a new session of Parliament. It takes place after an election or when Parliament resumes following a prorogation. The speech summarizes the government’s goals for the new session.  

The governor general, who represents the Monarch in Canada, usually presides over this solemn and formal ceremony. However, Queen Elizabeth II read the throne speech in 1957 and again in 1977; King Charles III will read the speech to open the 45th Parliament on May 27, 2025. 

This page contains everything you need to know about the Speech from the Throne ceremony. 

an image of the throne with the followig text: A brand-new throne was created for the Senate’s temporary home in the Senate of Canada Building. King Charles III will be the first Monarch to use the throne. It was designed by former Dominion Sculptor Phil White and inspired by John Pearson, the architect of Centre Block. It includes the cypher of Queen Elizabeth II, who reigned when the throne was carved. Her cypher will remain on the throne to show the era in which it was created. It incorporates a piece of English walnut from Windsor Great Park, a preserve of King Charles III. Only the King or the governor general may be seated on the throne when visiting the Senate Chamber.

WHAT IS THE SPEECH FROM THE THRONE?

information icon WHY

  • The Senate and the House of Commons can’t open a parliamentary session on their own authority.  
  • No public business can be conducted by the Senate or the House until after the Speech from the Throne is read. 

person icon WHO

  • The governor general usually reads the Speech from the Throne in the Senate Chamber on behalf of the King — but the King can read it too. 
  • The governor general is the King’s representative in Parliament.  

lightbulb icon WHAT

  • The throne speech is a summary of the government’s goals for the new parliamentary session. 
  • It is read by the King or the governor general, but the Prime Minister’s Office writes it. 

location point icon WHERE

  • The throne speech takes place inside the Senate Chamber, where the thrones are found. 
  • It’s not held in the House of Commons because, by tradition, the King and senators are forbidden from entering the Lower Chamber.  

clock icon WHEN

  • The speech takes place after a general election or prorogation of Parliament (a break that occurs between parliamentary sessions).  

gears icon HOW

  • The Usher of the Black Rod leads the Senate Speaker’s parade into the Senate Chamber. 
  • Once the governor general arrives, the Usher summons MPs to the Red Chamber. 
  • The Usher has to knock three times on the House of Commons door with the base of the black rod to deliver his message.  
  • After MPs arrive at the entrance to the Senate Chamber, they watch the ceremony with other parliamentarians and Supreme Court justices. 
  • When the throne speech is over, the Usher leads the parade out of the Senate Chamber.

a list of fun facts: 152 – Speeches from the Throne since Confederation (1867), 2 – Throne speeches read by Queen Elizabeth II (1957, 1977), 1 – Throne speeches read by King Charles III (2025), 9 – Most throne speeches read by the same governor general (Governor General Vincent Massey), 854 – Average number of words in the first 10 throne speeches, 2,771 – Number of words in the 2021 throne speech, 45 – Parliaments since Confederation, 2,152 days – Longest parliament (12th Parliament, 1911-1917)

a list of did you know items: In 2025, the Speech from the Throne will be read for the fourth time in the Senate of Canada Building, the Senate’s temporary home during the rehabilitation of Parliament’s Centre Block. It will be the first time the Monarch reads the speech in this building and only the third time in Canadian history that the Monarch has delivered the speech in Parliament. The first Speech from the Throne was delivered by Viscount Monck on November 7, 1867. Queen Elizabeth II read the throne speech in the Senate Chamber on October 14, 1957, to open the 23rd Parliament. She read it a second time on October 18, 1977, to open the third session of the 30th Parliament. King Charles III will read the throne speech in the Senate Chamber on May 27, 2025, to open the 45th Parliament. When the Monarch or the governor general arrives in Parliament for the ceremony, the Canadian flag on the Peace Tower is replaced with their personal standard (flag).Immediately after the throne speech, Bill S-1, An Act relating to railways, is introduced at first reading. This tradition is meant to reinforce the Senate’s independence from the Crown. The bill is never intended to pass into law.

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