Speech from the throne for the 30th Canadian Ministry
TORONTO – Not since 1977 has a Canadian monarch deigned to reach our shores to pronounce, in person, his plan to achieve certain goals, via authorities granted to his Privy Councillors in Parliament, to the benefit of his subjects. Yes, Canada is a Constitutional Monarchy, wherein the will (legislation) of the monarch is initiated (expressed/proposed) in Parliament and ultimately executed by his trusted privy councillors (P.C.), members of Cabinet. Of course, other Members of Parliament may accept or reject, after debate, but they can neither initiate nor impose their will on the monarch”.
Remarkably, Canada has survived six months without even a show of the existence of this process, thanks to internal turmoil, seasonal holidays, surreptitious intra-party forces to oust the [former] PM, a prorogation of Parliament, an election, and a coming together of the survivors of the domestic political wars in the interim, including the reconstruction of a new Cabinet to take on the duties.
It will meet now- until the final week of June. Custom dictates it will then “rise again” for the summer holidays and return only after Labour Day in September; when the “real action” will begin.
For some, this may seem a strange. In the words of PM Mark Carney, his government was elected “to build a strong economy that works for everyone … [a mandate he and ministers] … must fulfill…with purpose and force”. That is what his mandate letter (marching orders) to every Cabinet colleague says.
The mandate letter already outlines the tasks at hand. Political pundits have already begun to “tut-tut” initial Cabinet behaviour as a sign that the individual PCs may be stepping over each other’s toes in a frantic interpretation of their mandate so as to be seen to be active and maintain relevance. They have three weeks, more or less, to sort out their “new roles”.
In the meanwhile, King Charles III already has the text. His Majesty’s wordsmiths and those of the Prime Minister have agreed that the Speech from the Throne – the Government’s Vision Statement – will be virtually religious in its adherence to the content of that Mandate Letter (click here for full letter).
Taken seriously, the Mandate Letter represents a clinical analysis of what is dysfunctional in Canada; a commitment to stay focused on seven priorities and an order to co-operate in what will be the evolution in a new approach to governing this “evolving country”. The takeaway message is that a few eggs may have to be cracked in preparing to serve that omelette, but every PC should check with him first.
Corriere may not be there in person, but we will break down the challenges, priorities and processes to provide some measure of context. In the interim, perhaps by sheer coincidence, Canada has already personally met with Italy’s PM Meloni and her Minister of Economy and Finance, Giancarlo Giorgetti – two political allies on whom he will rely as a counterbalance to President Trump.
