His summoning the Commons, on behalf of the Queen, symbolizes the House of Commons’ independence from the British monarchy. This used to be a simple walk down the hallway in Centre Block, but, with the main Parliament closed for renovations, the Senate is now located about three-quarters of a kilometres away. His position dates back to England in 1348.ĭuring the ceremony, he heads from the Senate to the Commons and knocks on the door with his ebony staff, summoning MPs to the Senate to hear the speech from the throne. The usher of the black rod, the Queen’s messenger in Parliament, who is also responsible for Senate security and other ceremonial duties, plays a key role in the ceremony. Simon will deliver the speech in the Senate’s recently acquired home in a former Ottawa railway station, built in 1912. The throne is emblazoned with the Latin motto of the Order of Canada: desiderantes meliorem patriam, meaning “they desire a better country.” It includes a piece of English walnut from Windsor Great Park, outside the Queen’s residence at Windsor Castle, which was donated to the Senate to be incorporated into the headpiece. The throne which she and the governor general sit on is carved from white oak and features Queen Elizabeth II’s ER cipher. The Queen has twice delivered Canada’s throne speech herself: in 1957 during her first visit to Canada as a reigning monarch, and in 1977 during her silver jubilee tour. In Canada, mirroring that tradition, her official representative, the governor general, sits on a throne decorated with a gilded crown and sprays of maple leaves on a dais in the Senate. the Queen delivers the speech wearing robes and a crown from an ornate throne in the House of Lords. The throne speech, which is written by the government, does not just symbolize the start of a new parliamentary session, but the primacy of the elected Commons over the unelected Senate - or its British counterpart the House of Lords - and the importance of democracy itself.