joint address (Canada)

A joint address is a special procedure of the Canadian parliament in which members of the House of Commons and Senate sit jointly in the former chamber, which, for the occasion, becomes an auditorium. The Speaker of the House of Commons takes his chair as normal, with the Speaker of the Senate seated to their right. Members of parliament also take their usual seats, with senators and justices of the supreme court positioned on the floor of the house, in front of the clerk's table. Gallery privileges are suspended during a joint address and access to those areas is strictly limited to invited guests.

Circumstances

Such an event is used most commonly when a visiting dignitary—such as a foreign head of state or head of government—wishes to address parliament. However, on more rare occasions, the process may also be used to make a formal, binding request of the Canadian monarch; for example, this was part of the process used to amend the Constitution of Canada prior to patriation in 1982. In extreme circumstances, a joint address may also be used to remove a person previously appointed by the Queen-in-Council—such as a judge or ambassador—if other avenues of doing so have failed. For example, Lester Pearson announced a joint address in 1967 to have Leo Landreville removed from the bench of the Supreme Court of Ontario due to allegations of improper stock trading. Landreville had previously refused to resign as he had not actually been convicted of a crime, but resigned voluntarily after the government declared its intention to forcibly remove him from office.

Although most addresses are made to joint sessions of parliament, on 7 May 1941, Robert G. Menzies, Prime Minister of Australia, spoke only to the House of Commons. On 25 August 1943, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States, addressed senators, Members of Parliament, and the general public outside the houses of parliament.

Dignitaries

The following persons have addressed a joint session of parliament:

Notable addresses

Winston Churchill

In the dark days of World War II, Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, stopped in Ottawa after meetings with the United States Government in Washington DC. Churchill spoke to a joint meeting of Canada’s parliamentarians in the House of Commons on December 30, 1941. Churchill delivered an "electrifying address that stirs the passions and strengthens the resolve of a nation at war." The most iconic phrase from Churchill’s remarks was met by laughter and thunderous applause. In responding to a French General’s claim that "England will have her neck wrung like a chicken" in three weeks time from a German invasion, Prime Minister Churchill boldly declared "Some chicken! Some neck!". Churchill would go on to lead the Allied effort to victory in the Second World War.

Richard Nixon

United States President Richard Nixon arrived in Ottawa on a state visit on April 13, 1972. He met with Governor General Roland Michener and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau before addressing a joint meeting of the Parliament of Canada. President Nixon, invoking his Nixon Doctrine on foreign policy, struck a blunt tone in his remarks. "Canadians and Americans ustmove beyond the sentimental rhetoric of the past. It is time for us to recognize that we have very separate identities… each nation must determine the path of its own progress." Muirhead writes that after the state visit, "Nixon returned to Washington with a reinforced dislike of Ottawa, Trudeau, and most things Canadian. He told his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, that he had put it to these people for kicking the US around after what we did for that lousy son of a bitch rudeau Wasting three days up there. That trip we needed like a hole in the head."

Ronald Reagan

President Ronald Reagan travelled to Ottawa on his first state visit as President of the United States. After meeting with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, the President addressed the Canadian Parliament on March 11, 1981, speaking humbly about the strong Canada-US relationship. "America counts many friends across the globe, surely we have no better friend than Canada." President Reagan even demonstrated his ability to use both of Canada’s official languages when he spoke several phrases in French. The President concluded his remarks by offering an olive branch to the people of Canada: "We’re happy to be your neighbour. We want to remain your friend. We’re determined to be your partner, and we’re intent on working closely with you in a spirit of cooperation." Reagan addressed the Canadian Parliament once more as President, in 1987.

Margaret Thatcher

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom travelled to Ottawa and addressed Parliament on September 26, 1983. Only one year after the patriation of the Canadian Constitution with the Canada Act of 1982, Prime Minister Thatcher recognized that "a constitutional link has, quite properly, been severed," but Canada and the United Kingdom are still linked in important ways, including the belief "in the same high and honourable ideals" like freedom, justice, and parliamentary democracy. In 2013, after a 30-year ban on classified cabinet files had expired, documents from the British National Archives revealed that prior to her trip to Ottawa, Prime Minister Thatcher had been briefed to be careful of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s "unsound personal views" and the fact that Canadians are "inordinately sensitive." Prime Minister Thatcher returned to Canada in 1988 and at the invitation of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, addressed Parliament once again.

Nelson Mandela

Mere months after being released from 27 years prison, South Africa’s Nelson Mandela visited Canada in June 1990. He became only the fourth non head of state or head of government to address a Joint Session of the Parliament of Canada. Mandela thanked Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and the Government of Canada for its strong opposition to the apartheid regime in South Africa, and pleaded to keep the sanctions in place to pressure the South African government towards reform. In 1998, Mandela returned to address the Canadian Parliament as the first democratically elected President of the Republic of South Africa.

Aga Khan

Prime Minister Stephen Harper welcomed His Highness The Aga Khan to Canada and invited him to address Canada’s Parliament in February 2014. The spiritual leader, and 49th Hereditary Iman of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, spoke of the "unprecedented honour" to speak in the House of Commons and called Canada an "exemplary leader" in the "global effort to foster peace, prosperity, and equality through pluralism." The Aga Khan was bestowed honorary Canadian citizenship, and fresh after the 2014 Winter Olympics, joked that he hoped be asked to join the Canadian Olympic hockey team.

Barack Obama

Immediately following the 2016 Three Amigos Summit in Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invited United States President Barack Obama to address the Parliament of Canada on June 29, 2016. Obama, invoking his superior oratorical skills, delivered a strong portrait of the "extraordinary alliance and deep friendship between Canadians and Americans." Nearing the end of his term in office, and fresh off the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom, President Obama spoke in defence of the international liberal order, in the face of rising isolationist sentiment around the world. Obama offered an endorsement of Prime Minister Trudeau’s leadership when he said that "my time in office may be nearing an end, but I know that Canada — and the world — will benefit from your rudeau’sleadership for years to come." The President also quoted the Prime Minister’s late father, and former Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau: "A country is not something you build as the pharaohs built the pyramids… a country is something that is built every day out of certain basic shared values." This was President Obama’s second state visit to Canada, but the first time addressing a Joint Session of the Parliament of Canada."President Obama Addresses Parliament"
Youtube. Accessed 14 March 2017.

See also

* Speech from the Throne
* Joint session of the United States Congress
* United States presidential visits to Canada
* List of people who have addressed both Houses of the United Kingdom Parliament

References

{{reflist

External links

Heads of States and of Governments who have addressed Joint Sessions of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada

Parliament of Canada
Foreign relations of Canada
Canada
Canadian traditions
Speeches by type