OTTAWA—The Trudeau government’s first throne speech is likely to be one of the shortest in Canadian history.
Insiders say the speech, to be read by Gov. Gen. David Johnston on Dec. 4, will be little more than a list of the new Liberal government’s immediate priorities, with minimal rhetorical flourishes and no surprises.
It won’t mention every federal department, nor will it recap every single promise made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the federal election campaign.
Rather, it will be a brief recitation of the urgent promises Trudeau intends to move on over the coming year—those aimed at improving the lot of struggling middle-class Canadians foremost among them.
The brevity and tight focus of the speech is modelled on throne speeches in the mother of Parliaments in the United Kingdom, which typically run less than 1,000 words and take the Queen less than 10 minutes to read.
