“Last week, Canada lost the only sovereign most of us have ever known,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons. “It is important that we take these moments, here in Parliament and across the country, to recognize the service and leadership that he provided.” “When someone lives to be 96, that shouldn’t be a surprise. And yet, this sudden absence has hit us all tangibly and deeply. “Her majesty was everywhere — on coins, her portrait hanging in Parliament and post offices, her televised Christmas address, a comfortable ritual in homes from coast to coast.” Trudeau’s tribute to the queen is one of several taking place today in the House of Commons, which has been recalled to allow MPs to make personal statements about the late monarch’s life and legacy. The prime minister said he enjoyed the frank conversations he had with the queen and that Canadians can be grateful for the advice she gave him on a range of issues. Canada enjoyed an era of prosperity and peace under Elizabeth’s reign, Trudeau said, describing her as the foundation upon which Canada’s democracy and Constitution rest. Watch: Trudeau remembers Queen Elizabeth:
Trudeau remembers Queen Elizabeth
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reflects on Queen Elizabeth’s legacy and her relationship with Canada during a special session of the House of Commons. “Today the world is in a difficult position,” Trudeau said. “We are all in an unprecedented global pandemic. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s brutal and unjustified war threatens global stability. All over the world, democratic institutions are being challenged. “But Canadians can rightly be proud to live in one of the strongest democracies in the world. Our institutions are sound, our debates are robust… It is this very strength and stability, represented by the Crown and embodied by the Queen, Canadians have always benefited from’. The day of tributes in Parliament began at 10 a.m. with a minute’s silence to commemorate the recent killings in the province of Saskatchewan. The speeches in the Parliament started with the prime minister, followed by the leader of the official opposition, Pierre Poiliev. “For nearly 70 years, she was our head of state, but also a servant of the Canadian people,” Poilievre told the House. “He has been a role model for all who work for the public service to remind us that, for all the pomp and circumstance, the real work of government is not glamorous. “She often requires us to put aside our egos, keep our heads down, and get on with the job. Her humility reminded us that government is not about us, it’s about those we serve. We are indeed servants, not masters.” Watch: Poilievre remembers Queen Elizabeth:
Poilievre remembers Queen Elizabeth
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poulievre reflects on Queen Elizabeth’s legacy and her relationship with Canada during a special session of the House of Commons. Poilievre said while the Queen held a special place in the hearts of many Canadians, Canada also held a special place in hers because she visited that country more than any other. “When the Queen delivered our Constitution speech in 1982 … she said, ‘The genius of Canadian federalism lies in our consistent ability to overcome differences through reason and compromise,’” he said. “That ability is reflected in the willingness of ordinary people in French and English Canada and everywhere to respect each other’s rights and to create together the conditions under which all can prosper in freedom.” Poilievre joined other leaders in congratulating King Charles and said he looked forward to seeing him carry on his mother’s legacy. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Polievre greet each other as they gather in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth in Ottawa on Thursday. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick) NDP leader Jagmeet Singh joined the other leaders in offering condolences to the Queen’s family. “She made a promise to spend her entire life, long or short, fulfilling her duty and for more than 70 years she kept that promise,” Singh said. “Two days before she died, she met with the incoming British prime minister and invited her to form a government, ensuring she fulfilled this final constitutional duty.” Singh said the Queen lived a remarkable life and remained a source of stability in a rapidly changing world. Watch: Singh remembers Queen Elizabeth:
Singh remembers Queen Elizabeth
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh reflects on Queen Elizabeth’s legacy and her relationship with Canada during a special session of the House of Commons. “Throughout her life, Queen Elizabeth has used her platform to offer encouragement in difficult times,” Singh said. “Most recently, during the pandemic, it reminded us that we will overcome the challenges and pain of not being able to see loved ones. “He asked us to face the difficult times with optimism and hope, united and doing what needed to be done.”
Blanchet: Crown’s relationship with Quebec ‘thorny and tough’
The leader of the Quebois bloc, Yves-Francois Blanche, struck a different tone — offering condolences to “anyone who mourns” the queen’s death without expressing personal feelings of loss. “It’s not something we do as nationalists and sovereignists without much reflection among ourselves. Everyone has their own sensitivities and that means we have to pay special attention to history,” he said. “The history between the Crown and the nation of Quebec is thorny and bitter.” Saying that “respect must come first”, Blanche expressed Bloch’s “heartfelt condolences to the people of England”. He then said the bloc’s MPs would rise after the leaders’ speech and not take part in further tributes to the Queen in Parliament. Speaking for the Greens, MP Michael Morris offered his condolences and said the Queen was a true example of a life of service to others. “Today we honor and mourn a remarkable woman who loved this country and its citizens … who set a standard that is unmatched,” he said. After the party leaders finished their tributes, a minute’s silence was observed before individual MPs in the House began to offer their own tributes to the Queen. Each MP who wishes to speak has 10 minutes to do so. Government House Leader Mark Holland said at the start of today’s sitting that the House is ready to meet on Friday to finalize all tributes. Parliament was originally scheduled to return on September 19. This date was moved to 20 September to avoid conflict with the Queen’s funeral. Following today’s events in the House of Commons, Trudeau will travel to London to attend the Queen’s funeral with his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau and a number of other dignitaries:
Governor General Mary Simon Vice President wife of Canada Whit Fraser Former Governor General Michaëlle Jean Former Governor General David Johnston Former Prime Minister Kim Campbell Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien Former Prime Minister Paul Martin Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper Assembly of First Nations, National Chief RoseAnne Archibald President of Inuit Tapiriit Canada Nathan Obed President of the Métis National Council Cassidy Caron Former High Commissioner for Canada to the United Kingdom Janice Charette High Commissioner for Canada to the United Kingdom Ralph Goodale
Also accompanying Trudeau to the UK will be Order of Canada recipients Mark Tewksbury, Gregory Charles and Sandra Oh, as well as Cross of Valor recipient Leslie Arthur Palmer.
Ottawa for the Queen’s Day celebration on September 19
Four members of the RCMP marching band will perform at the funeral procession in London. They will be riding horses loaned to them from the stables at Buckingham Palace. Back in Ottawa, MPs and officials who will not attend the funeral in London will attend a memorial service at Christ Church Cathedral. This ceremony starts at 11:00am, but it won’t start until after the ceremony in London is over. Events will begin in Ottawa shortly before that at 10:10am. with CAF members from the air force, army, navy and special forces on parade. They will depart from the Cartier Square Drill Hall, behind City Hall, accompanied by the Central Band of the Canadian Armed Forces. The parade will pass the war memorial and in front of the Houses of Parliament, where 96 salutes will be fired into the air, one for each year of the Queen’s life. The late Queen Elizabeth II, shown here sitting in the House of Lords at the Palace of Westminster in London in 2019, will be honored in Canada’s House of Commons on Thursday. (Aaron Chown/Associated Press) The service at Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa will include hymns and readings. The full list of speakers for the service has not yet been released. Albert Dumont, the Algonquin spiritual advisor associated with Christ Church Cathedral, is scheduled to address the 600 guests in attendance. The government said the ceremony will include musical interludes by Canadian artists, a video tribute and a speech by another unnamed prominent Canadian. The government said the full list of those attending the function would be released to the media on the morning of September 19.
