44th Parl. 1st Sess.

September 15, 2022 10:00AM

Mr. Alistair MacGregor (Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, NDP)

Sep/15/22 4:05:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and it is with profound sadness that I rise to join my colleagues in this special session of the House today to pay tribute to Her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Elizabeth played many roles on the world stage, but her duties first and foremost were as a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother. On behalf of my constituents in Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, I want to start by extending my sincerest condolences to the royal family, especially to our new sovereign, His Majesty King Charles III, who must grieve the loss of his mother while assuming the heavy and solemn duties of the Crown. I have been listening to the speeches today, and I know that many of my colleagues have remarked that for most Canadians, Queen Elizabeth II is the only monarch they have ever known. It is certainly true for me. I arrived on this earth in 1979, when the Queen was 53 years old and had already served as our sovereign for 27 years. When I was growing up, her image was ubiquitous, on all of our coinage, our $2 bills and our $20 bills. Her portrait was displayed in clubs, in legion halls and in our schools, to name just a few of the places. When a monarch reigns for that length of time, people can be forgiven for regarding her with a sense of permanence. Governments come and go, but the Crown remains, an institution that has been a foundation for so many countries around the world during some very turbulent decades, including our own. Her presence was constant. It was a source of stability, so when I heard the news last Thursday that members of her immediate family had been summoned to Balmoral because of her grave condition, my immediate thought was that it was not serious and that she would bounce back and continue with her duties, as she had always done. After all, she had met with the newly elected leader of the U.K. Conservative Party, Liz Truss, only two days before, to invite her to become prime minister and form a government. Her death, announced later that same day, came as a shock, and I know that many in this chamber and, indeed, many of my constituents are still trying to process that. I want to speak a bit about the Crown as an institution and Queen Elizabeth's embodiment of that institution. Many of my colleagues have spoken of it as an institution that transcends our political institutions and has given our country, as a constitutional monarchy, a stability to endure. Given that the throne shall never be empty, the accession of Charles as king was immediate. That is why, over the centuries, the phrase “The Queen is dead. Long live the King” has underlined the fact that the throne is never empty. It resulted in a cascading series of changes in our institutions, everything from the renaming of our naval ships, which now go from Her Majesty's Canadian ship to His Majesty's Canadian ship, to the Court of Queen's Bench, which is now the Court of King's Bench and, of course, Her Majesty's loyal opposition, which is now His Majesty's loyal opposition. This shows that while our politics differ, our loyalty to the state and our wish to see it do well remain unchanged, no matter what side of this House of Commons one has a seat on. Of course, when we refer to Parliament, we are referring to the three constituent parts: the House of Commons, the Senate and the monarch, who is represented by the Governor General. No bill can become law without each of these bodies playing a role: two legislative chambers, which must each pass the bill in the same form, and the Governor General, who gives royal assent in the monarch's name. New citizens, members of Parliament and senators, members of the RCMP and the Canadian Armed Forces, those who serve as members of legislative assemblies, and justices of provincial and federal courts are all examples of where the oath is sworn or affirmed to the monarch and to the heirs and successors. Government policy is carried out in the monarch's name and it has a duty to uphold the honour of the Crown. Our oaths to Queen Elizabeth II and now to her heir and successor, King Charles III, are not to her as a person, but rather to her embodiment of the Crown as an institution, as a symbol of the Canadian state, the ship which continues to sail despite the occasional changing of captains. She lived up to that embodiment with a life of service and duty. It is incredible when one thinks about it: 70 years on the throne. There were 15 British prime ministers, starting with Sir Winston Churchill, and of course 12 Canadian prime ministers, starting with Louis St-Laurent. The world in 1952 was very different from the one we inhabit today. Much of Europe was still recovering from the brutality of World War II, and the Queen assumed her role as head of state to a Britain that was very unsure of its role in the world as the foundations of its empire were crumbling around it. Canada at the time was also a very different country from the one it is today, and we were blessed by many visits from Queen Elizabeth over her reign. My colleagues will know me as a proud Vancouver Islander, and we were so very lucky to have her on seven different occasions. Victoria, the city of my birth, which is also named after a queen, will probably be recognized by those who have visited as one of the most royalist cities in all of Canada. Probably the most significant occasion for Canada was on April 17, 1982, when the Queen signed the proclamation of the Constitution Act. That act achieved our country's full independence. It allowed us to change our Constitution without approval from Britain, and it enshrined our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which are used to this day as a guard against government overreach and against legislatures like our very own that overstep their bounds when creating laws. Going forward, we also need the monarchy to address past injustices, and I say this in good faith to our new monarch. Many peoples around the world have a troubled history and relationship with the British Crown. My own last name shows a very clear link to Scotland, and there is a wide range of history on that. More importantly, we need to talk about the legacy of colonialism. If one looks at the map of modern-day Africa, those straight lines drawn with the precision of a ruler were the result of imperial powers carving up the map. As well, there is the British Crown's role in slavery and addressing that historical injustice. Importantly, here in Canada, there is the treatment of indigenous peoples. I am so very lucky to have had a conversation with an indigenous constituent just this last week to serve as a reminder of that troubled relationship with the Crown. His Majesty King Charles III has an unparalleled opportunity to move the monarchy forward in a way that is acceptable and more relevant to today's generation. He acknowledged that on a recent trip to Canada, when he said this: It has been deeply moving to have met survivors of residential schools who, with such courage, have shared their experiences. On behalf of my wife and myself, I want to acknowledge their suffering and to say how much our hearts go out to them and their families. As King, he has an opportunity to go further. It is my sincerest hope that in his first visit to Canada as King, His Majesty Charles III will meet with indigenous elders across the country and listen to what they are saying. In conclusion, heavy is the head that wears the Crown. Queen Elizabeth II wore it well, with duty, service and devotion. I will treasure her memory to our country. May she rest in peace.

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House Hansard - 96