44th Parl. 1st Sess.

September 15, 2022 10:00AM

Mr. Richard Bragdon (Tobique—Mactaquac, CPC)

Sep/15/22 1:31:55 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is with sadness in our hearts that we are gathered here today to pay tribute to someone who was absolutely all-encompassing. When we think about the impact Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had not only on the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth but also the entire world, our hearts grieve at the tremendous loss for all of us, and in particular those of us on whom she had an impact here in Canada especially, a country she visited so often. I think it was the country she visited most often outside of the U.K. We were beloved by Her Majesty and we loved her back. The hole she leaves in all of us here in Canada is huge, but her legacy will live on and the impact she made will continue for generations to come. I want to extend my deepest and heartfelt sympathies to the royal family and all those who are grieving the loss of Queen Elizabeth II. The stability Her Majesty brought to the role as Queen was something all leaders can only aspire to and hope to provide to the people they represent and serve. When I think back on the years she served and all the turmoil our world has gone through in the time of her service and throughout her lifetime, it is rather remarkable. As a child, she was raised in a time of global turmoil. She knew what it was to be in the midst of World War II and world war conflict. In that time, she knew what it was to have her family be under threat of attack. She probably experienced fears like everyone else and wondered what the future would hold, and even at that stage was beginning to feel a bit of the weight that was going to come upon her when she ascended to the throne. It is hard to believe that no less than 12 Canadian prime ministers served during her reign, from the Right Hon. Louis St-Laurent through to our current Prime Minister. During her reign, 15 United Kingdom prime ministers served, beginning with the one-of-a-kind and one-and-only Sir Winston Churchill. What a way to begin her reign as Queen, serving alongside and with Mr. Churchill. Just two days prior to her passing, she swore in her 15th prime minister, Prime Minister Liz Truss. She was Queen during the time of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. She was Queen when Apollo 11 made the first moon landing. She was Queen during the Vietnam War and experienced what the world was going through during that time. She experienced the joy of seeing the first-ever woman elected as prime minister of the U.K., that being Margaret Thatcher. She was there in our history for the repatriation of Canada's Constitution and the establishment of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Her Majesty was Queen during the terrible tragedy of Chernobyl's nuclear disaster. She was there for the fall of the Berlin Wall. She was with us during the time of the Gulf War. She was also there for the end of apartheid. She was there to witness the end of strife in Northern Ireland. She was also with us through the tragedy of 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan. Of course she was there when our world experienced the banking crisis, the mortgage crisis and the great recession of 2008-09. She witnessed the start of the Arab Spring. More recently, she went through COVID-19 with the rest of us. Throughout the vicissitudes of life's ups and downs that our world has gone through, Her Majesty remained a beacon of stability, hope, strength and courage. No matter what our world was going through, whenever Her Majesty spoke, she spoke with a calmness and a resoluteness that resonated with all the people she had influence over. She bore many titles. She was referred to as the Queen, the head of the Commonwealth, our sovereign and Her Majesty, but it has been said of the Queen that her preferred title, her favourite title, was Her Grace. She loved to be referred to as “Her Grace”. As the story goes, she loved that title because she felt very deeply that she was in her role of the Queen because of the grace of her lord and saviour. She took that role very seriously because she saw it as a fulfilment of her calling here on earth. At the time of her coronation, Her Majesty stated: Therefore I am sure that this, my Coronation, is not the symbol of a power and a splendour that are gone but a declaration of our hopes for the future, and for the years I may, by God's Grace and Mercy, be given to reign and serve you as your Queen. The Queen bore witness to the importance of faith in her life and in our world throughout all kinds of circumstances. She celebrated the joys of our seasons, and reflected upon her faith in her annual Christmas addresses that many of us remember with fondness. I am sure in times of crisis and tragedies she drew strength from her faith and she would share that with those of us listening to her messages. She was not immune to the sufferings of her people. Not only was she the Queen but she was also a mother, a grandmother, a wife, a great-grandmother and an aunt. She experienced all that those roles can bring to a person's life and emotions. Her Majesty experienced the death of her father in 1952 and became our sovereign at the young age of 25. In August 1997, we all remember the tragic loss of Princess Diana. She also endured the passing of her husband in recent years. She understood the stress and strain during the times of turmoil that we have all faced in our lives, but there was an additional component for her. When someone is a leader, where do they go when their heart is heavy and they grieve the affairs of the people they feel responsibility for? Where did the Queen go when her heart was overwhelmed? Where did the Queen go when she felt like she needed to talk to someone? She told us. She expressed to us where she got her strength. She said: I know just how much I rely on my faith to guide me through the good times and the bad. Each day is a new beginning. I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God. She also said: To many of us our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ's words and example. Today, it is my hope in this House that where Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II found comfort would also be the source of our comfort, that we would look to the same one that she, the Queen, looked to, and find great joy and comfort in the midst of deep sorrow and loss knowing that our hope goes beyond here. God save the King, and may God continue to bless Canada.

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