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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 96

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 15, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 96 - Sep/15/22
Mr. Dave Epp (Chatham-Kent—Leamington, CPC)
  • Sep/15/22 5:15:08 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is always an honour and a privilege to rise in this chamber and represent the voices of those in Chatham-Kent—Leamington, particularly in this solemn hour and on this day of tribute. I have only known one sovereign. In fact, over 90% of Canadians have only known one sovereign: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Last night, before boarding the plane to come to Ottawa, I stopped and visited with my parents. They are in their late eighties, so they are part of the 10% cohort who has known two monarchs. They reflected back on the death of King George VI and on the coronation of then Princess Elizabeth, and they recalled the national sadness followed by the pageantry of coronation. I think many of us are also feeling some of those emotions today. As a child in school, I recall singing God Save the Queen, and that anthem concludes with the following statement: Long to reign over us,God save the Queen. Well, long did she reign, the longest in the history of the British monarchy. While intuitively we all knew she was not immortal and her death would come, it still comes as a shock, as most of us have always lived with the assumption she was a permanent fixture in our lives. Her Majesty knew she was not immortal, as she requested the help of her creator and acknowledged her service to him as she took the oath of service to country and Commonwealth at the beginning of her reign almost 70 years ago. This legacy of service, of duty, is what has come to define her reign. While in theory holding ultimate power, she fully understood her role in a constitutional monarchy, where the true power lies in a country's people. In practice, by wielding ceremonial power through leadership by example, she actually had enormous influence, providing the example we should all follow. Her Majesty's calm and assured voice, her measured tone and her dignified demeanor remained a beacon of stability through many turbulent times in her country, within the Commonwealth, in this world and, yes, even within her own family. Her Majesty was a wife, a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother, and it is to her family, the royal family, that I wish to convey my sincerest condolences. Today we hear much about freedom, but freedom should never be separated from duty. Today we hear much about our rights, but our rights should never be separated from our responsibilities. Our freedoms do not stand in isolation without the duty of a country's citizens to serve. Freedom is not free. Our individual rights are not sustained or sustainable unless we acknowledge and respect our responsibilities to each other and to the collective whole. Our Constitution is based on this relationship of freedom and duty, of individual rights and responsibilities. Her Majesty's life of devotion, service to country and duty to the Commonwealth inspired many and embodied the intertwined codependency of freedom and duty, of rights and responsibilities and of service and humility. It was therefore an honour this past summer for me, as a member of Parliament, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of her reign, her Platinum Jubilee, by bestowing platinum pins for service to community, or, said another way, for responsibilities demonstrated to the whole, on residents of Chatham-Kent—Leamington who have emulated the life of service exemplified by Her Majesty. It is these very citizens whose voices I have the privilege of bringing to this chamber. May Her Majesty rest in peace and may she rise in glory. Long live the King, King Charles III. May God bless Canada.
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