44th Parl. 1st Sess.

September 15, 2022 10:00AM

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

Sep/15/22 10:08:24 a.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, before I begin I would like once again to congratulate the member for Carleton on his new role as leader of the official opposition. We all have a lot of work ahead of us, and we will work for a better Canada. Last week, Canada lost the only sovereign that most of us have ever known. It is important to take these occasions, here in Parliament and across the country, to recognize the service and leadership she provided us. When someone lives until 96, this should not come as a surprise, and yet her sudden absence has struck us all palpably and profoundly. Her Majesty was everywhere: on coins, in her portraits hanging in Parliament and post offices, and in her televised Christmas address, a cozy ritual in homes from coast to coast to coast. The Queen meant so much to so many of us, and she exuded a humility and compassion that provided comfort to all. I was extraordinarily fortunate to have known Her Majesty throughout my life. The first time I met her was in 1977 when I was just a little boy. When I would meet with her as Prime Minister almost four decades later in 2015, I joked that the last time we met she had been taller than me. She responded with a quip about my making her feel old. Her sense of humour was one of her many great qualities and one of the many reasons why she was one of my favourite people in the world. She embraced her role as Queen of Canada, our Queen, our head of state. Her conversations with me were always candid. We talked about anything and everything. She gave her best advice on a range of issues. She was always curious, engaged and thoughtful. Canadians can be forever grateful for her counsel. In a way, everybody knew her. Canadians feel like they have lost a family member, a family member who grew up alongside us. She was only nine years old when she carried out what was perhaps her first official duty for Canada, appearing on a postage stamp. That was in 1935. Her Majesty was with us for important birthdays, like in 1967 when she cut Canada's centennial cake on Parliament Hill. Our country came of age under her reign. It was Her Majesty who proclaimed and signed the Constitution Act of 1982 and our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. These pillars of our democracy help uphold the stability of our country and keep us free. Her Majesty felt at home in Canada. She visited Canada more often than any other country. A few years ago she said, “whether watching a chuck wagon race at the Calgary Stampede or athletic prowess at the Montreal Olympics, whether listening to an Inuit song of greeting in Nunavut or the skirl of pipes in Nova Scotia, I have always felt not only welcome but at home in Canada.” The Queen had a deep appreciation for our culture. In 1964, she said that she was pleased to know that there was a place in our Commonwealth where she was expected to speak officially in French. She liked the language very much and spoke it impeccably. Many words have been used to describe the qualities that mark the legacy of Her Majesty, words like duty, service, devotion and stability. Each of these words marks a slightly different aspect of what she gave to us. When we think of duty, we reflect on how the Queen embodied the Crown above all else, how her final public act was a constitutional one as she invited the United Kingdom's new Prime Minister to form government and how her last public statement was one offering condolences to survivors and the loved ones of the victims in Saskatchewan. When we think of service, we remember how, in 1945 as Princess Elizabeth, she donned a uniform and joined the Allied efforts, including those of more than a million Canadians, during World War II. When we think of her devotion, we recall images and stories of Her Majesty as a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Our thoughts are with her devoted family as they mourn her with such grace and love. Above all, when we think of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we reflect on how she provided us with stability. Her 70-year reign is unprecedented. Last June, we celebrated the Platinum Jubilee of a Canadian sovereign for the first time ever. Canada experienced extraordinary peace and prosperity during her reign. As Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent said when he addressed this House after the death of King George, her father, in 1952, “We have, in our commonwealth nations, a system of government as free as any on earth”. Today, the world is in a tough place. We are all reeling from an unprecedented global pandemic. Putin's brutal and unjustifiable war is threatening global stability. Around the globe, democratic institutions are being challenged, but Canadians can rightly be proud of living in one of the strongest democracies in the world. Our institutions are healthy. Our debates are robust, and we have an enviable stability and resilience despite, or perhaps because of, Canadians' vast diversity of beliefs, backgrounds and perspectives. It is this very strength and stability, represented by the Crown and embodied by the Queen, that Canadians have always benefited from, and we, as parliamentarians and Canadians, dedicate ourselves each and every day to those democratic principles. Each of us sitting here in this House has chosen to serve our communities and our country. We also do so in the knowledge that the challenges of our time in public office are time limited, but for Her Majesty public service was her entire life. Right up until the very end she had an unflinching enduring commitment to service and to building a better world and a better future. All of us here know that service requires sacrifices; the Queen did so with grace. Her selflessness and dedication is a model to remind us of the weight and the importance of every day we sit in this House and to inspire us as we go forward. In our constitutional monarchy, the Crown's functions in our government are to be a bedrock for our constitution and to transcend the daily political debates. Our new King, King Charles III, demonstrated his commitment to the larger sweep of history with his most recent tour, which included a focus on the generational work necessary to achieve reconciliation and fight climate change. The stability of our overarching democratic institutions gives Canadians assurance and peace of mind so we can all focus on the issues that matter most, like taking care of people, our economy, our communities and our planet. Before I conclude, on behalf of all Canadians, I would like to extend our sincere condolences to the royal family. This weekend I am going to London with former prime ministers and governors general to attend Her Majesty's state funeral, which will take place on Monday. On that day, Canada will mark her passing with a national day of mourning and will be holding a commemorative ceremony. I hope that, next Monday, Canadians from coast to coast to coast will take a moment to reflect on Her Majesty's incomparable legacy and the high ideals she embodied. Queen Elizabeth served her duties and her peoples up until the end, there for all of us until her final moments. We shall all miss her immensely, but I know, as we all know, that our new sovereign, His Majesty King Charles III, will uphold the very values that we speak to today and continue her legacy. Long live the King.

1295 words

Hear!
Rabble!
add
star_border
share

SoVote

House Hansard - 96