44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 15, 2022 10:00AM
- Sep/15/22 10:20:21 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the House of Commons is reflecting on the exceptional life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen of Canada, our Queen.
For about seventy years she was our head of state, and beyond that she also served the Canadian people. She was a role model for all those shouldering public service responsibilities.
Her sense of duty reminded us that, for all the pomp and circumstance, the real work of governing is not glamourous. It often requires putting aside egos, keeping our heads down and keeping on with the job. Her humility reminded us that government is not about us; it is about those we serve. We are, indeed, servants and not masters.
The Queen had a special place in our hearts and we had a special place in hers. She spent more official time here in Canada than in any other country, save the United Kingdom.
She first visited Canada as Princess Elizabeth in 1951. It was on that trip that she said, “From the moment when I first set foot on Canadian soil, the feeling of strangeness went, for I knew myself to be not only amongst friends, but amongst fellow countrymen.” She would visit Canada over 20 times as the Queen. She was present at so many of our most important occasions: the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959, the centennial Expo in 1967, the 1976 summer Olympics and the patriation of our Constitution in 1982.
As we reflect on Her late Majesty's life and service, we reflect also on the enduring nature of the institution over which she was the Crown.
On her visit to Canada in 1951, then Princess Elizabeth planted an oak sapling in Vancouver. Seventy-one years later, that sapling has grown into a mighty and stately oak whose canopy provides relief from the sun or, it being in Vancouver, perhaps more likely shelter from the rain. The oak tree has long been a royal symbol. It is a symbol of the British constitution, whose forms we inherited and whose conventions we follow in this House. In Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France, he wrote the constitution was a spreading oak tree, under whose protective shade the British could peacefully and securely enjoy life, as is only possible for those who live under ordered liberty.
In Burke's day, the Crown was already a largely symbolic institution. The Civil War had made Parliament supreme more than a century earlier. The conventions of cabinet were established and are similar to what they are now today, but there were voices who thought it was time to set aside the monarchy. Burke understood, however, that the key to stability, civil peace and freedom was not to scrap the Crown, but to keep it free from day-to-day politics.
When each of us entered this place, this Parliament of ours, we entered a place rooted in a historic compromise between Crown and commoner, a compromise that was forged over centuries through bloody conflict, but also through peaceful evolution. The authority of the Crown may in a sense be fictional, but it is also functional. The separation of symbolic authority from political power allows partisan politics to be contested fearlessly without threatening the enduring constitutional order. Parties and politicians come and go; the Crown endures. The division of duties or the “org chart”, as we might say in workplace lingo, is simple: The Crown preserves parliamentary democracy and the commoners practise it, as we do here in this place.
Where does all this come from? Well, it is at least as old as the Magna Carta itself. In 1215, the barons gathered in the fields of Runnymede outside of London to confront the King. They were angry at being overtaxed to fund royal adventurism overseas and frustrated by arbitrary excesses of royal power at home. They were determined to rein in the Crown's authority. The barons forced King John to sign the great charter, the Magna Carta, which spelled out the rights and freedoms that the Crown must honour. This was and is liberty under the law.
Over the next 800 years, those liberties would be gradually extended, improved upon and given not only to citizens of the United Kingdom, but to all of those who inherited British-style parliamentary democracy. Though the system is 800 years old, it is only one generation deep. If one generation throws it away, all may lose it forever. That is why the work of Her Majesty in preserving that liberty and that system is such a treasured gift to us all and to many more yet to come. As Burke put it, it is a “partnership...between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born”.
We are the living generation and we have a duty to pass on to our children what Diefenbaker called the “heritage of freedom” we inherited from our ancestors. This is an inheritance of all Canadians, not just those of British lineage. I myself am not of British descent, but I recognize that this tradition and these liberties are my own, just as our first French Canadian prime minister, the great Wilfrid Laurier, did more than a century ago.
When visiting France in 1897, prime minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier stated, on behalf of all French Canadians, that he was loyal to England and to France. He said, “We are faithful to the great nation which gave us life, we are faithful to the great nation which gave us liberty.”
He explained this to a French audience. It is our glory in Canada.
When the Queen spoke at the patriation of our Constitution in 1982, at a ceremony not far from where I stand and all members sit today, she said:
The genius of Canadian federalism...lies in your consistent ability to overcome differences through reason and compromise. That ability is reflected in the willingness of the ordinary people of French-speaking Canada and English-speaking Canada, and of the various regions, to respect each other’s rights, and to create together the conditions under which all may prosper in freedom.
In his inaugural address, King Charles III stated that he was raised with the greatest respect for the precious traditions, freedoms and responsibilities of our unique history and our system of parliamentary government.
I congratulate the new king on his responsibilities, and I look forward to serving, here in Canada, all Canadian peoples, as he, too, devotes his life to service.
It is with a heavy heart but heartfelt thanks, and with confidence in the future, that I say Godspeed Queen Elizabeth II, God save the King and God bless Canada.
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- Sep/15/22 10:38:32 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with our parliamentary leader unable to attend this morning, it is my honour to rise on behalf of the Green caucus to mark the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
Before I begin, I, too, want to acknowledge the tragic loss of life in James Smith Cree Nation and let that entire community know that we are thinking of them.
With her reign of over 70 years, the longest of any British monarch, Her Majesty was a true example of living a life of service. I would like to express our condolences to her family and all of those who loved her.
Reflections on the life of the late sovereign tend to centre on the word “duty”. It was the decision of her late uncle to reject the call of duty and follow the call of love that led her father, King George VI, to the throne. It was his untimely death in 1952 that threw a young woman, a newlywed at that, into a life of service and duty. The personal cost to her and her family can never be fully known, no matter how many Hollywood treatments her life inspires.
As a constitutional monarchy, our system of government acknowledges Her Majesty the Queen as our head of state. That close connection binds all members of the Commonwealth. Of course, there are many political questions that remain to be discussed. Today is not that day. Today, we honour and mourn a remarkable woman who loved this country and its citizens, the late Queen Elizabeth II, who set a standard that is unparalleled.
My seatmate and colleague from Saanich—Gulf Islands had wished to be here this morning and I know she has cherished various encounters with the royal family. Although she did not meet with the Queen, the Queen's husband, the late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, and his son, now the King, were very active in the conservation of nature and environmental causes. Her Majesty shared those concerns.
What endeared her to so many of us were her playful encounters. The Prime Minister just referenced her quips that he made her feel old, as in 2015 at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta, when she poked fun at him for publicly making her feel ancient.
Personally, I think it is fabulous that Noel Coward so loved the Queen and the Queen Mother for their mischievous senses of humour.
As we reflect on the Queen's life and the road ahead, let us hold the duty of reconciliation with indigenous people across the country.
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- Sep/15/22 11:43:38 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is a solemn day. For the first time in the lives of many of us here today, we mourn the death and commemorate the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Being our head of state for the past 70 years is an extraordinary feat, something only Her Majesty could have achieved.
As we heard all last week and in Parliament today, Her Majesty's passion, resilience and strength in serving her country and her people were fundamental characteristics that shaped her reign.
When I think of Queen Elizabeth ascending the throne at the age of 25 after the death of her father, King George VI, I cannot help but be in awe. At 25, I had just graduated from university with a social work degree, commenced a new job at the Children's Aid Society and had a beautiful, full-of-energy two-year-old daughter. At such a pivotal age, when many of us were finishing university, starting our careers, beginning our families or making our way through the world learning from adventures and failures, Her Majesty was propelled to the highest institution of governance: the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the head of the Commonwealth and the Defender of the Faith.
Queen Elizabeth's reign was shaped by some of history's most notable events. These include her early years as a princess serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during the Second World War, having Sir Winston Churchill as her first prime minister, the acceleration of decolonization, the Cold War and the fall of the Iron Curtain, the deadly conflict in Ireland known as “the Troubles”, the war on terror, Brexit, and COVID-19. Despite these events emerging from British, European or global affairs, Her Majesty used her position and powers to bridge and merge people of different linguistic, cultural and political backgrounds to facilitate co-operation and collaboration toward unity, showcasing what a constitutional monarch should be.
Queen Elizabeth II's reign also covered some significant events here in Canada. She proclaimed the Canadian flag in 1965. She addressed the National Assembly of Quebec during Quebec's quiet revolution, noting how pleased she was that there was a place in the Commonwealth where people could speak in French. She opened the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976, and, of course, she signed the proclamation of the Constitution Act, 1982, which created the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982.
The admiration that Queen Elizabeth II had for Canada is undeniable. During her time on the throne, the Queen made 22 state visits to Canada, making Canada her most-visited Commonwealth country. During those visits to Canada, Her Majesty toured the country, sponsored charitable works, attended ceremonies, opened Parliament in 1957 and delivered a Speech from the Throne in 1977.
Her Majesty's first state visit as Queen was in 1957, when she and her late husband spent four days here in Ottawa. However, that was not Elizabeth's first trip to Canada. As some of my colleagues have mentioned, Princess Elizabeth, as she was then known, visited Canada in 1951 on behalf of her father, who, unfortunately, was being treated for lung cancer.
I will share some aspects of that trip. Her Majesty shooks hands at the rate of 30,000 times per week, heard the national anthem played 150 times, met 53 mayors, inspected 24 guards of honour, accepted official bouquets from 23 children and signed 21 golden books. Let me remind everyone that this all occurred in 33 days.
Queen Elizabeth's royal tour of Canada in 1951 was an instrumental occurrence that influenced her reign as Queen in the years to come. Her Majesty's examples of attending the Calgary Stampede and square dancing at Rideau Hall, which, I should add, made its way onto popular Christmas cards, illustrate a modern monarchy willing to connect with younger people and reflect the civil and societal changes of the times. We should have known then that she was destined to be a queen for the modern age.
On behalf of our community of Orléans, which I have the privilege to represent, I would like to extend my sincere condolences to the royal family, who lost a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother, as well as to the extended family and to the people of the United Kingdom.
As we continue to commemorate the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, we also usher in the reign of His Majesty King Charles III. I am confident that His Majesty will carry on with his vow to follow his mother's inspirational example of public service, illustrating the Crown's dedication, resilience and strength in upholding the principle of constitutional government and the values that we, as a Commonwealth nation, share and relish.
God save the King.
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- Sep/15/22 12:34:56 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to our late Queen, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Before I do so, I would first like to give my condolences to the families and members of the James Smith Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, as they have just buried many of the dead and are suffering from the great tragedy that has beset them.
I rise on behalf of many of the constituents of Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill to pay tribute to the Queen and offer condolences to the royal family and King Charles III. I say “many” because not everyone feels the same way about the monarchy or the Queen. Many members in this House have already referred to that.
Our relationship with the monarchy is complex. There is a history of colonialism, and there are feelings from indigenous people and francophones that do not always align with the monarchy. However, there are many people, including me, who greatly admired the Queen and her life of service.
The Queen embodied many things. One of them, for me, was family. Family has always been so important to me and to many of my constituents, as well as to many Canadians. The Queen put family first. I believe her example in being a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother and in caring for her family above all was one set for all of us and one that we should all admire.
Although I did not have the opportunity to meet the Queen as many people in the House have, I feel like I did meet her through my family. My grandmother, Marie Ellen Taylor, was born in England. She went to school in Ireland and moved to Canada as a young woman. I could not help but notice all of the cookie tins, plates, china cups and photos of the Queen in her home. She was certainly proud of our Queen. She was proud as a Canadian, and she certainly shared that with all of us.
It was not just the Queen's dedication to family. It was also her great dedication to service. When we look at the over seven decades the Queen served, we see exemplary service. She, above all, wanted to connect with people. She was Queen of the Commonwealth, and as so many have already mentioned, she loved Canada and visited us often. I believe her connection to Canada was real and that she was not only connected to her subjects here from the past but that she grew and changed as Canada grew and changed. Her acceptance and desire to get to know so many parts of Canada and so many people was great.
There is a quote I want to read that made it clear that she believed in inclusivity and respected multiculturalism in Canada. She stated:
...it is as Queen of Canada that I am here—Queen of Canada and of all Canadians, not just of one or two ancestral strains. I would like the crown to be seen as a symbol of national sovereignty, a link between Canadian citizens of every national origin and ancestry.
Later, the Queen would say, “This nation has dedicated itself to being a caring home for its own, a sanctuary for others and an example to the world.” Her last message was to express solidarity and sympathy to the loved ones of those who tragically lost their lives on the James Smith Cree Nation reserve. She cared about our issues. She cared about our country.
I go back to her legacy of service and think about how she connected with people. She was the first queen to have a televised wedding. Of course, it was the first time television was available, but she also initiated walkabouts. Many members of this House have spoken of how many hands she shook, how many people she saw personally and all of the stories and memories written in the book of condolences. She definitely touched people. The importance of human connection and the recognition of individual dignity and the pursuit of good governance is one of Queen Elizabeth's legacies.
In a speech given to the United Nations in 2010, she stated, “I know of no single formula for success. But over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration to work together.”
It was this commitment to hope and unity that strikes a chord with so many who remember her lifetime of service, composure and personal strength, and offers a profound example for us as democratic representatives of the Canadian people.
I know that many will miss her. As a strong female presence in our world over a very long period, a period of change and tumultuous times, she always offered a vision of faith and hope. It is that faith and hope, I believe, that we still need as we move forward today.
I know I will miss her caring, stable presence in our world and that many will. Her absence is a loss for us all.
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- Sep/15/22 2:14:21 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is always a privilege to be able to stand in the House. I stand here before my colleagues with mixed emotions. I am both happy to to return and see colleagues on both the government and opposition benches, who I have not had the chance to see since June, but I am deeply saddened by the events that recently took place in Saskatchewan in James Smith Cree Nation, as well as what we are here today to discuss, which is the passing of our Queen, Queen Elizabeth II.
To the families who lost loved ones in Saskatchewan, we are all thinking of them and stand with them.
I would like to send my condolences to only the royal family, but indeed also to those around the world who are mourning her passing. She was a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother, but she was also our Queen and the head of state for millions around the world.
During my time today, I would like to highlight some of the incredible contributions that the Queen made to public life during her 70‑year reign. I also want to talk about the importance of the Crown and Canada's relationship with the United Kingdom as a constitutional monarchy.
It goes without saying that the Queen was a dedicated public servant, and I think all of us in the House, indeed all Canadians, have probably had an opportunity to reflect on her time serving as our head of state. We recently had a national caucus in New Brunswick and there were reflections of how best to be able to move forward in her passing.
Literally 36 hours before her death, she was performing her constitutional obligations. She was performing her public service by welcoming the United Kingdom's new prime minister to form government in her name. That, at its core, is a reflection of how seriously she took her job as the sovereign of not only the United Kingdom but also the realms of the Commonwealth for which she served as the head of state. It is significant.
As has been mentioned in various speeches today, in her first address to the Commonwealth, she dedicated her life to public service. It is important to recognize that during the Second World War, Princess Elizabeth served with the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the women's branch of the British Army, where she trained as a mechanic.
I want to take a moment to talk about Her Majesty's relationship with Canada. As has been referenced, Canada was the most visited country outside of the United Kingdom in the Commonwealth that the Queen visited. She visited Nova Scotia on five separate occasions.
I am wearing a MacLachlan tie. I have deep Scottish roots and a connection to the United Kingdom. I think about the fact that the Queen loved visiting Balmoral Castle, loved her time in Scotland, specifically as part of the Highland Games and certainly, on reflection upon her visits to Nova Scotia, particularly enjoyed our province because of those deep Scottish roots that our province shares with the mother country.
In some ways, the Queen reminded me of my grandmother. I say this in the best of terms possible. They are relatively the same age. My grandmother is now 93, born just three years after the Queen. I think we could all have an appreciation, depending on one's age I suppose, of how the Queen almost served as a grandmother to all of us, particularly those who have come of age. She was someone we might not have known, but we felt like we knew because of her presence over such a long time in Canadian history.
She spent 70 years as our head of state, which is just shy of half of the entire existence of this country. It is quite significant. I saw a statistic the other day that 9 out of 10 people living in the world right now have only ever known Queen Elizabeth as the head of state, at least in the country of Canada, and indeed only one out of 10 were born prior to her serving in her capacities.
A number of reflections have come out since Her Majesty's passing. One video that I found on social media was particularly funny. I think it probably reflects the type of person that she was.
There is a police officer who had been a part of her guard, and the video is only about a minute and a half, but the police officer goes on to explain that, during one of their walks in Scotland while he was accompanying her, there were two American tourists who ran into them along the road. It became very apparent that the tourists did not know that this was Queen Elizabeth. Without going into great detail, I would encourage colleagues to actually find the video on Twitter.
The Queen played along and said that she had not met the Queen but that her police officer had. The police officer jumped in and says, “Well, yes, I have met her. She can be cantankerous at times, but she has a great personality.” Those two American tourists, according to this story, walked away not even knowing that they had just met the head of state of Canada and of all her realm. I think the Queen's good-natured spirit is reflected in that story. I would encourage colleagues to go find it.
Of course, today our primary focus is sending our condolences, recognizing the public service of Queen Elizabeth and celebrating the ascension of King Charles III. There will undoubtedly be conversations about Canada's constitutional nature. I just want to take the opportunity in the time I have left to highlight that I am unequivocal in my belief that the Crown and the relationship that Canada shares with the United Kingdom through the constitutional monarchy is something that needs to continue. I hope to go into just a little bit of detail as to why I feel that way.
Canada's relationship with the Crown is fundamental to the development of our country. The member for Hastings—Lennox and Addington went into great detail about the history of her particular riding and the relationship with loyalists that founded the area. Nova Scotia is no different. When we look at Hants County, the relationships between the Acadians and the Loyalists who came to Nova Scotia, along with those who had Scottish roots, as I mentioned previously, were all really important relationships, along with those with indigenous people, that really helped the founding our country.
This Parliament we stand in, our Westminster tradition, was founded and borrowed from our mother country in the United Kingdom. I would be remiss if I did not mention that Nova Scotia was the first colony, the first government, outside of the United Kingdom to actually form a responsible government in 1848. These are all conventions and customs that we have inherited and that evolved in Canada. They have been built off of our tradition and our relationship with the Crown and the British monarchy.
As it has been mentioned previously, our relationship with indigenous people has not always been perfect. It has indeed been rocky. Perhaps this speaks to my naivete, but in conversation with indigenous constituents, I have been surprised at the deep connection that indigenous communities in Kings—Hants share with the Crown, particularly when talking about treaties that predate the founding of Canada. Those were signed directly with the British Crown. I am thinking about the friendship treaties of the 1700s, particularly of 1763. Those were formed, and then, of course, enshrined in our Constitution in 1982.
I thought the member for Orléans did a particularly strong job of talking about how sometimes there has been tension about how the Crown's relationship in Canada has been forged both in English and French, which shows our diversity in linguistic and cultural elements.
I have just two more points before I finish. On our international outlook and cooperation, I recognize that we do not need to be a constitutional monarchy to share our relationship with the Commonwealth. Those foundational partnerships that the United Kingdom has formed around the world gives us an international community that we can work with and rely on. In today's world, where there is a whole host of uncertainty, those partnerships and international shared experiences are extremely important for our diplomatic work in the global forum.
It is often quoted that democracy is not necessarily the best form of government but that it is the best of all the other alternatives.
When we examine our own form of government as a constitutional monarchy, we see that yes, there are other forms, but I think that those forms, whether a republic or another style of government, come with a whole host of questions. When we look at the transition between Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III and the way in which that has been built over time, we see the certainty that it provides. Indeed, members have talked about our ability as parliamentarians to be focused on the partisan nature of politics, to be able to debate vigorously here in the House, but always to be doing it in the service of the Crown and the country, and that, I think, provides important stability.
I wanted to make sure that my thoughts were on the record and in Hansard.
Certainly, on behalf of the constituents of Kings—Hants, we welcome King Charles III as our new monarch in Canada. I think certainly it has been “God save the King” or “Long live the King”. I do not know exactly whether there is a convention that is different, but we certainly welcome his accession and his role as our head of state in this country.
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- Sep/15/22 3:33:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the world changed on Thursday, September 8, 2022. It has been stated by many that most people alive today have known only one Queen of the United Kingdom, of the Commonwealth, of Canada, and that is certainly true for me. We have a collector's magazine on our coffee table at home dated June 1953, commemorating the coronation of then 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth, who had been Queen for a couple of months already, due to the sudden unexpected passing of her father, King George VI.
Just to date myself, I was born between those two dates, that of her accession to the throne and her coronation.
It has been noted that Elizabeth has been Queen of Canada for almost half of its existence as a modern state. It is historic that we now see a transition from a queen to a king, something that we are all going to have to get used to.
Even though the face of the monarchy has changed from Elizabeth II, who is well adored and loved by the whole world, to Charles III, who has very big shoes to fill now, nothing has really changed. As a member of Parliament, I swore allegiance to Elizabeth II and her heirs. Parliament was not dissolved. The government continues to function. The political party of which I am a member continues to be the loyal opposition, loyal to the Crown.
It bears noting that another historical event has taken place recently. Our colleague, the member for Carleton, has now become the leader of His Majesty's loyal opposition, a phrase that has not been used in 70 years.
I never met the Queen, but I always felt I knew her, going back to my elementary school days at Virginia Park Elementary School in Edmonton, Alberta. Every classroom in the school proudly displayed a more or less up-to-date photograph of the Queen. We saluted the flag. We recited The Lord's Prayer. We sang God Save the Queen almost as often as we sang our national anthem, Oh Canada.
I love that Canada is multicultural. I am personally a beneficiary of that, having been born to parents who had just recently immigrated from the Netherlands. While they maintained many of their Dutch traditions, they truly valued the rich traditions around the British Crown and all that goes with it: the parliamentary government, a stable monarchy, the stability offered by a monarch who rides above the politics of the day. These are concepts that they grew up with in their home country and that were instilled in us as children.
I never met Queen Elizabeth, but it is in my DNA to respect the value that an unchanging monarchy brings to our national identity, stability and unity.
Canadians see their elected representatives disagree about almost everything and some days, judging by what goes on in this chamber, one would think that there was very little unity and almost no national identity. However, we can always turn to the Crown and remind ourselves that, in fact, we are one.
How will Charles III measure up to his mother in performance of royal duties? I am sure he will do a great job, but in a way it doesn't really matter. The functioning of government does not depend on the strengths or failings of the monarch of the day.
It matters a lot in this respect: More and more people in the Commonwealth nations and in Canada are questioning the relevance of a royal family that dates back to the Middle Ages, to feudal Europe, to earlier days of class structures. None of this has a place in our modern, egalitarian, democratic society, so how does this ancient tradition survive? By adaptation, of course. Elizabeth II did that very well. She knew when to speak, when to be silent, when to be present, when to be absent, when to be transparent and how to manage the mystique behind the royal throne.
She demonstrated servant leadership since the very beginning of her public life. In a statement that she made to the Commonwealth on her 21st birthday, she said, “my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service”. For the next 75 years, she demonstrated that she actually meant those words.
Nowhere was this commitment to humble servant leadership more evident than in her annual Christmas address.
In 2014, she said this in her Christmas address:
For me the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and anchor in my life.
A couple of years later, in 2016, she included these words in her Christmas address:
Billions of people now follow Christ's teachings and find in him a guiding light for their lives. I am one of them....
As the years went by, Elizabeth became more vocal about her Christian faith. Maybe age gave her pause to reflect on her own mortality. Maybe the instability of the world around her made her reach for the stability that she found in this ancient faith. Maybe it was also Elizabeth II demonstrating servant leadership in her other role on earth, and that is head of the Church of England. She understood that even as England became more and more of a multicultural, multiracial, multi-faith society, it was still highly relevant for the head of the Church of England to use the language of the church.
In closing, I am going to quote the Archbishop of Canterbury, who said the other day:
May Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II rest in peace and rise in glory.
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- Sep/15/22 4:23:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise in the House on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo. It is unfortunate, though, that it is on this occasion that I rise to remember the 96 years of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. That being said, I am honoured to rise on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo to mark the Queen's passing.
I take this opportunity to commemorate the life of Queen Elizabeth II and offer my deepest condolences to the royal family and to loved ones. In many instances, this is the only monarch that Canadians will have known. That is certainly the case for me at 43 years old; it is the case for just about everybody in my family, save my 98-year-old grandmother.
We must remember that the Queen took the throne at just 25 years old, and as I reflected on that I reflected on who I was at 25 years old. I was just in my first year of law school. I had just met my wife, and I do not know that I was even ready to be a lawyer, a parliamentarian or even a husband at that point. I was certainly not ready to be a father, and I was not ready for all the world had in store for me, yet at just 25 years of age the Queen displayed the dignity and grace that would mark her reign, a reign we will not soon forget.
We heard earlier today about the Queen's special relationship with Canada. Queen Elizabeth II toured Canada 20 times over 70 years. Remarkably, she visited Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo four times in her life. First, in 1939, she visited as Princess Elizabeth, and then again in 1951, shortly after her teen years, when she was still Princess Elizabeth. In 1959 and 1971, she visited as Queen Elizabeth. Many still remember those visits to Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo. Her most lengthy stay was in 1959, a visit which saw her and Prince Philip greeted by some reported 30,000 people in our riding. When I think back on it, believe Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo would have been still divided as North Kamloops and Kamloops proper at that time.
A young Alba Spina, my mother, would have been nine years old, and as I recall the Queen's pathway took her along Tranquille Road, which was about a block away from where my mother grew up on Poplar Avenue in North Kamloops. My mom reminded me of going to see the Queen that visit, all the people who were present and what a big deal it was as the Queen passed what would later become Our Lady of Perpetual Help, my elementary school.
This is a memory she will not forget. This is a memory that some 30,000 people in Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo will probably never forgot. That Queen Elizabeth would take the time to process down Tranquille Road in North Kamloops at the time speaks to her outreach to all Canadians.
As most know, my prior career was as a Crown prosecutor. As a former Crown prosecutor, I always emphasize the Crown, and there was a special relationship with the monarchy in my capacity as Crown council. I remember I was conducting a sex assault trial, and I made a fairly pivotal decision that had to be made. It was consistent with what my ethical obligations were at the time, and I was approached by the defence lawyer. He said he wanted to tell me that I really did the honour of the Crown that day.
As I prepared my speech, I reflected on what that meant. What is the honour of the Crown? The honour of the Crown, in my view, is doing the right thing. It is doing things with dignity and doing things with integrity, all qualities that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II exemplified. It is hard to imagine a future without Her Majesty the Queen.
When I speak about my former career as a lawyer, I think about the magnitude of the patriation of the Constitution Act of 1982 and the schedule of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and how that changed the lives of all Canadians and how it really changed the lives of all litigators, especially lawyers in criminal law, the area in which I practised and taught at Thompson Rivers University's Faculty of Law.
Queen Elizabeth II set a standard of leadership for generations to come, and it is hard to fathom that she led people through 70 years of service. She was a calming influence through every major event the world has witnessed over the past 70 years. Let us not forget that she witnessed the establishment of the United Nations, watched the moon landing and led through conflicts such as the Korean War, the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Gulf War, 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq and Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, the largest conflict in Europe since she served in the military in World War II.
It is difficult to overstate Queen Elizabeth II's impact on Canada during these trying times. In our day-to-day life, we do not often think about the impact she had on our lives, but it was in difficult times that she would offer a word of comfort to Canadians. Her messages throughout the COVID-19 pandemic are the most recent examples of her uncanny ability to give us all a sense of peace in times of tribulation.
Looking back on her life, I am reminded, in my capacity as shadow minister for veterans affairs, of her work and training as a mechanic in World War II. Queen Elizabeth II could have watched from a distance as a young woman, but her character called her into service. Leaders lead, and she took the opportunity to lead when it presented itself, when her country, the United Kingdom, was at war.
We are grateful to Queen Elizabeth for her innumerable contributions to our country and system of government, having personally granted royal assent to the Constitution Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
It was a life well lived. May eternal light shine upon Queen Elizabeth II. May Her Majesty rest in peace. May God save the King.
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- Sep/15/22 4:44:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today on behalf of the citizens of my riding of Red Deer—Mountain View to reflect upon the tremendous reign of our late Queen.
I was deeply saddened by the news of the passing of our Queen and sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Princess Elizabeth was but a year younger than my late mother. My father would always quip that he too had a princess who had become a queen, just like the people of the British Empire. He made it clear to us boys just how fortunate we were and how important it was that we treat our mother accordingly.
The fact that the princess could fix a vehicle, drive a truck and would serve in her country's military during wartime just emphasized her skills and dedication. When she acceded to the throne at such an early age, her vast knowledge and abilities made her even more impressive. So it was that I heard many stories about the life and times of our Queen Elizabeth.
The one-room schoolhouse that my great-grandfather had helped build had been replaced by a Second World War army barrack a few years prior to my grade 1 year. At the front of the room was a portrait of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. We sang both O Canada and God Save the Queen. It was so natural for us and we felt this special bond daily.
As I grew older and learned more about Canada and our system of government, my interests turned to the Queen's representatives in Alberta, the lieutenant governors, many of whom I have had the pleasure of meeting over my lifetime: the Honourable Percy Page; Grant MacEwan; Ralph Steinhauer; Charles Lynch-Staunton; Helen Hunley; a former MP from Red Deer, the Honourable Gordon Towers; Bud Olson; Lois Hole; Norman Kwong; Donald Ethell; my dear friend, the Honourable Lois Mitchell; as well as our present Lieutenant Governor, Salmi Lakhani.
I also truly respected the vice-regal occupants at Rideau Hall. Canada's governors general, over Her Majesty's reign, included the Right Honourable Vincent Massey, Georges Vanier, central Alberta's Roland Michener, Jules Léger, Ed Schreyer, Jeanne Sauvé, Ramon Hnatyshyn, Roméo LeBlanc, Adrienne Clarkson, Michaëlle Jean, David Johnston, whom I got to know very well over his term in office, Julie Payette, and our present Governor General, Mary Simon.
For many of us, these people may now just be pictures on the walls of our respective legislatures, but their purpose was to represent Her Majesty on behalf of the people in her realm, and they did that with honour. Not only did these representatives give their hearts and souls to serving us, but their spouses and families brought so much to the offices as well. As all of us in this House know that no one survives in public office without the support of family.
This was uppermost in the minds of my wife Judy and me on our drive to Calgary last Thursday. We were driving to the memorial service for a dear friend, the late Doug Mitchell, husband of the Honourable Lois Mitchell, Alberta's 18th lieutenant governor, when we heard the news of the Queen's passing. She had just sworn in the U.K.'s new prime minister two days before, so even though she was at an advanced age it was still so unexpected. At the memorial ceremony there was an extra sense of sadness and finality as speaker after speaker spoke of the unique connection of Alberta's vice-regal family and that of our late Queen.
I say this as I turn back to my thoughts on the legacy of our Queen Elizabeth, because there was never any doubt that her late husband, His Royal Highness the late Prince Philip, was always by Her Majesty's side and truly made a difference to her as she served her nation and the Commonwealth.
The royal family, and in particular the Queen, have always had a special place in the hearts of Albertans. I was there on that rainy day at the Commonwealth Stadium as the Queen and Premier Klein presented to the crowd, celebrating Alberta's centennial in 2005. It was amazing. Later, as an elected official, I had the privilege to meet Prince Edward during a Duke of Edinburgh award ceremony, Prince William and Princess Kate at the Calgary Stampede, and to stand by as my wife and the Queen exchanged pleasantries when Her Majesty last visited Ottawa.
I generally appreciated each encounter and will always speak highly of the experience. Perhaps I still hear my father's voice.
As Queen Elizabeth surpassed all milestones of service, I think I had overlooked the reality of what the monarchy would be like after she was gone.
In 2012, Canadians showed such pride in our history and celebrated the special bond that existed between Queen Elizabeth and our nation. The Diamond Jubilee medals that celebrated her 60 years on the throne were presented to our fellow citizens for their exemplary service to our nation. It meant so much to so many people. In celebration of her 70 years on the throne, I encouraged grade 6 students within Red Deer—Mountain View to write essays about that one special person in their lives that reminded them of the service and love of humanity best exemplified by Queen Elizabeth II. There were so many beautiful sentiments and such great thoughtfulness expressed by these wonderful students.
What about the reality that we now face? Queen Elizabeth II is the only monarch I have known. It is her place in history within the centuries of tradition that I now reflect upon. It is from those reflections that I am now looking forward to the promise of the reign of King Charles III. His responsibilities will be immense, but he has had the greatest of role models.
One of those responsibilities is as head of the Church of England, which has been the foundation of the monarchy for centuries. As such, it has always had a prominent place in my local community of Pine Lake. The historic Holy Trinity Anglican Church is one of many local churches across the country that displays the names of community members who served and died for King and country in the two world wars. My hope is that never again will we need to display the names of young men and women in that same fashion on those walls in the name of any monarch.
One can only pray for strength and wisdom for ourselves and our new King to serve our nation both wisely in peace but firmly in conflict. What better legacy to follow than that of the young Princess who started her journey in service in her wartorn nation and, as Queen, guided it through so many decades with compassion and grace. Princess Elizabeth said, in 1947 on the occasion of her 21st birthday:
I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.
We are so thankful that her life was long. Long live the King.
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