Hon. Denise Batters: Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She was an extraordinary monarch, a dutiful public servant and a constant, stabilizing presence in an uncertain world for seven decades.

The Queen was a strong and resilient female leader in what was largely a man’s world. An elegant royal with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, Queen Elizabeth brought a modern twist to the traditional female royal role in her own quiet and understated way.

As a princess, she trained and worked as an army truck mechanic and driver during the Second World War. Under Queen Elizabeth’s reign, the law of succession was finally changed so that female heirs could inherit the royal throne under the same rules of succession as their male counterparts.

Throughout her 70 years as sovereign, Her Majesty invited three female prime ministers in the United Kingdom to form government — all of them Conservative, I might add — and it was fitting that the very last public photograph captured of Her Majesty only days before her passing was of her waiting to greet the newest female prime minister of the U.K., Liz Truss, with a wide smile on her face.

Queen Elizabeth had a special fondness for Canada, and Canadians hold a special fondness in our hearts for her. Queen Elizabeth’s last public statement was an extension of condolence and support to the people of Saskatchewan, particularly those of the James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon, who are struggling with such enormous losses in their communities after the recent horrific murders.

I live in Regina, the “Queen City,” and Queen Elizabeth is honoured throughout our city: The Queen Elizabeth II Court contains Regina’s City Hall, and the Queen Elizabeth II Gardens offer a spectacular frame for our Saskatchewan legislature.

The Royal Family was highly respected in my home. My sisters and I collected postage stamps from around the Commonwealth with pictures of the Queen on them. Of course, as little girls, we were enamoured with the glamour of her crowns and jewels in each picture. We were excited when my mom took us and our grandfather to see the Queen during her visit to Regina in 1978.

As an adult, I was also fortunate to see the Queen in person during her last visit to Saskatchewan in 2005. My husband, Dave, was a member of Parliament, and we waited on the steps of the legislature in the pouring rain to catch a glimpse of Her Majesty. The Queen and Prince Philip were there to commemorate Saskatchewan’s centennial and to unveil the Queen’s statue on the legislative assembly grounds.

The statue was of Queen Elizabeth riding Burmese, her favourite horse, which itself had a Saskatchewan connection. Burmese, who was born in Fort Walsh, Saskatchewan, had been a gift to the Queen from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1969. Her Majesty rode Burmese for the magnificent Trooping the Colour festivities every year from 1969 to 1986.

Queen Elizabeth had a special relationship with the RCMP. As its Commissioner-in-Chief, she was the force’s longest-serving member. The Mounties, whose national training depot is in Regina, home of the RCMP, had the incredible honour of leading the Queen’s funeral procession through the streets of London yesterday.

In 2010, a year after my husband Dave’s death, then-prime minister Stephen Harper invited me to attend Queen Elizabeth’s state dinner in Toronto for what would turn out to be the Queen’s last visit to Canada. At that event, I was thrilled to briefly meet Her Majesty. When I told her that I was a Queen’s Counsel lawyer, she stepped forward, gave me a big, beautiful smile and said, “Are you now? It sounds very busy.”

You may not know this, but the tradition of a special designation of Queen’s Counsel for senior lawyers dates back to 1594, when Queen Elizabeth I appointed her adviser, Sir Francis Bacon, to serve as her executive legal adviser.

Of course, the Senate has a special relationship with the Queen, and reminders of her are everywhere. Queen Elizabeth actually delivered Throne Speeches in person twice in the Senate Chamber, the first in 1957, when Saskatchewan’s own John Diefenbaker was prime minister, and again in 1977.

I had the privilege of attending the moving and beautiful National Commemorative Ceremony held yesterday in Ottawa for the Queen, and I join with all Canadians in offering my condolences to the Royal Family at this tremendous loss of not only an outstanding sovereign but a mother, a grandmother and great-grandmother. Canada shares in your sorrow and offers you our support as you grieve. God bless Queen Elizabeth and God save the King.

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