Hon. David M. Wells: Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on the eve of Her Majesty’s 70 years on the throne and to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee.

Queen Elizabeth II is only the eighth Queen of England, and her reign is not only a remarkable length of service but an example of leadership to the Commonwealth and to the world. Queen Elizabeth II has been a living example of stability and stoicism through many difficult global events over her seven decades as monarch.

Her reign has had no shortage of historic points, starting with her pledge in a speech broadcast on the radio from Cape Town on April 21, 1947, when she dedicated her life to service. Her reign began when she was 25 years old, following the death of her father, King George VI, on February 6, 1952.

Queen Elizabeth II has made countless trips throughout the world, including 22 official visits to Canada, the first being in 1951 as Princess Elizabeth, where she visited in place of her father, who was ill, and the most recent being in 2010. She had an official visit to my home province in 1978, visiting St. John’s, Deer Lake, Corner Brook and Stephenville. There were also many stops in Gander, but most were not considered official as they were simply to refuel. I was in Bonavista when the Queen visited there in 1997. My eldest son, Luke, who is now 25 — many of you have met him — was three months old and in my arms.

My maternal grandmother from Tottenham in North London, Ruby L. Jewson, joined the Women’s Auxiliary for the war effort and, later, was part of the team that catalogued the gifts to the Queen upon her ascension to the throne. She was so proud of that and would always show me her scrapbook of those times. I was proud of her. She’d be humbled to have her name mentioned in the Senate of Canada.

I met Her Majesty — as we were told to address her; Prince Philip was to be addressed as Your Royal Highness — a few years ago, and I wanted to mention that story about my grandmother but chickened out in favour of protocol. I regret that now.

Over the years, Queen Elizabeth II has met with numerous Indigenous groups, including being greeted by the Chief of the Montagnais and given a pair of beaded moosehide jackets. In 1976, the Queen received an Alberta First Nations delegation at Buckingham Palace.

In 2010, Queen Elizabeth II presented Christ Church, Her Majesty’s Royal Chapel of the Mohawks, with handbells to symbolize the councils and treaties between the Iroquois Confederacy and the Crown.

Queen Elizabeth II is a champion of unity and democracy, and her legacy and remarkable achievements are deserving of celebration. I will mark this historic occasion and pay tribute to Canada’s longest-reigning sovereign and the first to celebrate a platinum jubilee. I will take time and reflect on this historic moment and reflect on the role of my grandmother, my province, my country, my all-too-brief meeting with her and my oath to Her Majesty over nine years ago.

Thank you, colleagues.