CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
Mr. Speaker, last week, Canada lost the only Sovereign most of us have ever known.
It is important to take these moments here, in Parliament, and across the country, to recognize the service and leadership she provided to us.
When someone lives until 96, this should not have been a surprise. And yet, her sudden absence has struck us all palpably and profoundly.
Her Majesty was everywhere.
Her face on our coins.
Her portrait hanging in Parliament and post offices.
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 fortunate to know Her Majesty throughout my life.
The first time I met her was in 1977, when I was just a little boy.
When I met with her as Prime Minister, almost four decades later, in 2015, I joked that the last times we had 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’ve 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 on behalf of 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 the Canadian 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 came to 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 Montréal 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.
It was a language she loved, and she spoke it impeccably.
Mr. Speaker, 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.
Of 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 the Second World War.
When we think of “devotion,” we recall images and stories of Her Majesty as a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
We think of her devoted family, which is mourning her with such grace and love.
But, perhaps above all, when we think of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we think of the “stability” she brought to us.
Her reign lasted an unparallelled 70 years. In June, we celebrated the first-ever Platinum Jubilee of a Canadian sovereign.
And during her era, Canada experienced extraordinary peace and prosperity.
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.”
Mr. Speaker, today, the world is in a tough place.
We’re 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 benefitted from.
And we, as Parliamentarians and as 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 – 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 importance of every day we sit in this House. And to inspire us as we go forward.
In our constitutional monarchy, The Crown’s function in our government is to be a bedrock for our constitution and to transcend daily political debates.
Our new King, His Majesty King Charles III, demonstrated his commitment to the larger sweep of history with his most recent tour that 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 the most.
Like taking care of people, of our economy, of our communities, and of our planet.
Mr. Speaker, before I finish, I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to the Royal Family on behalf of all Canadians.
This weekend, I will be travelling to London with former prime ministers and governors general to attend Her Majesty’s State Funeral, which will take place on Monday.
That same day, Canada will mark her passing with a National Day of Mourning and a commemorative ceremony.
I hope that Canadians from coast to coast to coast take a few moments on Monday to reflect on Her Majesty’s incomparable legacy and the very best of all she represented.
Mr. Speaker, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II served her duties and her peoples up until the end, there for all of us until her final moments.
We shall miss her immensely.
But I know, as we all know, that our new sovereign, His Majesty King Charles III, will uphold these very values that we speak to today. And continue her legacy.
Long live the King.