Hon. Michael L. MacDonald: Honourable senators, on Thursday, September 8, Canadians learned that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had passed away.

Although a life of 96 years is certainly a full life, most of us believed she still had a few more years with us, as she was such a remarkably durable figure for so long.

Like most Canadians, I do not remember any other head of state. Princess Elizabeth ascended to the throne in February of 1952 upon the death of her father, King George VI — more than three years before I was born — and she was a fixture ever since in my life, and in the life of Canada, the Commonwealth and the world.

As then-prime minister Louis St. Laurent said in the House of Commons in February 1952:

And we now hail our new monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Though young in years, Her Majesty is qualified to follow in the footsteps of her illustrious father ... Hon. Members, I know the Crown rests on a head which will bring to it further honour and glory.

Even former Prime Minister St. Laurent would be impressed by the prescience of his remarks.

Yesterday, over 5 billion people around the world followed the obsequies on the television, as over half of the world’s population tuned in to her funeral. What a testament to the impression she left upon the world and the respect in which she was held.

I had the opportunity to be in the presence of Her Majesty on several occasions. The first was in 1994, when she and Prince Philip visited the fortress in my hometown of Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. The other times occurred during her last visit to Canada in 2010, when she unveiled the Diamond Jubilee window in the Senate entrance, held a reception at Rideau Hall and celebrated Canada Day with us on Parliament Hill. I was privileged to be present at all of these events.

Part of that 2010 visit was spent in Nova Scotia, as the Queen rededicated the restored Government House, the residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia since 1800. It’s a day I remember very well. The weather was perfect, the crowd was huge and I was standing on a viewing platform with the American ambassador and his wife.

The ambassador’s wife was particularly excited for the opportunity to meet the Queen. When I asked her what she thought of the event, she responded, “It’s wonderful that Canada has the Queen as head of state,” adding that “the monarchy is something that Canada should always retain, as it is something that distinguishes Canada from the United States.”

Indeed, the Crown is something that distinguishes Canada. If you travel down the mainland of the Americas, from Canada to the tip of South America, only Canada is not a republic, only Canada exists as a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy.

Our loyalty to the Crown was fundamental to Canada’s creation as a nation. The American Revolution created not one but, eventually, two new countries, as the colonies of Nova Scotia and Quebec refused to join with the rebellious Yankees, and instead worked toward building a new country under the protection and continuity of the Crown. Over 80,000 loyalists, including some of my own ancestors, came north to Canada after 1783, helping to lay the foundation of our great nation.

The international media, naturally and understandably, refers to Her Majesty as the Queen of the United Kingdom, but that does not define her relationship with Canada. She was the Queen of Canada, and our relationship with the Crown is direct — it does not run through Westminster, nor is it dependent on the U.K. or any of the other realms.

I grieved when I heard that Her Majesty had left us, and I mourn her passing, but I am mindful of the enduring legacy that she dutifully created and I salute her for her service to Canada and to the Commonwealth.

Her Majesty served all of the Commonwealth admirably, but she always had a special place in her heart for Canada, making 22 official visits during her reign. She always considered Canada to be her home away from home. It was touching to see the RCMP on horseback leading the funeral procession along The Mall in London. This was Her Majesty’s request. It speaks volumes about her devotion to Canada, and was a gesture that sent a wonderful message to the world about her relationship with Canada.

The world witnessed over 5 billion people tuning in to say goodbye to Canada’s head of state. There is simply no elected politician nor appointed head of state in the world that could garner even a fraction of the admiration and respect in which Her Majesty was held.

As the young people might say, “The Queen was awesome!” Yes, she was. Her Majesty was truly a remarkable individual and all Canadians thank her for her 70 years of dedicated, selfless service.

God bless Her Majesty, and God rest her soul.

God save the King.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to our late sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on September 8. So much has been written and said about the Queen these past days. But after 70 years as monarch, millions of miles logged, tens of thousands of audiences, chance meetings and walkabouts, it is to be expected that there would be countless stories to tell. From powerful heads of government worldwide to shopkeepers in Scotland, the world has been reminded of her devotion to duty, her sense of humour, kindness, wisdom and dignity over her remarkable 96 years.

[Translation]

She was a constant in the lives of many Canadians throughout our country’s rich history. As monarch, Queen Elizabeth II visited Canada 22 times, which is more often than she visited any other Commonwealth country. She travelled to every province and territory at least once. Her Majesty read the Canadian government’s Throne Speech on two occasions, and each reading marked an important moment in her reign. The first time was in October 1957, during her first royal tour of Canada as monarch. She attended the opening of the parliamentary session of Prime Minister Diefenbaker’s government, which had been elected in June of that year. The second time was in 1977, during her Silver Jubilee.

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But perhaps the moment most remembered by Canadians was in April of 1982, when more than 30,000 people crowded onto Parliament Hill to watch her sign the Constitution Act, 1982. After more than 18 months of negotiations with the provinces and final passage of our Constitution Act through the House of Commons and House of Lords in London, England, Canada’s Constitution was coming home. We watched with pride as Her Majesty, the Prime Minister, Minister of Justice and the Registrar General signed the historic document.

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Queen Elizabeth’s love of horses was legendary. She began riding at the age of four, when she received a Shetland pony as a gift. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police gifted the Queen a mare named Burmese in 1969.

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Her Majesty rode Burmese for 18 consecutive years in Trooping the Colour. When the horse was retired in 1986, the Queen chose to no longer ride during the ceremony and began attending the event in an open carriage. Later in life, when asked which was her favourite horse, she replied “Burmese” without hesitation.

When she turned 21 in 1947, Princess Elizabeth made a promise that her whole life, whether long or short, would be devoted to our service — to the service of the people of the Commonwealth family. She kept that promise for life, which was thankfully a long one. Less than 48 hours before her passing, she greeted her fifteenth British prime minister. During her reign, Canada elected 12 prime ministers, and, most remarkably, there were 179 individuals to serve as prime ministers in her realms during her seven decades as monarch.

[Translation]

Technology has evolved rapidly over the years, and Her Majesty was always able to adapt to the new reality. In 1957, she was the first monarch to deliver a televised Christmas message. Buckingham Palace and the Royal Family got their own Facebook and Twitter accounts, with her blessing.

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Most recently, when the COVID pandemic took over the world, she continued her duties using technology. She conducted Zoom meetings with charities, government leaders and family members. She offered comfort in her COVID-19 broadcast when she spoke the following words to Britain and the Commonwealth: “. . . we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.” Those words mean more even now.

[Translation]

The role of the monarch has become largely symbolic in the 21st century, but Queen Elizabeth gave real meaning to the role and its symbolism. She brought people together with her words, her actions and her gestures. Queen Elizabeth was admired by millions and, in a world where the average retirement age is 66, she worked 30 years longer than the average person, remaining equally committed to her work until the end.

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On the final night of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, she invited Paddington Bear to tea. This lovely sketch became something magical and powerful, and perhaps a little prescient. Seeing the twinkle in her eye when she showed off her marmalade sandwich and finally divulging to the world the secret of what she kept in her ever-present purse made the crowd and the millions watching on television laugh out loud.

Just before Queen — the band — took to the stage, Paddington took a moment to look at her fondly and say what everyone watching was thinking: “Thank you for everything.” We, in Canada, thank her as well for 70 years of warm, sincere, dignified service and diplomacy personified.

As we now move into a post-Elizabethan age, her selfless service and sense of duty, along with her wit, kindness and smile, will be remembered by Canadians from across our country, from those who may have had the pleasure of speaking to her at a function, meeting her briefly, seeing her from afar or just recognizing in her the genuine affection she held for this country and its people. She loved Canada and Canada loved her.

On behalf of the Senate of Canada, I extend sincerest condolences to King Charles III and the entire family on the passing of their mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Hon. Lucie Moncion: Honourable senators, at the age of 21, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Canada’s sovereign and head of state, promised to devote her whole life, whether it be long or short, to the service of her subjects. She kept that promise until she passed away at the age of 96, thus becoming the longest-reigning British monarch. By choosing to devote her life to serving the Commonwealth and its people, this brilliant woman became a model of dignity, respect, dedication, candour, pride and grace for every person who goes into public service.

She faced countless challenges during her reign, but in spite of it all, she never balked in the face of adversity, and she carried out her duties as the principal guardian of the Constitution with skill, diplomacy and determination.

Her Majesty had a deep respect and great admiration for Canada. She loved to visit our big, beautiful country. She participated in over 20 royal tours of Canada. Each time she visited, she spoke to Canadians in both official languages. Her Majesty was a francophile queen who was remarkably fluent in French.

I also want to say that those of us who were here in Ottawa yesterday were able to attend the service for Her Majesty. It was such a beautiful service, so elegant, yet unpretentious and deeply respectful, just like our Queen. She loved our country. Yesterday’s modest, gracious and respectful ceremony was our way of showing her how much we, as Canadians, appreciated everything she did for our country. I would like to thank the organizers for putting together a really wonderful ceremony.

Queen Elizabeth II was both strong-willed and kind-hearted. She warmly welcomed everyone she invited into her home, and when she smiled, you couldn’t help but smile back. She had a passion for breeding horses and dressage horses and was a skilled rider. She had a keen eye for horses and good mounts, had stables of champions and loved horse racing.

She also had a particular fondness for corgis and owned more than 30 of these dogs over the course of her life.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was also a wife. She loved Prince Philip deeply and shared her life with him for over 73 years. Who can forget the image of her sitting alone during his funeral in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 17, 2021? It was the first time we had seen this great woman looking vulnerable and sad.

Her Majesty was also a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother, roles she assumed quietly. The dual roles of mother and monarch sometimes put her in delicate situations in which she was forced to make difficult decisions about the future of her children and grandchildren within the monarchy. She made these decisions out of duty and respect for her subjects and to ensure the survival and stability of the monarchy she held so dear.

Her Majesty was a compassionate, graceful and accomplished woman who was loved and respected by Canadians. She will be greatly missed on the world stage as a female icon of political leadership and diplomacy. She was an inspiration to women and girls around the world.

I offer my sincere condolences to King Charles III and to the entire Royal Family.

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