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THRONGS HAIL CANADA'S GOLDEN QUEEN"I TREASURE MY PLACE IN THE LIFE OF CANADA AND MY BOND WITH CANADIANS EVERYWHERE" "JE CHÉRIS MA PLACE DANS LA VIE DU CANADA ET MON LIEN AVEC TOUS LES CANADIENS ET CANADIENNES." HM RECEIVES LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION MEDIA, MP'S MAUL MANLEY'S "SIMPLE RUDENESS" "IMPRESSED BEYOND DESCRIPTION" - STEPHEN HARPER "PALPABLE OUTPOURING OF AFFECTION" - BC PREMIER MANITOBA NAMES SIX LAKES FOR ELIZABETH'S GRANDCHILDREN "...ABOLISHING THE MONARCHY WOULD BE THE SADDEST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN TO CANADA" - 'Stompin Tom' Connors Queen appoints 21 Canadians to Royal Victorian Order  In a 12-day Golden Jubilee homecoming which ranged across Canada’s three coasts, The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were met at most stops by enthusiastic crowds, representative of the Canadian population. Intense media scrutiny also accompanied their progress, partly as the result of comments by John Manley that overshadowed the entire tour. The Deputy Prime Minister chose the day of the Royals’ arrival at Nunavut, Canada’s newest Territory, to reiterate his opposition to the constitutional monarchy remaining Canada’s form of government. MANLEY REMARKS OVERSHADOW TOUR While the Mr Manley’s words were widely criticized for their insensitive timing, their substance was also rebuked along HM’s route by public figures including his Cabinet colleagues David Anderson and Sheila Copps, by Opposition Leader Stephen Harper and by former Prime Minister Joe Clark. In addition, warm words of praise for The Queen came from Premiers Campbell, Doer, Eves and Lord, as well as hockey great Wayne Gretzky, singer Tom Connors and author Farley Mowat. However, calls for the Minister’s removal from attendance on The Queen were rebuked by the Prime Minister, who explained, “He is the deputy prime minister and he has a right to have his private opinion. I don’t debate that ... For me, it’s not an issue in Canada.” QUEEN HAILS NUNAVUT’S TERRITORIAL STATUS The Queen’s itinerary began with a warm welcome on a cold day in Iqaluit. “Well, it’s the North,” the Prime Minister was overheard telling HM, who apparently had made some comment to Mr Chretien about the brisk temperature that greeted the Royal arrival via Canadian Forces Airbus. The Monarch was introduced by the Prime Minister, who concluded his remarks with “God Save The Queen.” Seated on the Throne in the non-partisan Territorial Legislature, The Queen stated “I am proud to be the first member of the Canadian Royal Family to be greeted in Canada’s newest Territory.” She went on to praise Nunavut’s concern for the environment as “a gift to be cherished and not an inheritance to be squandered,” and congratulated the Territory for “bringing its dream to reality.” ADORING CROWDS & A PUCK DROP IN BC After two nights and a day of rest at Government House, Victoria, The Queen and Prince Philip undertook events in Victoria – where thousands hailed them on the grounds of the Provincial Parliament. Vancouver provided not only public access to the Royals on the spacious campus of the University of British Columbia, but also what arguably was the Jubilee homecoming’s most memorable moment as Her Majesty dropped the puck at the ceremonial face-off preceding an NHL pre-season game. 17,000 fans cheered and sang the Royal Anthem as the Canadian Golden Jubilee logo flashed on the scoreboard, fortuitously juxtaposed with the words “I am a Canadian” from a beer commercial! QUEEN DEFINES ROLE IN VANCOUVER SPEECH At a federal Luncheon held for The Queen, following her giving audience to the Prime Minister, HM made perhaps the most significant and certainly the most personal remarks of her tour. In what some observers took as implicit rebuke to John Manley’s suggestion that the Monarchy was not Canadian, The Queen told a story of her late Mother’s 1939 visit to a veterans’ hospital, where two patients were arguing whether Queen Elizabeth was English or Scots. HM recounted what followed: “My Mother paused, and then replied, ‘Since I have landed in Quebec, I think I can say that I am a Canadian’.” The Queen spoke of “the changing face of Canada” and of “crafting a multicultural society” to an audience that heavily represented the thriving East Indian and Chinese communities of Vancouver. And then HM spoke in a very personal vein, using language not heard in Canadian Royal speeches for perhaps a generation: "... you are constantly redefining your national identity, what it means to be a Canadian – something of particular importance to my family. I treasure my place in the life of Canada and my bond with Canadians everywhere. During these last 50 years I have been with you as this country has evolved and grown... It is therefore with special pride that I take this opportunity during my jubilee year to pay tribute to Canadians everywhere and to thank you for the support and affection you have given to me over these past 50 years." The Queen continued with an explicit definition of her role as Sovereign: “It is my privilege to serve you as Queen of Canada to the best of my ability, to play my part in the Canadian identity, to uphold Canadian traditions and heritage, to recognize Canadian excellence and achievement and to seek to give a sense of continuity in these exciting, ever changing times in which we are fortunate enough to live.” WARM WELCOME ON COLD PRAIRIE Highlight of the Sovereign’s brief Manitoba itinerary was the rededication of the province’s icon, The Golden Boy, which surmounts the Legislative Assembly in Winnipeg. Re-gilded and refurbished, the Golden Boy’s return to his perch was accompanied by a blaze of fireworks, Handel’s music played by the Winnipeg Symphony and the cheers of over 35,000 who braved cold weather to hail their fur-coated Queen. EXCITED SUBURBS SURPASS TEPID TORONTO PROGRAMME By contrast, Toronto provided a more muted welcome for Elizabeth and Philip. Many were puzzled by the lack of any opportunity for a public welcome and the failure of the Province to use the Royal presence to proclaim a widely-expected Augmentation of the Provincial Arms. Moreover, the media panned the centrepiece provincial event, the Festival of Ontario, which combined elements of a trade show and country fair through which The Queen made an extended Royal walkabout. The latter delighted the 7,000 invited to line the red carpet inside the gaping walls of the National Trade Centre. An evening gala at Roy Thomson Hall was broadcast nationally by CBC Television, and included warm tributes from the artistic world as well as the rare opportunity for the Prime Minister and some 2,000 of his guests to sing three verses of the Royal Anthem. A greater sense of public excitement became evident as The Queen briefly journeyed outside Toronto, to Oakville’s Sheridan College and then on to Copps Coliseum, Hamilton. Here over 15,000 ticket holders cheered Her Majesty as she presented new Colours to one of her Canadian Regiments, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s). The Queen ended her brief address with a riff on the Regimental motto, “Canada Gu-Brath.” (Canada forever) Meanwhile the Duke of Edinburgh paid a brief visit to Massey College. Throughout the tour, Prince Philip undertook many such separate engagements, including presentations for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, and private receptions for his Canadian Regiments. Media followed the Prince’s itinerary as closely as The Queen’s, interest perhaps piqued by Michael Valpy’s pre-visit report that HRH had twice turned down appointment to the Order of Canada – in an Honorary status in 1982, as he considered himself as Canadian as The Queen, and in an ex officio role as consort of the Sovereign in 1993, stating that he would only accept it if he had earned it! PROVINCIAL HONOUR RECOGNIZED IN NEW BRUNSWICK The Royal couple’s easternmost destination was New Brunswick. Crowds welcomed them to Fredericton and Sussex, followed by a thinly-attended Airport Terminal dedication in Moncton. Of special note was Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor’s receiving The Queen and Duke to Old Government House for a reception honouring the recipients of the newly-constituted Order of New Brunswick, and the warm embrace of the Sovereign by Federal Labour Minister Claudette Bradshaw. OTTAWA RAINS ON QUEEN The Queen then proceeded to Ottawa, where she was in residence for three nights at Rideau Hall. This stop perhaps best supported National Post's editorial on 28 September, critiquing the Royal itinerary's absence of "one good public party." Whether having made other plans for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, possibly jaded by the frequency of the Sovereign's presence in the Capital - apparently a sine qua non of every Canadian tour - local residents turned out in disappointing numbers for a rain-drenched multi-faith service on Parliament Hill followed by HM's first visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as well as on beautiful Autumn days which welcomed the Royals to the RCMP Equestrian Centre and a Tree-Planting ceremony on the grounds of Rideau Hall. Of significance was both Stephen Harper's request and Her Majesty's decision to receive the Opposition Leader, an audience which took place on Thanksgiving Day. At a Dinner hosted by the Prime Minister at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, The Queen was seated near her Quebec Lieutenant Governor, Lise Thibault. The profound respect for Her Honour's work in a challenging setting was recognized by a standing ovation as she entered the hall shortly before Her Majesty. In a friendly introduction, although curiously at odds with the close identification of Monarch with Canada of his previous remarks, Prime Minister Chretien seemed to treat The Queen as the Monarch of the United Kingdom, and alluded only to her role in the Commonwealth, stating that "common history and shared values have made Canada and the United Kingdom strong allies and close partners... But none of the ties that connect us are more vital than the Royal Family and the Commonwealth." The Queen's final speech of the homecoming was warm and personal, but equally, it seemed also more detached from her role as Canada's Sovereign than her remarks earlier on the Tour: "On this Thanksgiving Weekend in my Golden Jubilee year I want to take the opportunity to express my profound gratitude to all Canadians, those of you here tonight and those of you across the country or serving overseas, for the loyalty, encouragement and support you have given me over these past 50 years. Your understanding and compassion, your confidence and engagement, are sources of inspiration to me," the Monarch said. The next line contained six words which caught media attention, as the reference to an indefinite future seemed reminiscent of remarks Elizabeth had made in Australia, and allusive of possible constitutional change: "I would like to affirm before you tonight that, wherever the future may take us, my admiration and affection for Canada and Canadians everywhere is - and will always remain - clear, strong and sure. That too, Ladies and Gentlemen, is for me a constant, an enduring reference point in times of change." Just prior to the Royals' arrival, unconfirmed reports circulated to contradict earlier media assertions that scheduling the new Parliamentary Session's opening a week before The Queen's arrival was in fact a victory for the republican forces in the cabinet desirous of keeping the Sovereign from performing an important constitutional act, or the result of pique on the Prime Minister's part over his treatment and seating at Westminster Abbey for The Queen Mother's funeral. Rather, it was suggested to CMN and other media by British and Canadian officials not directly involved with the Royal itinerary that HM did not wish to open Parliament in any of the Realms she visited this year, feeling that she would then have to accept all such invitations, so adding to the already-considerable burden of her Jubilee programme. Amidst the welter of contradictory reports each claiming impeccable sourcing, it was difficult for journalists to discern the truth of the matter. Inside Government House, The Governor General assembled 50 eminent Canadians to lunch with The Queen and Prince Philip on Thanksgiving Day. Each represented a significant accomplishment during one year of The Queen's reign. The imaginative idea on Mme Clarkson's part was certainly a relatively-rare instance of a gathering assembled for talent rather than partisan connections. With the puck drop in Vancouver, it constituted a highlight of HM's tour. However, neither event stopped observers from noting that the Royal itinerary had not only precluded The Queen's opening Parliament, but also from performing any other constitutional act demonstrating her role as Sovereign, such as approving an Order-in-Council or investing Canadians with the Order of Canada. As well, there was disappointment that no opportunity was provided for the Sovereign to meet and recognize the work of all her Lieutenant Governors, who undertake the daily tasks of the Crown with enormous effect in the provinces. In the course of the visit Her Majesty did, however, appoint 21 Canadians to the Royal Victorian Order. This is a personal honour, given to those who serve The Queen and her family by HM's own decision rather than on government "advice." Complementing the profusion of flowers and cards given The Queen during her many walkabouts, official gifts included a new Golden Jubilee stained glass window, designed by local artists and installed in the BC Parliament Buildings; the Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park is to be set aside near Gravenhurst, as well as a Medal for civilian bravery to be established in The Sovereign's honour by Ontario; scholarships in New Brunswick and Ontario - and a piece of whale sculpture from Nunavut. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh returned to London from CFB Uplands on October 15th, seen off by the Governor General, a waving crowd - and, nothing daunted, John Manley, who, wire services reported, turned on his heel before the Royal Flight had left Canadian soil. The immediate appearance of an article in Maclean's calling for the abolition of the Monarch by Liberal strategy guru and Prime Ministerial confidant Peter Donolo suggested to many that some in government were determined to press the republican case despite the evident strength of the bond between Queen and Canada reaffirmed during the previous two weeks. Reports suggest that Her Majesty has already committed to returning in 2005 for visits to Saskatchewan and Alberta in order to celebrate their centenaries in Confederation.  |
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