The remains of former Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney arrived Thursday morning in Montreal, where dignitaries and the general public are invited to pay their last respects.
The dignitaries began to parade shortly after 10:30 a.m. Former prime ministers Pierre-Marc Johnson, Lucien Bouchard and Jean Charest notably went to greet the Mulroney family. We were also able to see the president and CEO of Quebecor, Pierre Karl Péladeau, as well as the former leader of the Bloc Québécois Gilles Duceppe.
“We say goodbye to a great statesman, a friend of Quebec, a great friend of Quebec,” confided Lucien Bouchard, as he left the basilica, visibly out of breath with emotion.
“But also a friend from our youth. So yes, these are not very happy times,” he added after long pauses.
His successor, former Prime Minister Jean Charest spoke of an occasion “both sad, but at the same time solemn for the country”.
“I hope that all Canadians will have the opportunity to reflect on what we have achieved together and especially what Brian Mulroney did for us,” he said.
The ardent chapel exhibition takes place at the Basilica of Saint-Patrick, in downtown Montreal, until Friday.
At 10 a.m., the procession of around ten vehicles began to arrive at the basilica. Under the sound of bells, Mr. Mulroney’s widow, Mila, was the first to leave the procession and was surrounded by her four children, Caroline, Ben, Mark and Nicolas. The stepchildren and one of M’s granddaughtersme Mulroney were also there.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police pallbearers then carried the body into the basilica through the main doors, followed by the Mulroney family.
The place was surrounded by a very heavy police presence; snipers were present on surrounding buildings.
Brian Mulroney’s parents were of Irish descent and according to Canadian Heritage, the Mulroney family has many personal ties to St. Patrick’s Basilica, which “served Montreal’s Irish community at a time when it was rapidly growing, many people who left Ireland as a result of the Great Famine and other hardships.
During the state funeral, the body of the deceased will be constantly guarded by “a watch detachment”, composed in particular of sentries from the Canadian Armed Forces, police officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and members of the Parliamentary Protective Service.
From 10:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday, visits are reserved for dignitaries and people invited by the family of the former prime minister.
Public tours are from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.
Citizens wishing to say goodbye to Brian Mulroney will have to undergo a security check.
Canadian Heritage is asking members of the public not to bring bags or objects in order to speed up the screening process.
Condolence books will be made available to dignitaries and the public.
Mr. Mulroney’s state funeral will be celebrated Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Notre-Dame Basilica in Old Montreal.
Eulogies are to be delivered by his daughter Caroline and by Justin Trudeau, Pierre Karl Péladeau, Jean Charest, Wayne Gretzky and former US Secretary of State James Baker.
The man who governed Canada for ten years, between 1984 and 1993, died on February 29 at the age of 84.