Canadians will bid a final goodbye to former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney at his state funeral on Saturday in Montreal. Around 1,300 guests will attend the state funeral, including several politicians, diplomats and public figures.
Around 10:15 a.m., the Mulroney family procession will leave Saint-Patrick’s Basilica, where an exhibition in the ardent chapel had taken place since Thursday, to go to Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal.
The funeral consists of a funeral procession, followed by a religious ceremony celebrated by the Archbishop of Montreal, Christian Lépine.
Eulogies will be delivered by his daughter Caroline Mulroney, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pierre Karl Péladeau, former hockey player Wayne Gretzky and former Quebec Prime Minister Jean Charest.
Former US Secretary of State under George Bush Sr., James Baker, will also give a speech.
Mr. Mulroney’s son, Ben, noted that the funeral will bring together a cross-section of people who knew his father in politics, business and his personal life.
Distinguished guests
Among the other “distinguished guests”: the Governor General of Canada Mary Simon, the former Canadian prime ministers Stephen Harper, Jean Chrétien and Kim Campbell, and the Prime Minister of Quebec François Legault. There are also around ten ambassadors and high commissioners.
Several Liberal ministers, such as Mélanie Joly, Chrystia Freeland and François-Philippe Champagne, and all the leaders of the opposition parties in Ottawa will attend the state funeral.
All the premiers of the Canadian provinces will also be present, with the exception of the premier of British Columbia. Former Quebec prime ministers Pierre Marc Jonhson, Pauline Marois, Philippe Couillard and Lucien Bouchard, former Montreal mayor Denis Coderre and the current mayor of Quebec are also on the guest list.
Public figures such as Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds and Montreal Canadiens president Geoff Molson will also be in attendance.
The state funeral marks the fifth consecutive day of celebrations for the former prime minister, after four days of state funerals in Ottawa and Montreal.
Brian Mulroney died on February 29, in Florida, at the age of 84 — he would have been 85 last Wednesday.
In interview with The duty Friday, the son of the former prime minister, Mark Mulroney, said he hoped for a “celebration” of his father’s life. “We’ve been grieving for a few weeks now. That doesn’t mean we won’t cry [samedi]but we want it to be more of a celebration of his life,” he said.