(Ottawa) A memorial service for Queen Elizabeth II was held in Ottawa.
Posted at 4:06 p.m.
Elsewhere in the country, Canadians gathered in several cities to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II on Monday at local services and events following her state funeral in London earlier in the day. .
Inside Christ Church Cathedral, Albert Dumont, Ottawa’s English-speaking Poet Laureate and Algonquin Spiritual Advisor, opened the service with a brief tribute. He led Queen Elizabeth II into the arms of her husband, Prince Philip, who died 17 months earlier.
“In the land of the red maple leaf, the grief of many citizens fills the sky,” he said. The tears, the prayers of her admirers fly away, like geese in spring and autumn, heading for the queen mother, who is waiting to hug her daughter to her chest again. »
The service followed a parade led by members of the Canadian Armed Forces and mounted RCMP officers who marched past the National War Memorial and Parliament Hill to the Cathedral at the west end of the center -town.
Small crowds of people lined the road despite the cool, rainy weather that blanketed the nation’s capital.
A 96-gun salute – one salvo for each year of the Queen’s life – lasted about 16 minutes at the National War Museum, a few blocks from the church.
Earlier in London, several mounted constables led the funeral procession, a tribute to his undying affection for the National Police of Canada.
Canadian politicians on site
The pews were filled with figures from Canada’s political elite, including Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh.
Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney delivered a speech in remembrance of the former monarch with fondness.
PHOTO BY BLAIR GABLE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney attended the ceremony.
“She was extremely intelligent,” he said. A woman of impeccable judgement, resolute, selfless, quick-witted – lots of quick-witted – and kind. »
He also highlighted the Queen’s role in ending apartheid in South Africa, which Nelson Mandela called “her greatest triumph”.
Mr Mulroney said triumph ‘would never have happened in the Commonwealth without Her Majesty’s quiet, brilliant and generous guidance and unerring instinct for victory which we all sought’.
The parade which started not far from the British consulate included a member carrying the Queen’s Canadian flag, folded and wrapped in plastic to protect it from the rain.
Sandra Tisch and her husband Rob Semancik drove eight hours from Oldcastle, Ont., near Windsor, to attend the Ottawa event.
“It has been an emotional 10 days,” said Mr.me Tisch, who brought flowers to deposit at the British High Commission and a statue of Queen Elizabeth II.
“She gave her life to her country, and I think she did a lot of good. » Mme Tisch also got up early to watch the televised funeral in London.
Alexandra McLean, the descendant of a British war bride who married a Canadian soldier, said she came out to commemorate the Queen’s work and what she symbolizes for those who took up arms in her service.
“We also mourn our grandmothers,” she said.
“We respect the head of state, the constitutional democracy (and) the woman who served us so well, and we honor the people who loved her, who saw in her service their own service and what served them given strength for this service. »
Mme McLean said just as King Charles was open to nations in the UK such as Wales, Canada must do more to reconcile with Indigenous nations.
“It’s a really complicated time, and I don’t think we’re going to resolve some of these issues without acknowledging that these are family issues. »
Security was evident, but not blatant, as Ottawa City Police officers rode bicycles alongside the parade marchers. Snipers were positioned on some building rooftops around the city center.
Elsewhere in Canada
Tributes and church services were held from St. John’s through to Victoria on Monday. In the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, Lieutenant Governor Judy Foote laid a wreath in front of a portrait of the Queen during a service at St. John the Baptist Anglican Cathedral.
In Edmonton, a modest crowd in raincoats solemnly attended a service at the Alberta Legislative Assembly and Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhani spoke of the Queen’s fondness for Canada.
In Toronto, the bells rang at Old City Hall, continuing once a minute for 96 consecutive minutes.
Spectators gathered in small numbers on the surrounding sidewalks, some pausing just for a moment to pay their respects while others remained silent for several minutes.
In Charlottetown, a ceremony at St. Peter’s Cathedral began with a tribute to the Mi’kmaq drum and a song.
And in Victoria, a parade in honor of the Queen traveled from the provincial legislature to Christ Church Cathedral. Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin and Prime Minister John Horgan were led by a Royal Canadian Navy band and a 100-member honor guard.
A riderless horse, symbolizing a fallen comrade, was also part of the parade.