Madam Speaker, as we rose yesterday to observe a minute's silence marking the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, it struck me that it was such an honour and a privilege to be in this place at such a historic moment. I hope that is something we all realize here in the House.

I had not intended to speak, but my thoughts made their way to my family and the connection I have with them now, especially my grandson James, and the connection that being in this place forges for each of us with the descendants who will only know us by the memories we leave.

The memories that our Queen, whose entire reign I have witnessed, has left for us give us an opportunity to reflect on what we too will leave, not only for our families but for our country, given the contribution to our national history that each of us has been privileged to offer by virtue of being here. I know that what we have an opportunity to offer in this moment will be captured as long as there is a Canada. This can be as enduring to our families as that part of unforgettable history our Queen has given to all of us.

My reflections will begin with the fact that our new King, Charles Ill, is of my time. I will reflect more on this in a few moments. King Charles, in fact, is two years younger than I am. Just as he grew up in the realm of the royal family, I grew up in the glow and influence the royal family had on post-war Canada.

Both my grandfathers served for King and country in World War I. Both my parents did likewise in World War II. I was around when King George VI was King and on the throne, and when Sir Winston Churchill and Mackenzie King were prime ministers.

I remember the Queen's coronation, and I remember Canadians' love and affection for her and her love of horses and steam locomotives, not to mention the grease under her fingernails as a mechanic and truck driver during the war. This established her place in our hearts long before her coronation, and learning of her love for Canada only made the bond stronger for my family. I remember my mom getting teary-eyed so many years after the fact whenever she spoke about the abdication of King Edward VIII, and I remember going to the movies where, at the end of the film, the Union Jack would come on the screen and we would all stand for the Queen.

There are a couple of moments I would like to share. One of them starts in 1939, even before my time, when King George and the Queen Mother visited Vancouver to officially open the Lions Gate Bridge and the Hotel Vancouver. The hotel celebrated its anniversary 60 years later by offering amnesty to anyone who had lifted something from the hotel over the years. There was a prize for the most unique item.

Members can imagine my shock and embarrassment to see in the Vancouver Province newspaper that the winner was a relative, my uncle, George Daws, who presented the hotel with a beautiful little sherry glass from which the Queen Mum had sipped. Uncle George hastened to inform all that another uncle, his brother Danny, served the Queen Mum at the hotel during the royal visit, and that it was Danny who pinched the sherry glass. Only now do I reveal the family connection.

For the other moment, we need to fast-forward to the American bicentennial in 1976. At that time, I was working at CFOB, a radio station in Fort Frances, Ontario, right across the river from International Falls, Minnesota. I had the privilege of interviewing photographer John De Visser, who had contributed photos from our region to Canada's bicentennial gift to the United States, Entre Amis, a wonderful collection of photos from along our world's longest, undefended border. John's photos, by the way, grace the National Gallery of Canada and many other places across our country.

During our broadcast, John mentioned that he had been commissioned by the royal family to photograph Prince Charles's 1975 visit to the Canadian north. This was the one where our future King dove underneath the Arctic ice for half an hour to the great worry and wringing of hands everywhere from Ottawa to London. He, by the way, also sampled raw seal liver, which cemented his reputation, at least with me, as either a fearless adventurer or at the very least a very good sport.

There was a big dinner thrown for the Prince of Wales. The whole community was there and they dined on all of the exquisite delicacies that people in the north are fortunate to enjoy. As the story goes, and as John De Visser told it because he was there taking pictures, after the main course, a young Inuit lad was clearing away Charles's dishes. The boy leaned across the table and whispered, “Lick your fork, Duke; there's pie.” If members are fans of Canadian literature, they will see this story recounted in Mordecai Richler's novel Solomon Gursky Was Here.

I would like to end with a reflection about the young fellow who grew up with me and who mourns his mom as I did mine, but who now takes on the enormous mantle of responsibility and history as King Charles III.

Here is someone who has been educated, mentored and shaped his whole life to fulfill a unique constitutional roll as a monarch. He represents the kind of continuity of experience, values and perspective that republics, at least the democratic ones, lack. There is something valuable in that, and it provides our nation with a foundation that serves us well.

Charles III carries with him the values that he and I grew up with, shaped, though, by the monumental changes and challenges human affairs have presented us over our past 70-plus years. He, like most of the generation he and I come from, has had to developed a certain resilience of perspective and adaptation to change.

He will do well, and his son Prince William, the Prince of Wales, will in time benefit from the hand-off he receives from his dad. The education and mentoring William receives, added to the rich history and continuity of the monarchy, will be uniquely placed to offer our nation, and the whole world, the perspective and wisdom that he will be able to provide, plus his modern perspective on the world. This will prove invaluable to everybody around the globe, God willing.

This is not just nostalgia talking. It is projecting the unique strengths Canada has enjoyed, thanks to the royal family, off into its future as one of the world's great and strongest democracies. It is with an eye to that future that many of us with longer life experiences say with great fondness, “Thank you and God bless Queen Elizabeth II” as she, her prince, her corgis and her horses all enjoy their eternal peace.

We will also add, with conviction and hope, God save the King.

Ken Hardie

$613,722.00