MPPs are returning to their home ridings.
A rare summer session of the Ontario Legislature ended Wednesday with party leaders paying tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth the second.
Premier Doug Ford counts himself as one who will miss her dearly.
“In her time as monarch, she made 22 official visits to Canada, each time gaining more admirers and winning more hearts. Like us, Queen Elizabeth loved our country, its diversity and its beauty,” said Ford. “In the days since she passed, we have seen an outpouring of emotion and grief from all corners of the world. This is a testament to what she meant to so many people.”
Interim NDP leader Peter Tabuns said Queen Elizabeth II was a thread that tied generations together.
“She was a constant and reassuring presence in times of change. Her portrait hung in this Legislature during the tenure of 11 Premiers. Her reign lasted through 12 Canadian Prime Ministers and 15 British Prime Ministers. Many in this chamber will have been lucky enough to talk to our own parents or grandparents in the last few days to hear how powerful an impression the Queen made on them as we all watched her family grow alongside our own families,” said Tabuns.
“Queen Elizabeth lived a life of great faith and centredness—a calm in the eye of many storms,” stated Interim Liberal leader John Fraser. “Her Majesty’s record of duty, responsibility, steadfastness and public service is unmatched. And the Queen’s example is not just for those who seek public life, it’s for all of us. And as we transition to the reign of our new sovereign, King Charles III, I know we will continue to reflect on the life that was.”
“It was her father, King George VI, who once famously said, “The highest of distinction is service to others.” And for the seven decades of her reign, those were the words his daughter the Queen lived by: service to others. Service defined so much of Her Majesty’s life. Yes, duty, dignity, honour, stability, sacrifice, stoicism, humour, resolve and grace are all words that describe Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. But for me, service is what defines her greatness—service to her people, service to her country and the Commonwealth, service to her family,” remarked Green Party leader Mike Schreiner.
MPPs will return to Queen’s Park a day after the municipal elections on October 25.
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