As we "stand on guard" in these opening years of the twenty-first century, I see a Canada which is a much respected global player, a major economic force, a valued Commonwealth leader, a great country. It is therefore with special pride that I take this opportunity during my Jubilee year to pay tribute to Canadians everywhere and to thank you for the support and affection you have given to me over these past fifty years. It is a privilege to serve you as Queen of Canada to the best of my ability, to play my part in the Canadian identity, to uphold Canadian traditions and heritage, to recognise Canadian excellence and achievement, and to seek to give a sense of continuity in these exciting, ever-changing times in which we are fortunate enough to live.
— Elizabeth II of Canada, 2002[1]
The2002 royal tour of Canada byElizabeth II,Queen of Canada, and her consortPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, took place from 4 to 15 October 2002. The Queen and the Duke toured the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and the territory of Nunavut in celebration of herGolden Jubilee as Canada's Queen.
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For 12 days in October 2002, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh toured Canada, making stops inVictoria,Vancouver,Regina,Winnipeg,Toronto,Hamilton,Hull,Fredericton,Sussex,Moncton, andOttawa.
Your land is indeed your strength. For the past three years, this rich expanse has been yours in its most precious sense and it bears the name you chose: that speaks of your ancestors, Canada's original citizens, one of the nation's founding cultures; that speaks of your Elders, whose lifelong struggles are part of the foundations upon which you are building a bright future for the Nunavummiut; and that speaks of your youth, to whom you entrust that future. They are the key to increasing prosperity in the Nunavut of tomorrow.[2]
The trip was also unique in that it was the first royal visit to the newterritory ofNunavut, where the royal couple made their first Canadian stop inIqaluit. There, on 4 October, the Queen opened and addressed the newlegislative assembly, stating in her speech: "I am proud to be the first member of theCanadian Royal Family to be greeted in Canada's newest territory."[3] After a walk-about through Iqaluit, the Queen unveiled one of the street signs on the town's main thoroughfare, which had been renamed in her honour.
From Nunavut, the royal party flew to Victoria, where the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were received by theprovince's lieutenant governor. Saturday was spent at a private retreat and, on the Sunday, the Queen attended religious services atChrist Church Cathedral, performed an unscheduled walk-about after the sermon, and travelled to theprovincial parliament building to unveil a stained glass window commemorating the Golden Jubilee. Once the Queen was outside of the legislature, theSnowbirds performed an acrobatic fly-by for the sovereign and a gathered audience of some 16,000.
In Vancouver, on 6 October, the Queen, accompanied byWayne Gretzky, and in front of a crowd of 18,000 atGeneral Motors Place, dropped theceremonial first puck for theNational Hockey League exhibition game between theVancouver Canucks andSan Jose Sharks; this was the first time any reigning monarch, Canadian or otherwise, had performed the task.[4][5] The Queen and the Duke then watched the first period of the game from the royal box—the first time they had done so since their first hockey game atMaple Leaf Gardens in 1951.[6] PremierGordon Campbell said during the visit: "Your Majesty, much as the world has changed in the last 50 years, one thing has always remained constant—the sincere affection between the people of British Columbia and their Queen."[7]
In her speech at the Fairmont Hotel, the Queen said that she was told of a story about her mother duringher visit to Canada in 1939. She said, "My father and mother were scheduled to visit a veterans' hospital in the province of Quebec during their six week tour. Two Boer War veterans, both of Scots heritage, argued for weeks before my parents' arrival. One said "She was born in Scotland, so I say she's Scots". The other said "She married an English man, so I say she's English". They decided to let Queen Elizabeth settle their cultural differences. When the two were presented to Her Majesty, they asked "Are you Scots, or are you English?" My mother paused, and then replied "Since I have landed in Quebec, I think we can say that I am a Canadian"".[8]
The couple was next inRegina,Saskatchewan, unveiling on the grounds of the provincial parliament the product of the Golden Jubilee Statue Project: a bronzeequestrian statue of the Queen ridingBurmese, a horse gifted in 1969 to the Queen by the RCMP. InWinnipeg,Manitoba, the Queen performed a walk-about atThe Forks, re-dedicated the newly restoredGolden Boy statue atop theManitoba Legislative Building, and attended an evening performance of theRoyal Winnipeg Ballet, accompanied by theWinnipeg Symphony Orchestra andLoreena McKennitt.[9]
The Queen and the Duke were on 9 October welcomed toOntario by thelieutenant governor and thousands onlookers in Toronto, and, that evening, appeared at a festival, mounted atExhibition Place, highlighting the advance of the province over the previous five decades. After a day of relaxation, the Queen then ventured toSheridan College, to view students learning computer animation, and Hamilton, where atCopps Coliseum she, as theircolonel-in-chief, presented theArgyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada with their new Colours. Rejoined by Prince Philip, the Queen attended at theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation's Toronto headquarters an event marking the organisation's 50th anniversary; there, she viewed exhibits and was amused by a video display showing her earlier tours of Canada in the 1950s. Finally, the royal couple were in the audience atRoy Thomson Hall for a gala concert of Canadian talent, includingOscar Peterson,Evelyn Hart,Rex Harrington,Cirque du Soleil,The Tragically Hip, and others.[10] At the same time, theLieutenant-Governor-in-Council named a park nearGravenhurst as theQueen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park and created the Ontario Golden Jubilee Award for Civilian Bravery.[11][12]
As the tour continued on to themaritime provinces, the royal party arrived atGovernment House inFredericton,New Brunswick, where they were welcomed by thousands. The stop in this province was brief, however—only 25 hours in total—with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh flying by helicopter the following morning from Fredericton toSussex and then on to Moncton, where they attended a luncheon inDieppe to celebrate the town's 50th anniversary and officially opened a new terminal atGreater Moncton International Airport.[13]
On this Thanksgiving Weekend in my Golden Jubilee year, I want to take the opportunity to express my profound gratitude to all Canadians, those of you here tonight and those of you across the country or serving overseas, for the loyalty, encouragement and support you have given to me over these past fifty years. Your understanding and compassion, your confidence and engagement, are sources of inspiration to me. I would like to affirm before you tonight that, wherever the future may take us, my admiration and affection for Canada and Canadians everywhere is - and will always remain - clear, strong and sure. That too, Ladies and Gentlemen, is for me a constant, an enduring point of reference in these times of change.[14]
From the east coast the royal couple flew westwards again to the national capital, Ottawa, to be greeted there byDeputy Prime MinisterJohn Manley, who had earlier, on the day of the Queen's arrival in Canada, caused controversy by statingCanada should become a republic. The day following, 13 October, a multi-faithThanksgiving celebration was held onParliament Hill for about 3,500 people, and the Queen laid a wreath at theTomb of the Unknown Soldier. Astate dinner was held that evening at theCanadian Museum of Civilization inGatineau, Quebec, at which the Queen said: "[I wish] to express my profound gratitude to all Canadians... for the loyalty, encouragement and support you have given to me over these past 50 years." As her motorcade passed across theOttawa River intoQuebec, about 100 protesters yelled obscenities at the Queen inFrench, wavingQuebec flags and chanting "We want a country, not a monarchy"; it was the only protest during the jubilee tour of Canada.[15][16]
On the last full day of the tour, the Queen, as Honorary Commissioner, watched a performance of theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police'sMusical Ride before moving to her final major event in Canada: a lunch atRideau Hall for fifty distinguished Canadians—one from each year of the Queen's reign. The Queen also planted another tree on the grounds of her Canadian residence, and met with members of theRoyal Commonwealth Society.[17] The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh then departed Canada on 15 October.
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