The latest updates on the queen’s London funeral and related events in Canada

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This article was published 18/09/2022 (828 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA – Here are the latest developments on the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II in London, as well as related events and developments across Canada. All times eastern unless specified otherwise:

4:30 p.m.

Mourners in Victoria attended a commemorative service for the queen following a 1.4-kilometre procession from the province’s legislature.

Premier John Horgan and Lieut.-Gov. Janet Austin were among the attendees who heard prayers for the monarch from an Imam, a rabbi, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Victoria and the Bishop of the Diocese of B.C.

Horgan told attendees the queen visited the province seven times, including once as a princess, and was given an Indigenous name that translates to “mother of all, respected by all,” by the Coast Salish people.

He says a highlight for hockey fans may have been when she dropped the puck at centre ice in 2002 during a game between the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks, and ended up meeting some hockey royalty – including Wayne Gretzky and Olympic gold medallist Cassie Campbell.

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2:40 p.m.

About 50 people attended a memorial for the late queen at the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly building in Yellowknife.

The Great Hall was adorned with vases of white flowers and residents were invited to sign a book with messages of condolences as sombre piano music played.

N.W.T. Commissioner Margaret Thom, Premier Caroline Cochrane, and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Frederick Blake Jr. spoke about the queen and the territory’s relationship with the Crown.

Frieda Martselos, the member from Thebacha, closed the ceremony with a prayer.

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2:40 p.m.

Following prayers in Halifax from Rabbi Gary Karlin, Rev. Rhonda Britton, Imam Abdullah Yousri, Rev. Susan Chisholm, Raj Varma and Rev. Brian MacMillan, there was a moment of silence before bagpipes played.

Cathedral Church of All Saints Rev. Paul Smith spoke the prayer of commendation and Nova Scotia’s Anglican Bishop Rev. Sandra Fyfe performed the final blessing.

Those gathered in the cathedral sang God Save the King and a 21-gun salute began at Citadel Hill as the tribute came to an end.

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2:10 p.m.

The national tribute service in Ottawa ended after just over an hour with an orchestral performance of God Save the King, and Juno award-winning singer Kim Richardson performing O Canada.

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2 p.m.

A commemorative service for the queen was held at Christ Church Cathedral in Fredericton.

New Brunswick Lt.-Gov. Brenda Murphy bade farewell to a queen who was greatly loved for her grace, humanity and sympathy.

Premier Blaine Higgs gave thanks for the queen’s life.

A ceremonial gun salute was also held along with the commemorative service

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2 p.m.

Among the mourners watching a ceremonial procession in honour of the queen on the streets of Victoria, B.C., was 17-year-old Beatrice Morrison.

Morrison, dressed in her uniform of the 5th Garry Oak scouts of Oak Bay, says she wanted to pay her respects.

“The queen has been with me since I was born,” said Morrison, who believes the procession will be a memory she keeps for the rest of her life.

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1:45 p.m.

Former prime minister Brian Mulroney delivered a speech in tribute to the queen at the national tribute service in Ottawa, remembering his time as her Canadian prime minister with fondness.

He said the queen was “extremely intelligent” as well as very witty and kind.

He also said the end of apartheid in South Africa, which was led by Nelson Mandela, “would never have taken place in the Commonwealth had it not been for her majesty’s discreet, brilliant, and generous guidance and unerring instinct for the victory we all sought.”

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1:35 p.m.

Former governor general Adrienne Clarkson spoke for about 10 minutes at the national tribute service. She included anecdotes of the queen’s visits to Canada such as in 1982 when Queen Elizabeth II signed Canada’s new constitution, including the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“Canadians will always remember the queen for coming to sign over to us. What is rightfully ours, our human rights, our human freedom.”

Following her speech, a short video of the queen’s visits to Canada was shown.

Indigenous playwright and author Tomson Highway then performed a musical interlude.

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1:30 p.m.

The 500 seats at Halifax’s Cathedral Church of All Saints were filled by politicians, military officers and community members for Nova Scotia’s provincial tribute service for the late queen.

The ceremony began with a smudging of sage and a prayer from Mi’kmaq elder Marlene Companion.

Premier Tim Houston spoke about the queen’s great impact on Nova Scotians and said she was a symbol of service and humility.

Nova Scotia’s Lt.-Gov. Arthur J. LeBlanc highlighted the queen’s military service in his eulogy. He said that in her many visits to the province, including her last visit in 2010, she showed a genuine interest in meeting and speaking with Nova Scotia’s military members.

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1:15 p.m.

A modest crowd gathered at the Alberta legislature building this morning for Queen Elizabeth II’s memorial service.

Prayers and blessings were given by Elder Bert Augert and Rev. Stephen London on the building’s front steps, followed by a moment of silence.

People wearing raincoats, gripping the morning’s program, solemnly watched the ceremony.

Premier Jason Kenney and Lt.-Gov. Salma Lakhani spoke fondly of the queen’s contributions to Canada and the Commonwealth.

“She bridged a century that characterized exponentially more change that any other in human history. She did so with wisdom and dignity,” said Kenney.

The sun peaked out behind grey clouds as Rev. Richard Smith gave the final blessing.

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1:15 p.m.

Albert Dumont, an Algonquin spiritual adviser and the English poet laureate of Ottawa, was the first to speak at the national tribute service at Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa. He said the queen has returned to her husband, Prince Philip, and her mother.

“The queen is dead, and the land of the red maple leaf, the sorrow of many citizens fills the skies, the tears the prayers of her admirers take flight, like the geese of spring and autumn, making their way to the queen mother, who waits to hold her daughter close to her bosom, once again.”

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1:15 p.m.

A ceremonial procession in honour of Queen Elizabeth is underway in Victoria, with dignitaries and members of the Canadian armed forces making their way from the legislature to Christ Church Cathedral.

British Columbia Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin, Premier John Horgan and others are being led by a Royal Canadian Navy band and a 100-member guard of honour.

A riderless horse, symbolizing a fallen comrade, is also part of the procession.

The 1.4-kilometre march, which began with a 21-gun artillery salute, will be followed by a memorial service at the cathedral.

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1:05 p.m.

Violinists, a cellist and a pianist from Appleby College in Oakville, Ont., played Amazing Grace at the start of a commemorative service at Ottawa’s Christ Church Cathedral.

The service is getting underway with a processional.

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1 p.m.

The life of Queen Elizabeth is being commemorated at a provincial service at Charlottetown’s St. Peter’s Cathedral.

The service followed a procession of dignitaries that included Lt.-Gov. Antoinette Perry and Premier Dennis King.

The ceremony began with a Mi’kmaq drum tribute and song.

The service is to be followed by a 21-gun salute by the PEI Regiment from the battery at Victoria Park in Charlottetown.

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1 p.m.

Bells have begun to toll at Old City Hall’s tower in downtown Toronto to commemorate the queen.

The bells began tolling at 1 p.m. and will continue once per minute for 96 straight minutes, marking the queen’s age when she died.

Onlookers gathered in small numbers on surrounding sidewalks, some stopping just for a moment to pay their respects while others stood silently for longer stretches.

Some captured the moments on their phones and chatted with one another about the late queen’s impact.

Mayor John Tory joined a group of city officials and staff in observing 96 seconds of silence in the queen’s honour.

Tory stood next to city councillors and members of the public at the city hall Peace Garden and later laid flowers on a stone sign that marked one of the queen’s past visits to the city.

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12:50 p.m.

The military parade in Ottawa has arrived outside the Christ Church Cathedral where a service is about to take place in honour of the queen.

Former prime minister Brian Mulroney is set to speak, as is former gov. gen. Adrienne Clarkson.

The church is packed, with a who’s who of Ottawa’s political elite, including new Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.

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12:45 p.m.

Sandra Tisch and her husband Rob Semancik drove eight hours from Oldcastle, Ont., near Windsor, to take in the parade in Ottawa.

“It’s been an emotional 10 days,” said Tisch, who brought flowers to drop at the British High Commission and a statue of Queen Elizabeth.

“She gave her life to her country, and I think she did a lot of good,” said Tisch, who got up early to watch the televised funeral service in London.

She said it was well worth the trip to feel connected to other people mourning the queen, and to see the mounted police on horseback in the Red Serge.

Alexandra McLean, the descendant of a British war bride who married a Canadian soldier, said she came out to commemorate the work of the queen and what it symbolizes to those who took up arms in her service.

“We’re mourning our grandmothers as well. We are respecting the head of state, constitutional democracy (and) the woman who served us very well, and we’re honouring the people who loved her, who saw in her service their own service and what gave them strength for that service,” she said.

McLean said that just as King Charles made overtures to the nations of the United Kingdom, such as Wales, Canada needs to do more to reconcile with Indigenous nations.

“It’s a really complicated moment, and I don’t think we’ll solve some of these problems without recognizing that they’re family problems.”

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12:40 p.m.

A provincial service of commemoration for Queen Elizabeth is underway at the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John’s, N.L.

The province’s Lieutenant-Governor Judy Foote and Premier Andrew Furey are among the dignitaries in attendance.

Foote laid a wreath before a large portrait of the queen and told the gathering the late monarch was a remarkable woman who left a lasting impression throughout the world.

Following the ceremony, there is to be a 21-gun salute on the grounds of the Queen’s Battery in St. John’s.

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12:30 p.m.

A 96-gun salute is underway outside the National War Museum in Ottawa.

The number of rounds is meant to reflect one for every year of the queen’s life.

The salute is expected to take 16 minutes to complete.

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12:10 p.m.

A parade in tribute to Queen Elizabeth is underway in Ottawa.

An RCMP officer on horseback is leading the way, followed by members of the Canadian armed forces.

Small crowds of people are lining the streets on a rainy, cool day in the city.

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11:40 a.m.

The Royal Canadian Air Force says the flypast planned for Ottawa’s commemoration ceremonies this afternoon is cancelled due to inclement weather.

The 96-gun salute will go ahead as planned at LeBreton Flats at about 12:25 p.m.

It will occur during a parade set to get underway in the city at 12:10 p.m.

The march route will end at Christ Church Cathedral about 50 minutes later, when a commemorative service for the queen is set to take place.

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7:30 a.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau have left Westminster Abbey following the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth.

The sounds of organ music accompanied the procession out of the historic church at the end of the roughly hour-long funeral service.

Trudeau and his wife spent the service seated a few rows behind Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and her husband, who were the members of the Canadian delegation seated closest to the King and other senior royals during the funeral.

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7:22 a.m.

Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and representatives of regiments of the Canadian Armed Forces have joined military members from around the Commonwealth at Westminster Abbey for the carriage procession following the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth.

King Charles III and other members of the Royal Family will walk behind the gun carriage carrying the queen’s coffin to the hearse that will take it to Windsor Castle, where she’ll be buried at St George’s Chapel alongside the late Prince Philip, her husband of almost 74 years.

The Mounties announced on Friday that five members of its famous Musical Ride would take part in a ceremonial capacity and be seen near the front of the procession.

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6:30 a.m.

Many Canadians took in the early-morning proceedings from their homes or local viewing parties.

In Yellowknife, Marie York-Condon arose at 4 a.m. local time to begin watching what she referred to as a “monumental historical event” that reminded her of when she swore allegiance to the queen as a civilian member of the RCMP.

York-Condon said she wanted to honour a queen who had served Canada well, adding she felt strong emotions “about the person I dedicated my service to,” as the casket entered the Abbey.

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6:00 a.m.

Roads are closed in downtown Ottawa ahead of today’s parade honouring the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

Members of the military and RCMP will parade through the streets of the capital at 12:10 p.m. and sound a 96-gun salute _ one salvo for every year of the queen’s life.

Following a service at Christ Church Cathedral, Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighter jets will perform a flypast over the cathedral and Parliament Hill.

The commemoration will be televised, and members of the public will also be able to watch the events live on screens set up along Wellington Street.

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5:45 a.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, have arrived at Westminster Abbey for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth.

The couple are sitting a few rows behind Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and her husband, who are the Canadian delegation members sitting closest to the King, a few rows behind the senior royals.

Other members of the Canadian delegation have also arrived at the abbey.

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5:30 a.m.

Members of the Canadian delegation have started to arrive at Westminster Abbey for the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II.

A procession of the holders of the Victoria Cross, George Cross and Orders of Chivalry were walked through the church on the way to their seats.

Order of Canada holders actress Sandra Oh, Olympian Mark Tewksbury and performing artist Gregory Charles walked near the front of the procession.

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4:45 a.m.

Governor General Mary Simon has issued a release marking the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II.

Simon, who is in London to attend the service, says the queen was there through good times and bad to bear witness to the evolution of our history.

She notes the queen knew that “time, more often than not, led to healing, progress and understanding,” and Canadians look to time for that same hope and healing following her death.

Simon says we see that same commitment to service in His Majesty King Charles III.

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4:25 a.m.

Mourners are arriving at Westminster Abbey to take their seats for Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral service, including members of the Canadian delegation.

Guests are being taken through airport-style security before being escorted into the Gothic medieval abbey.

The Canadian delegation will be spread out around the abbey, with Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and her husband closest to the King, sitting a few rows behind the senior royals.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, will be a few rows away from them.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2022.