Canadian dignitaries gathered at Ottawa’s Christ Church Cathedral on Monday for a solemn send-off to Queen Elizabeth, the country’s longest-serving monarch.
Canada, a favoured member of the Commonwealth, was the only realm to hold its own national commemorative ceremony following the late Queen’s state funeral in the U.K. — a testament to the close relations between Canada and its former sovereign.
Throughout her reign, the Queen routinely referred to Canada as “home.”
Queen Elizabeth was eulogized by former prime minister Brian Mulroney, who had a positive working relationship with the monarch during his nearly nine years as head of government.
Mulroney said the Queen felt “a special, very deep love for Canada — its diversity, its geography and its history,” a genuine affinity for a country she regarded as “the greatest one in her realm.”
The Quebec-born former prime minister said he thinks Canada is as successful as it is now because of the stability of our Westminster system of parliamentary democracy, where the constitutional monarch is central.
While some other countries are beset by war, violence and political coups, Canada stands as a beacon of peace and strength, Mulroney said.
“We are largely unaffected by the major spasms of social and political discontent that have destroyed so many countries around the world. This didn’t happen by accident. The system of government chosen by our founders had much to do with it,” he said.
“Today, our system might appear anachronistic to some — I understand that — but to others, who constitute, in my judgment, the overwhelming majority of Canadians, the role of the monarchy and in particular the irreplaceable role played by Her Majesty for 70 years was absolutely indispensable,” he said.
WATCH | Brian Mulroney gives eulogy at ceremony for the Queen in Ottawa:
Former prime minister Brian Mulroney gives eulogy at ceremony for Queen in Ottawa
7 hours ago
Duration 5:18
Looking back on his time as prime minister, Brian Mulroney recalls working closely with Queen Elizabeth and her special relationship with Canada.
Mulroney also pointed to the role the Queen played in helping to end apartheid in South Africa.
He said that triumph “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.”
Former governor general Adrienne Clarkson, who served as the Queen’s representative between 1999 and 2005, said Canada came of age during her 70-year reign, becoming a freer and fairer country on her watch.
Former governor general Adrienne Clarkson speaks during commemorative ceremonies for Queen Elizabeth at Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa on Monday. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
“The Queen, as the representative of the Crown, was the symbol of democratic legitimacy,” Clarkson said.
Recalling the Queen signing the Constitution Act in 1982, Clarkson said the monarch “signed over to us what is rightfully ours — our human rights, our human freedom.”
Clarkson recounts 2002 meeting with Queen
Clarkson recounted a meeting with the Queen during the Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002. “Suddenly focusing on me, she said, ‘I shall never abdicate…. It is not our tradition. Although, I suppose if I became completely gaga, one would have to do something,'” Clarkson said to chuckles from the congregation.
This moment, Clarkson said, was a reflection of her unwavering dedication to public service.
“She held the course to the end — focused, dutiful, calm, the essence of equanimity. Like her remarkable mother and her heroic father, her life was guided by intention,” Clarkson said.
WATCH | Adrienne Clarkson speaks at ceremony for the Queen in Ottawa:
Former governor general Adrienne Clarkson speaks at ceremony for Queen in Ottawa
7 hours ago
Duration 5:44
Clarkson remembers several interactions with the late Queen Elizabeth throughout her career as Canada’s Governor General.
Christ Church Cathedral, an Anglican church in Ottawa’s downtown core, was chosen as the site for this service because of the Queen’s formal position as “defender of the faith” and the head of the Church of England, the mother church of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
The cathedral’s choristers sang Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my shepherd …”), which is often read or sung at funeral services because the content is comforting to many Christians during times of grief, and Donald Booth, the Canadian secretary to the King, read a passage from the Bible, Philippians 4:4-9.
Brig.-Gen. Guy Bélisle, the chaplain general of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), praised the late monarch for promoting “religious diversity and interfaith harmony.”
WATCH | Queen’s funeral felt like ‘the turning of the page into a new era,’ says former PM Campbell:
Queen’s funeral felt like ‘the turning of the page into a new era,’ says former Prime Minister Campbell
3 hours ago
Duration 10:46
Former Prime Minister Kim Campbell was part of the Canadian delegation attending the Queen’s state funeral in London. She reflects on the Queen’s legacy and what she calls a sense of ‘the turning of a page into a new era’.
The Queen, a devout Christian, routinely celebrated other faith traditions during her annual Christmas messages — one of the few times Commonwealth subjects heard directly from the monarch.
“We pray for the leaders of the world, may they continue to work towards the vision of Elizabeth II, devoting their lives also to the common good. Remembering Elizabeth II’s service and her dedication to the cause of peace,” Bélisle said.
The day began with a memorial parade through the streets of downtown Ottawa led by members of the CAF and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, two services that were also well represented at the funeral in London and Windsor, England.
Her Majesty’s Personal Canadian Flag, wrapped in plastic to protect it from the rain, is carried by a member of the guard of honour as the Memorial Parade for Queen Elizabeth arrives at Christ Church Cathedral for a commemorative ceremony, in Ottawa on Monday. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
Members of air force, army, navy and special forces were accompanied by the Canadian Armed Forces Central Band as they marched past the war memorial and Parliament Buildings in Ottawa en route to the cathedral.
At LeBreton Flats, across from the Canadian War Museum, a 96-salvo salute — one shot for each year of Her Majesty’s life — was fired while the parade marched the city core.
While Ottawa faced inclement weather and rain throughout most of the morning, thousands of onlookers lined Wellington Street, the road that runs in front of Parliament Hill, to pay tribute to the Queen and her remarkable seven-decade reign.
The crowds grew after British ceremonies concluded, as locals flocked from their TVs to the streets to take part in the commemorative ceremony.
WATCH | Singh encourages King Charles to make ‘amends’ for colonization:
Singh encourages King Charles to make ‘amends’ for colonization
3 hours ago
Duration 3:21
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh reflects on Queen Elizabeth’s legacy and his hopes for the reign of King Charles.
Sandra Tisch and her husband, Rob Semancik, drove eight hours from Oldcastle, Ont., near Windsor, to take in the event.
“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.”
Tisch also got up early to watch the televised funeral service in London.
Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police take part in a parade to honour Queen Elizabeth as it makes its way through the downtown core of Ottawa on Monday. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)
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,” she said.
“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.”
The late Queen, as Canada’s head of state, served as commander-in-chief of the CAF and is revered in military circles.
Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre, Canada’s top soldier, said Monday the Queen was a “role model” for military personnel and a “real sterling example of service above self, humility, determination, and she led an incredible life of giving to others.”
More than 600 people were on hand for the ceremony officiated by the Very Reverend Elizabeth J. Bretzlaff, dean of Christ Church Cathedral, and the Right Reverend Shane A. D. Parker, bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa.
Most members of the federal cabinet, MPs, senators, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and members of the diplomatic corps were in attendance as Albert Dumont, the cathedral’s Algonquin spiritual adviser, paid tribute to the Queen with a poem. Musicians played at gaps in the religious service.
Dumont ceremoniously ushered Queen Elizabeth into the arms of her husband, Prince Philip, who died 17 months earlier.
“In the land of the red Maple Leaf, the sorrow of many citizens fills the skies,” he said. “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.”
Violinist David Baik; playwright, producer and director Tomson Highway; Cree vocalist Patricia Cano; and saxophonist Marcus Ali were among those who played the musical interludes.
Baik played Nimrod, from Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations, which is usually associated with solemn occasions. It was performed at Westminster Abbey in 1953, just prior to Her Majesty’s coronation service, and has since also been commonly affiliated with the Queen.
WATCH | Ottawa’s English poet laureate discusses memorial to Queen:
Ottawa poet laureate wrestled with Crown’s role in colonialism while writing tribute to the Queen
1 day ago
Duration 6:33
Ottawa’s English poet laureate Albert Dumont, who is also an Algonquin spiritual adviser, joins Rosemary Barton Live to talk about the memorial service being held in Ottawa on Monday to honour the Queen. He offers an early glimpse of his tribute to Her late Majesty.
Author, singer-songwriter and actor Ginette Reno and singer-songwriter and composer Rufus Wainwright each performed a song to honour the Queen.
Reno performed Ceux qui s’en vont, and Wainwright, who has performed for the Queen before, sang Hallelujah.
After the ceremony, the bells tolled as the parishioners filtered out.
There was to be a flypast by CF18s in the “missing person” formation, but poor weather forced the military to call that down shortly before the ceremony was to begin.
The Vintage Wings of Canada, composed of Second World War Spitfire and Hurricane aircraft, were also scheduled to fly over Parliament Hill and the cathedral, but that was cancelled because of low cloud cover.
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. syphilis epidemic slowed dramatically last year, gonorrhea cases fell and chlamydia cases remained below prepandemic levels, according to federal data released Tuesday.
The numbers represented some good news about sexually transmitted diseases, which experienced some alarming increases in past years due to declining condom use, inadequate sex education, and reduced testing and treatment when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Last year, cases of the most infectious stages of syphilis fell 10% from the year before — the first substantial decline in more than two decades. Gonorrhea cases dropped 7%, marking a second straight year of decline and bringing the number below what it was in 2019.
“I’m encouraged, and it’s been a long time since I felt that way” about the nation’s epidemic of sexually transmitted infections, said the CDC’s Dr. Jonathan Mermin. “Something is working.”
More than 2.4 million cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia were diagnosed and reported last year — 1.6 million cases of chlamydia, 600,000 of gonorrhea, and more than 209,000 of syphilis.
Syphilis is a particular concern. For centuries, it was a common but feared infection that could deform the body and end in death. New cases plummeted in the U.S. starting in the 1940s when infection-fighting antibiotics became widely available, and they trended down for a half century after that. By 2002, however, cases began rising again, with men who have sex with other men being disproportionately affected.
The new report found cases of syphilis in their early, most infectious stages dropped 13% among gay and bisexual men. It was the first such drop since the agency began reporting data for that group in the mid-2000s.
However, there was a 12% increase in the rate of cases of unknown- or later-stage syphilis — a reflection of people infected years ago.
Cases of syphilis in newborns, passed on from infected mothers, also rose. There were nearly 4,000 cases, including 279 stillbirths and infant deaths.
“This means pregnant women are not being tested often enough,” said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a professor of medicine at the University of Southern California.
What caused some of the STD trends to improve? Several experts say one contributor is the growing use of an antibiotic as a “morning-after pill.” Studies have shown that taking doxycycline within 72 hours of unprotected sex cuts the risk of developing syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia.
In June, the CDC started recommending doxycycline as a morning-after pill, specifically for gay and bisexual men and transgender women who recently had an STD diagnosis. But health departments and organizations in some cities had been giving the pills to people for a couple years.
Some experts believe that the 2022 mpox outbreak — which mainly hit gay and bisexual men — may have had a lingering effect on sexual behavior in 2023, or at least on people’s willingness to get tested when strange sores appeared.
Another factor may have been an increase in the number of health workers testing people for infections, doing contact tracing and connecting people to treatment. Congress gave $1.2 billion to expand the workforce over five years, including $600 million to states, cities and territories that get STD prevention funding from CDC.
Last year had the “most activity with that funding throughout the U.S.,” said David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors.
However, Congress ended the funds early as a part of last year’s debt ceiling deal, cutting off $400 million. Some people already have lost their jobs, said a spokeswoman for Harvey’s organization.
Still, Harvey said he had reasons for optimism, including the growing use of doxycycline and a push for at-home STD test kits.
Also, there are reasons to think the next presidential administration could get behind STD prevention. In 2019, then-President Donald Trump announced a campaign to “eliminate” the U.S. HIV epidemic by 2030. (Federal health officials later clarified that the actual goal was a huge reduction in new infections — fewer than 3,000 a year.)
There were nearly 32,000 new HIV infections in 2022, the CDC estimates. But a boost in public health funding for HIV could also also help bring down other sexually transmitted infections, experts said.
“When the government puts in resources, puts in money, we see declines in STDs,” Klausner said.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists can’t know precisely when a volcano is about to erupt, but they can sometimes pick up telltale signs.
That happened two years ago with the world’s largest active volcano. About two months before Mauna Loa spewed rivers of glowing orange molten lava, geologists detected small earthquakes nearby and other signs, and they warned residents on Hawaii‘s Big Island.
Now a study of the volcano’s lava confirms their timeline for when the molten rock below was on the move.
“Volcanoes are tricky because we don’t get to watch directly what’s happening inside – we have to look for other signs,” said Erik Klemetti Gonzalez, a volcano expert at Denison University, who was not involved in the study.
Upswelling ground and increased earthquake activity near the volcano resulted from magma rising from lower levels of Earth’s crust to fill chambers beneath the volcano, said Kendra Lynn, a research geologist at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and co-author of a new study in Nature Communications.
When pressure was high enough, the magma broke through brittle surface rock and became lava – and the eruption began in late November 2022. Later, researchers collected samples of volcanic rock for analysis.
The chemical makeup of certain crystals within the lava indicated that around 70 days before the eruption, large quantities of molten rock had moved from around 1.9 miles (3 kilometers) to 3 miles (5 kilometers) under the summit to a mile (2 kilometers) or less beneath, the study found. This matched the timeline the geologists had observed with other signs.
The last time Mauna Loa erupted was in 1984. Most of the U.S. volcanoes that scientists consider to be active are found in Hawaii, Alaska and the West Coast.
Worldwide, around 585 volcanoes are considered active.
Scientists can’t predict eruptions, but they can make a “forecast,” said Ben Andrews, who heads the global volcano program at the Smithsonian Institution and who was not involved in the study.
Andrews compared volcano forecasts to weather forecasts – informed “probabilities” that an event will occur. And better data about the past behavior of specific volcanos can help researchers finetune forecasts of future activity, experts say.
(asterisk)We can look for similar patterns in the future and expect that there’s a higher probability of conditions for an eruption happening,” said Klemetti Gonzalez.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Waymo on Tuesday opened its robotaxi service to anyone who wants a ride around Los Angeles, marking another milestone in the evolution of self-driving car technology since the company began as a secret project at Google 15 years ago.
The expansion comes eight months after Waymo began offering rides in Los Angeles to a limited group of passengers chosen from a waiting list that had ballooned to more than 300,000 people. Now, anyone with the Waymo One smartphone app will be able to request a ride around an 80-square-mile (129-square-kilometer) territory spanning the second largest U.S. city.
After Waymo received approval from California regulators to charge for rides 15 months ago, the company initially chose to launch its operations in San Francisco before offering a limited service in Los Angeles.
Before deciding to compete against conventional ride-hailing pioneers Uber and Lyft in California, Waymo unleashed its robotaxis in Phoenix in 2020 and has been steadily extending the reach of its service in that Arizona city ever since.
Driverless rides are proving to be more than just a novelty. Waymo says it now transports more than 50,000 weekly passengers in its robotaxis, a volume of business numbers that helped the company recently raise $5.6 billion from its corporate parent Alphabet and a list of other investors that included venture capital firm Andreesen Horowitz and financial management firm T. Rowe Price.
“Our service has matured quickly and our riders are embracing the many benefits of fully autonomous driving,” Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said in a blog post.
Despite its inroads, Waymo is still believed to be losing money. Although Alphabet doesn’t disclose Waymo’s financial results, the robotaxi is a major part of an “Other Bets” division that had suffered an operating loss of $3.3 billion through the first nine months of this year, down from a setback of $4.2 billion at the same time last year.
But Waymo has come a long way since Google began working on self-driving cars in 2009 as part of project “Chauffeur.” Since its 2016 spinoff from Google, Waymo has established itself as the clear leader in a robotaxi industry that’s getting more congested.
Electric auto pioneer Tesla is aiming to launch a rival “Cybercab” service by 2026, although its CEO Elon Musk said he hopes the company can get the required regulatory clearances to operate in Texas and California by next year.
Tesla’s projected timeline for competing against Waymo has been met with skepticism because Musk has made unfulfilled promises about the company’s self-driving car technology for nearly a decade.
Meanwhile, Waymo’s robotaxis have driven more than 20 million fully autonomous miles and provided more than 2 million rides to passengers without encountering a serious accident that resulted in its operations being sidelined.
That safety record is a stark contrast to one of its early rivals, Cruise, a robotaxi service owned by General Motors. Cruise’s California license was suspended last year after one of its driverless cars in San Francisco dragged a jaywalking pedestrian who had been struck by a different car driven by a human.
Cruise is now trying to rebound by joining forces with Uber to make some of its services available next year in U.S. cities that still haven’t been announced. But Waymo also has forged a similar alliance with Uber to dispatch its robotaxi in Atlanta and Austin, Texas next year.
Another robotaxi service, Amazon’s Zoox, is hoping to begin offering driverless rides to the general public in Las Vegas at some point next year before also launching in San Francisco.
