The Queen, who died Thursday at her Balmoral estate in Scotland, made 22 official visits to Canada after ascending to the throne in 1952. Her first time here as Queen was in 1957, the last in 2010. During those years, she visited every province and territory.
Here are some highlights from those visits.
1957: First visit, first live TV address
Prince Philip accompanied Elizabeth on her first official visit as Queen to Canada. The couple had visited previously in 1951 while Elizabeth was a princess.
They spent four days in Ottawa and the Queen became the first reigning sovereign to open the Canadian Parliament.
WATCH | Queen Elizabeth opens Parliament in Ottawa:
The Queen opens Canada’s Parliament
3 years ago
Duration 0:29
The Queen was the first sitting monarch to open Canada’s Parliament in 1957.
She delivered the throne speech for the 23rd Parliament on Oct. 14.
WATCH | The full speech from the throne:
Queen Elizabeth: 1957 Opening of Parliament
3 years ago
Duration 10:31
For the first time ever, the sovereign opens Canadian parliament. (Footage is black and white.)
She also made a televised address, the first one she had done live, during which she praised Canada’s population growth and strong currency.
The address was one of the first examples of the monarchy adapting new technologies during her reign. As communications evolved, attention continued to focus on the Queen’s first forays on new platforms such as Twitter or Instagram.
Queen Elizabeth made a televised address to Canadians on July 1, 1959. (CBC Television Special/CBC Archives)
1964: An angry reception in Quebec
The Queen and Prince Philip visited Charlottetown, Quebec City and Ottawa.
She was invited by the prime minister to attend the centennial of two 1864 pre-Confederation conferences in Charlottetown and Quebec City. Elizabeth was warmly welcomed to Charlottetown, but when she got to Quebec City, she was greeted by anti-monarchist and separatist protesters.
WATCH | Protesters greet Queen Elizabeth:
Protests greet the Queen in Quebec
3 years ago
Duration 0:15
Protesters greeted the Queen during her 1964 visit to Quebec City and the police responded.
Quebec’s relationship with the monarchy wasn’t always strained. When the Queen’s father, King George VI, and his wife, Queen Elizabeth, visited in 1939, they received a warm welcome, as Canadians rallied in support of the war effort.
But the emergence of Quebec nationalism and the Quiet Revolution led to the separatist movement, which was inherently republican.
WATCH | CBC journalists Knowlton Nash and William Depoe talk about the incident on the news that night:
Queen’s visit to Quebec City marred by violence
2 years ago
Duration 2:02
Journalists Norman Depoe and Knowlton Nash discuss the events of Oct. 10, 1964.
It was a very different story upon her departure from Ottawa, though, as nearly 1,500 well-wishers turned out to see her off (Philip had left a few hours earlier).
WATCH | Queen Elizabeth leaves Canada after visiting in 1964:
Queen departs after 1964 visit to Canada
3 years ago
Duration 2:16
Well-wishers turn out to watch an official departure ceremony at Ottawa’s Uplands airport.
1967: The centennial and a huge cake
The year 1967 was significant for Canada. The country was marking its centennial and the Queen was there for celebrations on Parliament Hill.
Queen Elizabeth cuts a nine-metre-high cake during centennial celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on July 1, 1967. (Dominion Wide/Library and Archives Canada/C-024559)
She delivered a speech that day, describing Canada as “a nation that has grown and prospered in an atmosphere of freedom where differences are respected and where the rights of individual men and women to work out their own salvations have never been long denied.”
You can watch here full speech from that day here.
After their time in Ottawa, the Queen and Prince Philip travelled to Montreal, arriving there on July 3 to visit Expo 67.
There was some concern about how the royal couple would be received in Quebec, given the protests just a few years earlier. But on this visit, they got a warm reception.
They visited the British and Canadian pavilions and toured the full site on the Expo minirail.
1976: The whole family cheers on Anne
If the Montreal Olympics weren’t reason enough for the Queen to visit Canada in 1976, she and her family, who accompanied her on the trip, had the added bonus of seeing their daughter and sister Anne competing on the British equestrian team.
The Royal Family were together in Montreal during the 1976 Olympics. From left, Prince Philip, Princess Anne, her husband Mark Phillips, Prince Edward, the Queen, Prince Andrew and Prince Charles. (Wally Hayes/The Canadian Press)
The visit was noteworthy because it was the only time the Queen’s entire immediate family was in the country at the same time. Prince Philip and Anne’s brothers Charles, Andrew and Edward were also on hand to cheer Anne on.
WATCH | Queen Elizabeth opens the Olympics in Montreal:
The Queen opens the 1976 Olympics
3 years ago
Duration 0:19
The Queen declares the Montreal Summer Olympics open in July 1976.
The Queen also visited New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on this trip.
1982: The Constitution and a mystery giggle
The Queen returned to Canada in 1982 for the proclamation of the Constitution. An estimated 32,000 people came out in the rain in Ottawa on April 17, 1982 for the ceremony on Parliament Hill.
And there was a memorable moment during the ceremony that was only reported years later. While signing the document after the Queen, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau broke the tip of the pen. When the justice minister, Jean Chrétien, went to sign it, he couldn’t, and uttered “merde,” causing the Queen to laugh. He was forced to reach for a second pen.
WATCH | The signing ceremony for the proclamation of the Constitution (the moment when the Queen laughs begins at about the 1:56 mark):
The Queen proclaims the Constitution Act
3 years ago
Duration 2:42
On Apr. 17, 1982, the Queen signed Canada’s constitutional proclamation, severing Canada’s colonial tie to Britain.
Following the signing, the Queen delivered a speech, stating, “Today I have proclaimed this new Constitution, one that is truly Canadian at last. There could be no better moment for me as Queen of Canada to declare again my unbounded confidence in the future of this wonderful country.”
WATCH | The Queen’s full speech:
The Queen’s speech after proclaiming the Constitution Act
3 years ago
Duration 12:48
The Queen delivers a speech in Ottawa Apr. 17, 1982 after the patriation of the constitution, speaking of Canada’s limitless future.
2002: Golden Jubilee with a twist of controversy
Her 2002 visit to Canada was part of a year of celebration for the Queen as she marked 50 years as monarch.
Elizabeth came to Canada as part of her Golden Jubilee tour — which also took her to New Zealand, Australia and Jamaica — and thanked Canadians for their “loyalty, encouragement and support” during her reign.
But there was a bit of controversy courtesy of Canada’s deputy prime minister, who was assigned to be her escort in Ottawa during the visit.
John Manley had said that he hoped to see the end of the monarchy in Canada after Elizabeth’s reign.
WATCH | The Queen presents a horse to the RCMP following a performance of the Musical Ride:
The Queen gives the RCMP a horse
3 years ago
Duration 1:00
The Queen presents a horse to the RCMP during her 2002 visit to Ottawa that will be trained to perform in the RCMP Musical Ride.
2010: The final visit to a place like ‘home’
The Queen’s final visit to Canada was in 2010. She visited five cities and spent Canada Day in Ottawa with about 100,000 others on Parliament Hill.
“This nation has dedicated itself to being a caring home for its own, a sanctuary for others and an example to the world,” she said during the visit.
Elizabeth visited Canada more times as Queen than any other Commonwealth country. And she referred to Canada as “home” as she arrived in Halifax — a term she used throughout her reign when speaking of this country.
WATCH | The Queen’s last speech on Canada Day from Parliament Hill:
The Queen on Canada Day
3 years ago
Duration 3:03
The Queen speaks to Canadians on Canada Day 2010.
WATCH | A collection of highlights from the Queen’s visits to Canada from 1957 to 2010:
The Queen in Canada 1957-1976
3 years ago
Duration 2:31
Highlights from the Queen’s official visits to Canada from 1957 to 1976.
The Queen in Canada 1977-2010
3 years ago
Duration 2:57
Highlights from the Queen’s official visits to Canada from 1977 to 2010.
Demands for government intervention in Air Canada labour talks could negatively affect airline competition in Canada, the CEO of travel company Transat AT Inc. said.
“The extension of such an extraordinary intervention to Air Canada would be an undeniable competitive advantage to the detriment of other Canadian airlines,” Annick Guérard told analysts on an earnings conference call on Thursday.
“The time and urgency is now. It is time to restore healthy competition in Canada,” she added.
Air Canada has asked the federal government to be ready to intervene and request arbitration as early as this weekend to avoid disruptions.
Comments on the potential Air Canada pilot strike or lock out came as Transat reported third-quarter financial results.
Guérard recalled Transat’s labour negotiations with its flight attendants earlier this year, which the company said it handled without asking for government intervention.
The airline’s 2,100 flight attendants voted 99 per cent in favour of a strike mandate and twice rejected tentative deals before approving a new collective agreement in late February.
As the collective agreement for Air Transat pilots ends in June next year, Guérard anticipates similar pressure to increase overall wages as seen in Air Canada’s negotiations, but reckons it will come out “as a win, win, win deal.”
“The pilots are preparing on their side, we are preparing on our side and we’re confident that we’re going to come up with a reasonable deal,” she told analysts when asked about the upcoming negotiations.
The parent company of Air Transat reported it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31. The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.
It attributed reduced revenues to lower airline unit revenues, competition, industry-wide overcapacity and economic uncertainty.
Air Transat is also among the airlines facing challenges related to the recall of Pratt & Whitney turbofan jet engines for inspection and repair.
The recall has so far grounded six aircraft, Guérard said on the call.
“We have agreed to financial compensation for grounded aircraft during the 2023-2024 period,” she said. “Alongside this financial compensation, Pratt & Whitney will provide us with two additional spare engines, which we intend to monetize through a sell and lease back transaction.”
Looking ahead, the CEO said she expects consumer demand to remain somewhat uncertain amid high interest rates.
“We are currently seeing ongoing pricing pressure extending into the winter season,” she added. Air Transat is not planning on adding additional aircraft next year but anticipates stability.
“(2025) for us will be much more stable than 2024 in terms of fleet movements and operation, and this will definitely have a positive effect on cost and customer satisfaction as well,” the CEO told analysts.
“We are more and more moving away from all the disruption that we had to go through early in 2024,” she added.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
