PRIME Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday announced that he and Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, and her spouse, Whit Fraser, will travel to the United Kingdom on September 16 to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, which will take place in London on September 19. Trudeau will be accompanied by his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau.
Canada will also be represented by former governors general Michaëlle Jean and David Johnston, as well as former prime ministers Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper.
They will be joined by Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Natan Obed, and President of the Métis National Council Cassidy Caron, as well as the Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet and former High Commissioner for Canada to the U.K., Janice Charette, and current High Commissioner for Canada to the U.K., Ralph Goodale.
Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and representatives of regiments of the Canadian Armed Forces will join uniformed personnel from other Commonwealth countries for the service on September 19.
In addition, the Canadian delegation will include members of the Order of Canada Mark Tewksbury, Gregory Charles and Sandra Oh, and Cross of Valour recipient Leslie Arthur Palmer. They will participate in a procession of recipients of national honours as part of the service.
The day of the Queen’s state funeral in the U.K. will be marked in Canada with a National Day of Mourning and a national commemorative ceremony held at Christ Church Cathedral, the Anglican cathedral in Ottawa. The ceremony will be attended by former prime ministers Brian Mulroney and Joe Clark, and all MPs have been invited. The ceremony will be broadcast live for everyone to watch.