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PM delivers remarks at the Depot Division Drill Hall in Regina
23 May 2012
Regina, Saskatchewan
Thank you.And thank you as well, Mr. Sawa, and I know all of us, we would all like to thank the members of the Regina Symphony Orchestra for that tremendous performance, that was wonderful!
Now, I do have to say that when Mr. Minovich left the stage, I did say to the Prince, being that it’s his final performance, I thought he was going to fiddle off into the sunset.
We’re glad he returned.
Your Royal Highnesses, your Excellencies, your Honours, Premier Wall, Parliamentary colleagues, Commissioner Paulson, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has been making Canadians proud for almost as long as our Confederation has existed.
Created as the North-West Mounted Police by our first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, it continues its service in this, the Dominion’s 145th year.
Its first march west in 1874 to combat American whiskey traders in southern Alberta is a Canadian legend.
The force marches on today and has become a world-renown Canadian icon.
It protects Canadians each and every day from coast to coast to coast.
But its spirit of service is even larger than that.
From Port aux Basques to Port Coquitlam and north to Pond Inlet, RCMP officers not only provide local policing, but also help to better communities, through additional volunteer activities.
They tutor in schools and coach sports teams.
Their detachments partner with citizen-volunteers, with more than 75,000 annually, through programs such as Citizens on Patrol, Crimestoppers, Neighbourhood Watch, and Victim Services, to name just a few.
As Her Majesty herself said here in Regina in 2005, and I quote:
“It is the Mounties’ dedication to service and honour that embodies the spirit of so many of those who have built the nation as we know it today.”
With the continuing legacy of RCMP service as our backdrop, it is fitting that we are joined at Depot Division tonight by Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.
Two-weeks ago, Her Majesty was named Commissioner-in-Chief of the RCMP.
And this evening, I am pleased to announce that His Royal Highness has agreed to serve as the RCMP’s Honorary Commissioner.
Like the RCMP, the Canadian Crown is a vibrant and active symbol of service to Canada.
The Crown has anchored our institutions of government and called our citizens to duty across the full breadth of Canada, both geographic and historic.
Through all our days, as a French realm, as a British realm, and as a sovereign state, the Crown has always been part of what makes us uniquely Canadian and has embodied the rich traditions of freedom, democracy and justice that define our Parliamentary federation.
And so, this year, the Diamond Jubilee Year, is a special one and a happy one for Canada.
Canadians from all walks of life have together been marking this extraordinary anniversary.
In doing so we have recalled with pride and gratitude Her Majesty’s reign, sixty-years of service to Canada and the Commonwealth.
To place that number in a uniquely Canadian perspective, I note Elizabeth II had already been Queen for more than 15 years when Bobby Orr was named the NHL’s Rookie-of-the-year in 1967, when the Toronto Maple Leafs last won the Stanley Cup.
Your Royal Highnesses, the last time the Monarch celebrated a Diamond Jubilee was Queen Victoria in 1897.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police made a spectacular impression in London during that great celebration.
A 26-member contingent – wearing their now famous Stetsons for the first time – was led by Superintendent A.B. Perry.
And I’m pleased to observe that his great-grandson, by the way, former premier Gordon Campbell, serves today as Canada’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
And earlier today, at Whitehall in London, members of the Musical Ride formed The Queen’s Life Guard as they did once before in 1937 at the Coronation of her father, King George VI.
Your Royal Highnesses, you will be at the heart of the Central Weekend of this year’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in London.
There will be concerts, the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, and of course, the Jubilee Lunch.
Now the lunch does come with some Canadian historical commentary.
My illustrious predecessor, Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, represented Canada at Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee luncheon.
After the event, he wrote the following home to Canada:
“I am not sure whether the British Empire needs a new constitution,” Laurier observed. “But I am certain that every guest at this Jubilee will soon need one.”
I am confident that Laurier’s observations will prove well-founded in our own time.
Thank you, Your Royal Highnesses, for being with us once again.
To commemorate this Diamond Jubilee Tour, our Government will make donations in your name to The Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur and to the RCMP Foundation.
The Prince’s Military Entrepreneurship Program supports transitioning for Canadian military personnel who want to enter the small business sector.
It will provide our brave veterans of service in Afghanistan, Libya, and many other theatres, the education, financing and mentoring needed to launch and sustain successful businesses.
The RCMP Foundation supports the activities of RCMP members across Canada, who work with young people often in isolated communities.
Now, Your Royal Highness, I would like to invite you to say a few words, but first, we have something here for you. Commissioner Paulson, will you join us, please? Here it is.
We have here a special saddlecloth, that is, the famous RCMP shabrack, to mark your visit here tonight and your new duties as Honorary Commissioner of the RCMP.
