Mr. Speaker, as great as it is to be back in the House, it is obviously a sad day. It is a sad day when we need to come back to the House to truly celebrate all the Queen did for Canada, and truthfully, what she continues to do for Canada and the world.

I suppose I will then retract my statement to say what an exciting and fabulous day this is. What an honour it is for me to stand here today, on behalf of the amazing folks of Essex, to speak to her presence and all that she did, and to all that she represented. So much has already been said, so I am not going to repeat the things so many great folks have said in the House.

I will start by saying that my thoughts and prayers, as well as those of the people of Essex, are with the royal family and all the people she represented. If her hope, passion and compassion over her 96 years do not give some energy or put a smile on the face of Canadians, then they need to take a hard look in the mirror and realize what she brought to the world is something so unique and heartwarming, that we could all take a page out of her playbook.

I guess I really did not realize the impact she had on folks until I was honoured to present so many fine folks from Essex and surrounding areas with the Queen's Jubilee pins. I previously had zero idea of the impact she had had, not only older folks but also on young ones as well. To have the honour to put the Queen's Jubilee pin on somebody, and have them literally cry on my shoulder and say it was the greatest honour of their life, blew my mind. That is when I realized her impact. Only three days later, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away.

I kind of think it is by design. I am going to speak very quickly to something a lot of Canadians do not know, and which probably most of my colleagues do not even realize. I am a very proud United Empire Loyalist, a UEL. I spoke with Heather Crewe just two days ago and asked her to give me some ideas and thoughts on what the Queen meant to the UEL.

I want to share a few thoughts from my community of Essex to bring it into perspective. I will also share something pretty unique and neat with the House shortly. Heather sent me a briefing. The bicentennial branch of the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada was founded in 1984 and derives its name from the 200th anniversary of the final evacuation of Loyalist refugees from Manhattan in 1784. Loyalists from across the 13 colonies had gathered on Manhattan Island, which, at the time, was the last stronghold of the British following the American Revolution.

In 1983, a handful of Empire United Loyalist holders from the Windsor-Essex region began to discuss the formation of a local UELAC branch. They were encouraged in those efforts by John Chard, who was a member of the dominion council and editor of the Loyalist Gazette, which I get basically every month.

The first general meeting of the new branch took place on May 31, 1984, in the Windsor Public Library. Charter members were Sharon Kominar, Marie Gordon, Gwendolyn Malkin, Jean Walton, Meryl Courtenay, Eleanor MacDonald, Donna Harvey, Alice Pollock and Margaret Lewis.

Margaret Lewis was my grandmother. She was absolutely instrumental, and she adored the Queen. My late grandmother passed away just a few years ago. If it would have been possible, she would have had a Queen's Jubilee pin put on her lapel.

Today, the bicentennial branch serves Windsor, Essex County, Chatham, Kent and Michigan, however our members can be found throughout North America. Most members have family ties with the Loyalists who settled this area in the years following the American Revolution, although some members have proven Loyalist ancestors from other parts of Canada. Heather went on to say that one in six Canadians actually have ties to the Loyalists, and most do not realize that they do.

Ontario's coat of arms was adopted in 1909, and it illustrates Ontario's ties to England and its loyalty to Canada. The deer, moose and bear are the most common mammals indigenous to Ontario. The Latin motto on the coat of arms reads, “Ut incepit fidelis sic permanet”, which translates to, “Loyal she began, loyal she remains”. This is in reference to the Loyalist ties of the province's early settlers.

I am so excited to be here today, not because of her passing, but because of the opportunity to speak to an individual woman who has done so much good for Canada. I do my best to do what I believe she exemplified, and that is to leave the world a better place than we found it. She did that time and time again. We can see it through the tears. We can see it through the smiles. We can see it through the laughter, and we see it through the respect. It is remarkable that through her life she brought so much to this world, and what is particularly remarkable is that, through her death, she certainly exemplified exactly that.

In closing, it has been an honour to speak. My thoughts and prayers are with the royal family in all aspects going forward. Godspeed the Queen. God save the King, and God bless Canada.

Chris Lewis

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